attachment unit interface
The AUI (attachment unit interface) is the 15-pin physical connector
interface between a computer's network interface card (NIC) and an Ethernet
cable such as 10Base-5 ("thicknet") coaxial
cable. On 10Base-T Ethernet,
a short cable is used to connect the AUI on the computer with a transceiver
on the main cable. (In 10Base-2 or "thinnet"
Ethernet networks, the NIC connects directly to the Ethernet
coaxial cable at the back of the computer.)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
802.3, the Ethernet standard, defines the AUI
15-pin physical layer interface. This interface is also called a DB-15
interface or a DIX interface (DIX refers to the three major companies who
helped standardize Ethernet: Digital Equipment
Corporation, Intel, and Xerox).