IBM 8100
DPCX) and was a follow-on to the IBM 3790 .
The 8100, when used with the Distributed Processing Programming Executive (DPPX), was intended to provide turnkey distributed processing capabilities in a centrally controlled and managed network. It never saw much success—one anonymous source, according to DPCX (Distributed Processing Control eXecutive) was mainly to support a word processing system, Distributed Office Support Facility (DOSF). ArchitectureThe 8100 was a 32-bit processor, but its instruction set reveals its lineage as the culmination of a line of so-called Universal Controller processors[4][failed verification] internally designated UC0 (8-bit), UC.5 (16-bit) and UC1 (32-bit). Each processor carried along the instruction set and architecture of the smaller processors, allowing programs written for a smaller processor to run on a larger one without change. The 8100 had another interesting distinction in being one of the first commercially available systems to have a network with characteristics of what we now call local area networks, in particular the mechanism of packet passing. It was called the "8100 Loop" or "R-Loop"[5] and it supported various attached terminals (such as the 3104), printers (such as the free-standing 3268-1) and other devices. Topologically this arranged terminals in a ring, with redundant sets of wires which allowed for a break in the wire to be tolerated simply by "turning back" the data on each side of the break. The 8100 also supported an "intelligent" terminal called the 8775 (which shared the same case as the 3279 colour display terminal for IBM's mainframes and, like the 3279 was designed at IBM's UK Development Lab at Hursley Park, England) which was the first to ship with the ability to download its functionality from the host computer to which it was attached. Product range
What was notable about the machines was that they were designed to be "office-friendly", not requiring special power supplies or cooling systems, and running quietly. Their size also made them attractive in this environment. Post mortemIn 1983, Computer Automation, Inc. offered a trade-in program for IBM 8100 users, in exchange for a CA-Syfa system.[6] The offer was to accommodate those who purchased "two or three" 8100s for program development, and encountered too many obstacles. References
External linksFurther readingby R. Abraham, B. F. Goodrich; IBM Systems Journal, Volume 29, Number 1, Page 90 (1990) |