Interdata 7/32 and 8/32
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The Model 7/32 and Model 8/32 were
The Model 7/32 provided fullword data processing power and direct memory addressing up to 1 million bytes through the use of 32-bit general registers and a comprehensive instruction set.[3]
Background
After the commercial success of the microcoded,
Differences between the 7/32 and 8/32
- General register sets – The 7/32 has 2 sets while the 8/32 can have either 2 or 8.
- I/O priority levels – The 7/32 has none but the 8/32 can have up to 3.
- Writeable control store – The 7/32 does not have one and the 8/32 does.
- On average the 8/32 is 2.5x faster than the 7/32.[3]
Usage
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The 7/32 and 8/32 became the computers of choice in large scale
The 8/32 was used in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona for research purposes.[4]
The 8/32 was also employed by
Operating systems
The standard operating system for the 7/32 and 8/32 was Interdata's OS/32. At MIT, by 1976, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) computers were being used by the
Unix was ported to the platform in 1977 by two groups, working independently; to the 7/32 at
By 1979, researchers at the Architecture Machine Group created an operating system modeled on Multics called Magic 6, which featured the Multics concepts of pages, segments and dynamic linking, but had no security checks.[8]
Acquisition
The success of the Interdata 32-bit minis in these markets made the company attractive to
Simulation
SIMH, the historical computer simulator project, includes simulators for both the Interdata 32-bit (7/32 and 8/32) and their 16-bit minicomputers.
The
References
- ^ "Under-$10,000 32-bit mini open mega-mini market". Machine Design. 45: 14. 1973. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Interdata Announces the Industry's First 32-bit Minicomputer for Under $10,000". Computerworld: 25. October 17, 1973. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Model 7/32 Processor User's Manual" (PDF). bitsavers.org. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ Sonett, C.P. (March 1983). "Grant NSG Development Interdata 8/32 Computer System" (PDF). ntrs.nasa.gov/archive. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ a b Reinfelds, Juris. "The First Port of UNIX" (PDF). Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ Fiedler, Ryan (October 1983). "The Unix Tutorial / Part 3: Unix in the Microcomputer Marketplace". BYTE. p. 132. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "The History of Unix". BYTE. August 1983. p. 188. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
- ^ Parks, Lee S., The Design and Implementation of a Multi-Programming Virtual Memory Operating System for a Mini-Computer, B.S. thesis MIT, May 1979. http://multicians.org/biblio.html, https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.os.multics/IhBWyx4-32E
- ^ "Concurrent Computer Corporation History". Archived from the original on 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ^ "Exhibits - Living Computer Museum". www.livingcomputermuseum.org. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
External links
- Interdata 7/32 Reference Manual
- Login into the Living Computer Museum, a portal into the Paul Allen collection of timesharing and interactive computers, including an operational Interdata 7/32