DECsystem
Encyclopedia
DECsystem was a line of server computers from Digital Equipment Corporation
. They were based on MIPS architecture
processors and ran DEC's version of the UNIX
operating system
, called Ultrix
. They ranged in size from workstation-style desktop enclosures to large pedestal cabinets.
The DECsystem (or DECSYSTEM) name was also used for later models of the PDP-10
mainframe
, namely the DECsystem-10 and DECSYSTEM-20 series.
. It shared many hardware options with the 3x00-series MAYFAIR VAXes, including TK70 tape drive, MS650-BA memory and DSSI
disk drives. SCSI was not available except with third party add in hardware. The unit shipped with a MicroVAX diagnostic processor, which would run similar ROM diagnostics to the MicroVAX series, as well as boot the tape based MicroVAX Diagnostic TK70 tape. Once the console transferred control of the computer to the MIPS processor the MicroVAX sat essentially unused until the next boot. Code name MIPSFAIR.
. It replaced the DECsystem 5400.
The 5500 came with native SCSI support, as well as support for DSSI
disk drives.
Code name MIPSFAIR-2.
The DECsystem 5500 is shipped in a BA430 enclosure, which provides a 12-slot backplane and room for four mass storage devices. The base system contains the following:
* A KN220-AA module set. This consists of a KN220 I/O module in slot 1 and a KN220 CPU module in slot 2.
The CPU module contains:
o 30 MHz R3000 CPU with R3010 FPU.
o 512 kBytes of Prestoserve (NFS accelerator) battery backed RAM.
The I/O module contains:
o Q22-bus interface
o SGEC Second Generation Ethernet Controller
o DSSI Digital Storage System Interconnect port
o SII-based SCSI port.
* From 1 to 4 MS220-AA 32MB memory modules, installed in slots 3 through 7.
systems. The series comprised the DECsystem 5810, 5820, 5830, and 5840, with the third digit referring to the number of processors. These systems can be considered to be the MIPS/RISC alternatives of the VAX 6000
operating the XMI and BI bus. The 5810 and 5820, using 25 MHz R3000 microprocessors and R3010 floating-point coprocessors, were introduced on 11 July 1989. Code name ISIS.
packaged in a similar rack-mountable enclosure.
The DECstation system module is repackaged in a CPU drawer, which is mounted in a rack with a mounting kit which permits the drawer to be slid in and out. The CPU module also contained an integrated TURBOchannel Extender, the power supply and a blower, which cooled the system. However, as the system module that these systems use does not feature multiprocessing capabilities, the presence of two CPU drawers in a rack simply meant that there were two separate systems. The mass storage drawers, in such a case, would be divided between the CPU drawers, with a minimum of one per a CPU drawer.
There are two models of mass storage drawers. One model may contain one to four 5.25-inch full-height non-removable, one 5.25-inch full-height removable or non-removable and two 5.25-inch half-height removable devices. The other model may contain one to five 5.25-inch full-height non-removable, one 5.25-inch removable and two 5.25-inch half-height removable devices. In both models, a 400 W power supply is located at the rear of the drawer.
The H9A00 enclosure, a 19-inch rack
, contains a minimum of one CPU drawer and one mass storage drawer. A power controller at the bottom of the enclosure distributed power to the CPU and mass storage drawers. The rack can contain a maximum of two CPU drawers and four mass storage drawers.
The DECsystem 5900 has a width of 61 cm (24 in), a height of 170 cm (66.9 in), a depth of 86.4 cm (34 in) and a weight of 265 to 485 kg (480 to 1,070 lb) depending on the configuration.
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
. They were based on MIPS architecture
MIPS architecture
MIPS is a reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . The early MIPS architectures were 32-bit, and later versions were 64-bit...
processors and ran DEC's version of the UNIX
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, called Ultrix
Ultrix
Ultrix was the brand name of Digital Equipment Corporation's native Unix systems. While ultrix is the Latin word for avenger, the name was chosen solely for its sound.-History:...
. They ranged in size from workstation-style desktop enclosures to large pedestal cabinets.
The DECsystem (or DECSYSTEM) name was also used for later models of the PDP-10
PDP-10
The PDP-10 was a mainframe computer family manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation from the late 1960s on; the name stands for "Programmed Data Processor model 10". The first model was delivered in 1966...
mainframe
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
, namely the DECsystem-10 and DECSYSTEM-20 series.
DECsystem 3100
Identical to the DECstation 3100, but was intended to be used as a multiuser system. It was announced in early May 1989 at the UniForum exhibition in San Francisco. It was shipped in June 1989. Code name PMAX.DECsystem 5000 Series
Rebranded Personal DECstation 5000 Series without any graphics. Code name MAXINE.DECsystem 5000 Model 100 Series
Rebranded DECstation 5000 Model 100 Series without any graphics. Codename 3MIN.DECsystem 5000 Model 200 Series
Rebranded DECstation 5000 Model 200 Series without any graphics. Code name 3MAX. (5000/260 3MAX+)DECsystem 5100
A desktop uniprocessor entry-level server. It replaced the DECsystem 3100. Code name MIPSMATE.DECsystem 5400
A pedestal uniprocessor system based on the Q-BusQ-Bus
The Q-bus was one of several bus technologies used with PDP and MicroVAX computer systems manufactured by the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts....
. It shared many hardware options with the 3x00-series MAYFAIR VAXes, including TK70 tape drive, MS650-BA memory and DSSI
Digital Storage Systems Interconnect
The Digital Storage Systems Interconnect is a bus developed by Digital Equipment Corporation for connecting storage devices and clustering VAX systems and support was extended to MIPS based DECsystem and later to Alpha processor based AlphaServer systems.It was introduced in 1988 and has a...
disk drives. SCSI was not available except with third party add in hardware. The unit shipped with a MicroVAX diagnostic processor, which would run similar ROM diagnostics to the MicroVAX series, as well as boot the tape based MicroVAX Diagnostic TK70 tape. Once the console transferred control of the computer to the MIPS processor the MicroVAX sat essentially unused until the next boot. Code name MIPSFAIR.
DECsystem 5500
A pedestal uniprocessor system based on the Q-BusQ-Bus
The Q-bus was one of several bus technologies used with PDP and MicroVAX computer systems manufactured by the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts....
. It replaced the DECsystem 5400.
The 5500 came with native SCSI support, as well as support for DSSI
Digital Storage Systems Interconnect
The Digital Storage Systems Interconnect is a bus developed by Digital Equipment Corporation for connecting storage devices and clustering VAX systems and support was extended to MIPS based DECsystem and later to Alpha processor based AlphaServer systems.It was introduced in 1988 and has a...
disk drives.
Code name MIPSFAIR-2.
The DECsystem 5500 is shipped in a BA430 enclosure, which provides a 12-slot backplane and room for four mass storage devices. The base system contains the following:
* A KN220-AA module set. This consists of a KN220 I/O module in slot 1 and a KN220 CPU module in slot 2.
The CPU module contains:
o 30 MHz R3000 CPU with R3010 FPU.
o 512 kBytes of Prestoserve (NFS accelerator) battery backed RAM.
The I/O module contains:
o Q22-bus interface
o SGEC Second Generation Ethernet Controller
o DSSI Digital Storage System Interconnect port
o SII-based SCSI port.
* From 1 to 4 MS220-AA 32MB memory modules, installed in slots 3 through 7.
DECsystem 5800 Series
The DECsystem 5800 Series are high-end multiprocessorMultiprocessor
Computer system having two or more processing units each sharing main memory and peripherals, in order to simultaneously process programs.Sometimes the term Multiprocessor is confused with the term Multiprocessing....
systems. The series comprised the DECsystem 5810, 5820, 5830, and 5840, with the third digit referring to the number of processors. These systems can be considered to be the MIPS/RISC alternatives of the VAX 6000
VAX 6000
The VAX 6000 was a family of minicomputers developed and manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation using processors implementing the VAX instruction set architecture...
operating the XMI and BI bus. The 5810 and 5820, using 25 MHz R3000 microprocessors and R3010 floating-point coprocessors, were introduced on 11 July 1989. Code name ISIS.
DECsystem 5900 and DECsystem 5900/260
The DECsystem 5900 and DECsystem 5900/260 are rack-mounted DECstation 5000 Model 240 and DECstation Model 260 workstations, respectively, positioned as mid-range servers by Digital. The DECsystem 5900 was introduced in early December 1991. Both models were discontinued on 28 January 1994. Their intended replacement was the DEC 3000 Model 800S AXPDEC 3000 AXP
DEC 3000 AXP was the name given to a series of computer workstations and servers, produced from 1992 to around 1995 by Digital Equipment Corporation. The DEC 3000 AXP series formed part of the first generation of computer systems based on the 64-bit Alpha AXP architecture...
packaged in a similar rack-mountable enclosure.
The DECstation system module is repackaged in a CPU drawer, which is mounted in a rack with a mounting kit which permits the drawer to be slid in and out. The CPU module also contained an integrated TURBOchannel Extender, the power supply and a blower, which cooled the system. However, as the system module that these systems use does not feature multiprocessing capabilities, the presence of two CPU drawers in a rack simply meant that there were two separate systems. The mass storage drawers, in such a case, would be divided between the CPU drawers, with a minimum of one per a CPU drawer.
There are two models of mass storage drawers. One model may contain one to four 5.25-inch full-height non-removable, one 5.25-inch full-height removable or non-removable and two 5.25-inch half-height removable devices. The other model may contain one to five 5.25-inch full-height non-removable, one 5.25-inch removable and two 5.25-inch half-height removable devices. In both models, a 400 W power supply is located at the rear of the drawer.
The H9A00 enclosure, a 19-inch rack
19-inch rack
A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.-Overview and history:Equipment designed...
, contains a minimum of one CPU drawer and one mass storage drawer. A power controller at the bottom of the enclosure distributed power to the CPU and mass storage drawers. The rack can contain a maximum of two CPU drawers and four mass storage drawers.
The DECsystem 5900 has a width of 61 cm (24 in), a height of 170 cm (66.9 in), a depth of 86.4 cm (34 in) and a weight of 265 to 485 kg (480 to 1,070 lb) depending on the configuration.
See also
- DECstationDECstationThe DECstation was a brand of computers used by DEC, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989. These comprised a range of computer workstations based on the MIPS architecture and a...
- PDP-10PDP-10The PDP-10 was a mainframe computer family manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation from the late 1960s on; the name stands for "Programmed Data Processor model 10". The first model was delivered in 1966...
- K-RM-58AMA-0-0 Rev A, DECSystem 5800 System Revision Matrix, 1989
- http://www.netbsd.org/ports/pmax/models.html