Frank Soltis
Encyclopedia
Frank Gerald Soltis an American computer scientist
, was IBM
's Chief Scientist for the System i
computers. Based on his Ph.D. research, his pioneering architecture of technology-independent machine interface (TIMI) and single-level store
has appeared in these eight generations of IBM hardware: System/38
in 1978, the CISC
AS/400 in 1988, the RISC
AS/400 in 1995, the web server AS/400e in 1999 (supporting HTTP and TCP/IP), the eServer iSeries, the System i5, the System i, and Power Systems running i (April, 2008).
in electrical engineering from Iowa State University
. His PhD dissertation was titled "Automatic Allocation of Digital Computer Storage Resources for Time-sharing".
In November 1968, he took a position with IBM in Rochester, Minnesota
. Soltis led the design of the "Amazon" instruction set architecture, an extended version of the 64-bit
PowerPC
architecture; the Amazon architecture is implemented by the RS64, POWER4
, and POWER5
processors used in the IBM iSeries and pSeries computers.
As of 2008, in addition to his IBM responsibilities, Soltis was an adjunct professor of electrical engineering
and computer science
at the University of Minnesota
where he teaches graduate courses on high performance computer design.
Soltis retired from IBM on December 31, 2008.
In February 2009, Vision Solutions, a leading high availability and disaster recovery solutions provider in IBM Power Systems markets, announced Dr. Frank Soltis has joined the Vision Solutions Technology Advisory Board (VTAB). Soltis will share his experience and insight as he helps guide product strategies.
Soltis' By Design column appears in System iNEWS magazine.
His books include Inside the AS/400 and Fortress Rochester, The Inside Story of the IBM iSeries.
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, was IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's Chief Scientist for the System i
IBM System i
The IBM System i is IBM's previous generation of midrange computer systems for IBM i users, and was subsequently replaced by the IBM Power Systems in April 2008....
computers. Based on his Ph.D. research, his pioneering architecture of technology-independent machine interface (TIMI) and single-level store
Single-level store
Single-level storage is a term most often associated with the IBM System i operating system, IBM i , although it was originally introduced in 1962 by the Atlas system at Cambridge...
has appeared in these eight generations of IBM hardware: System/38
System/38
The System/38 was a midrange computer server platform manufactured and sold by the IBM Corporation. The system offered a number of innovative features, and was the brainchild of IBM engineer Dr. Frank Soltis...
in 1978, the CISC
Complex instruction set computer
A complex instruction set computer , is a computer where single instructions can execute several low-level operations and/or are capable of multi-step operations or addressing modes within single instructions...
AS/400 in 1988, the RISC
Reduced instruction set computer
Reduced instruction set computing, or RISC , is a CPU design strategy based on the insight that simplified instructions can provide higher performance if this simplicity enables much faster execution of each instruction. A computer based on this strategy is a reduced instruction set computer...
AS/400 in 1995, the web server AS/400e in 1999 (supporting HTTP and TCP/IP), the eServer iSeries, the System i5, the System i, and Power Systems running i (April, 2008).
Career
In 1968, Soltis completed his PhDPHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in electrical engineering from Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
. His PhD dissertation was titled "Automatic Allocation of Digital Computer Storage Resources for Time-sharing".
In November 1968, he took a position with IBM in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
. Soltis led the design of the "Amazon" instruction set architecture, an extended version of the 64-bit
64-bit
64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
architecture; the Amazon architecture is implemented by the RS64, POWER4
POWER4
The POWER4 is a microprocessor developed by International Business Machines that implemented the 64-bit PowerPC and PowerPC AS instruction set architectures. Released in 2001, the POWER4 succeeded the POWER3 and RS64 microprocessors, and was used in RS/6000 and AS/400 computers, ending a separate...
, and POWER5
POWER5
The POWER5 is a microprocessor developed and fabricated by IBM. It is an improved version of the highly successful POWER4. The principal improvements are support for simultaneous multithreading and an on-die memory controller...
processors used in the IBM iSeries and pSeries computers.
As of 2008, in addition to his IBM responsibilities, Soltis was an adjunct professor of electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where he teaches graduate courses on high performance computer design.
Soltis retired from IBM on December 31, 2008.
In February 2009, Vision Solutions, a leading high availability and disaster recovery solutions provider in IBM Power Systems markets, announced Dr. Frank Soltis has joined the Vision Solutions Technology Advisory Board (VTAB). Soltis will share his experience and insight as he helps guide product strategies.
Soltis' By Design column appears in System iNEWS magazine.
His books include Inside the AS/400 and Fortress Rochester, The Inside Story of the IBM iSeries.
Books
- Soltis, Frank G. (1997). Inside the AS/400, Duke Press. ISBN 1-882419-66-9
- Soltis, Frank G. (2001). Fortress Rochester: the Inside Story of the IBM iSeries, NEWS/400 Books. ISBN 1-58304-083-8