Mainframes and Supercomputers Flashcards
How did IBM transition to dominating the supercomputer market
Extensive spending on R&D, which created a high entry barrier to the industry. IBM had 70% of the market share
Motivation behind the NORC
IBM wanted to build the fastest machine possible. IBM agreed to build it for their image.
Significance of the NORC
1.First supercomputer
2. Improvements in the design of magnetic tape drives (5x)
3. Improvements in the design of memory (“read around problem”)
Use of the IBM 701
Targeted towards defense agencies for the Korean War effort
Motivation behind the Stretch
IBM wanted to stretch the limits of computation, making a machine 100x faster than current technology
Technical improvements in the Stretch
High speed transistors (10x speed), improved high speed core memory (SAGE)
Uses of the Stretch
Atomic energy, defense research, and code breaking
Who developed the LARC
Developed by UNIVAC for Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
Use of the LARC
Atomic research, and used by the US Navy R&D centre
Who was the Atlas designed for
Peer machines of the Atlas
Greek Series: Mercury, Pegasus, Orion, etc.
Impact of the Atlas
Motivations for the IBM 360
- Machines were not backwards compatible
- Companies needed machines for both data processing and science, but they were designed for one or the other.
Benefits/Consequences of the IBM 360 approach
Created many computers that were compatible with the IBM 360, but many copies were made without doing R&D like IBM
How the clone market came to be
IBM provided many specifications to customers and software developers
IBM 360 clone makers
RCA, UNIVAC, and Soviet Union
Motivations for the IBM 370
- 360 could not take advantage of time sharing
- Solved the 360 cloning problem
Impact of the IBM 370
- Allowed computer access to groups who could not afford one
- Reduced inefficient use with time sharing
Major computer manufacturers from 60s to 70s
RCA, General Electric, Burrows, UNIVAC, NCR, Control Data, Honeywell
Formation of Cray computers
Seymour Cray left the CDC to form his own company. Made computers where IBM couldn’t compete
