IBM 3270 PC

Last updated

IBM 3270 PC (System Unit 5271)
IBM 3270 PC.jpg
Type Personal computer/Terminal emulator
Release dateOctober 1983;41 years ago (1983)
Discontinued1987 (1987)
Operating system 3270-PC Control Program with PC DOS 2.0 or 2.1
IBM 3270 Workstation Program with PC DOS 3.3
CPU Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz
Memory256KB ~ 640KB

The IBM 3270 PC (IBM System Unit 5271), is a personal computer developed by IBM and released in October 1983. Although its hardware is mostly identical to the IBM PC XT, the 3270 contains additional components that, in combination with software, can emulate the behavior of an IBM 3270 terminal. Therefore, it can be used both as a standalone computer, and as a terminal to a mainframe.

Contents

IBM later released the 3270 AT (IBM System Unit 5273), which is a similar design based on the IBM PC AT. They also released high-end graphics versions of the 3270 PC in both XT and AT variants. The XT-based versions are called 3270 PC/G and 3270 PC/GX and they use a different System Unit 5371, while their AT counterparts (PC AT/G and PC AT/GX) have System Unit 5373. [1]

Technology

The additional hardware occupies nearly all the free expansion slots in the computer. It includes a video card which occupies 1-3 ISA slots (depending on what level of graphics support is required), and supports CGA and MDA video modes. The display resolution is 720×350, either on the matching 14-inch color monitor (model 5272) [2] or in monochrome on an MDA monitor.

A further expansion card intercepts scancodes from the 122-key 3270 keyboard, translating them into XT scancodes which are then sent to the normal keyboard connector. This keyboard, officially called the 5271 Keyboard Element, weighs 9.3 pounds. [2]

The final additional card (a 3278 emulator) provides the communication interface to the host mainframe. [2]

Models

Models 31/51/71 and all P-models, require version 3.0 of the Control Program. [1]

The basic 3270 PC could not be upgraded to the PC/G or PC/GX. These two models use a different basic unit (System Unit 5371), itself priced at $6,580 (for Model 16) without graphics. [2] [3]

Later, AT-based models:

Software

At its launch, the 3270 PC used the 3270 PC Control Program as its operating system. PC DOS 2.0 (and later 2.1) can run as a task under the Control Program. Only one PC DOS task can be run at any given time, but in parallel with this, the Control Program can run up to four mainframe sessions. The Control Program also provides a basic windowing environment, with up to seven windows; besides the four mainframe and one DOS session, it also provides two notepads. The notepads can be used to copy text from the PC DOS session to the mainframe sessions but not vice versa. Given the small size of the character display, a review by PC Magazine concluded that the windowing features were hardly useful, and the notepads even less so. The Control Program was also described as a "memory hog" in this review, using about 200 KB of RAM in a typical configuration. [2] More useful were the specialized PC DOS file transfer utilities that were available (called simply SEND and RECEIVE), which allow files to be exchanged with the mainframe and provide ASCII/EBCDIC conversion. [2] The list prices for the Control Program and file transfer utilities were $300 and $600, respectively. [3] At the launch of the 3270 PC, the Control Program was the distinguishing software feature between a 3270 PC and an XT with an added 3278 board. [8]

IBM considered the 3270 PC Control Program to be mainframe software, so it did not provide user-installable upgrades. Upgrades had to be installed by expert system programmers. [2]

The PC/G and PC/GX models run a mainframe-graphics-capable version of the Control Program called the Graphics Control Program (GCP). On the mainframe side, the IBM Graphical Data Display Manager (GDDM) release 4 (and later) is compatible with these two workstations. The GDDM provided support for local pan and zoom (without taxing the host mainframe) on the PC/G and PC/GX. [9]

In 1987 IBM released the IBM 3270 Workstation Program, which supports both XT and AT models of the 3270 PCs, as well as the plain XT and AT models (even with an XT or AT keyboard) with a 3278 board. It allows up to six concurrent DOS 3.3 sessions, but the number of mainframe sessions and notepads remained the same (four and two, respectively). [10] [11]

Reception

BYTE in 1984 praised the 3270 PC's 3278 emulation and color monitor, and concluded that the computer was "a must" for those seeking high-quality graphics or mainframe communications. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM Personal Computer</span> Personal computer model released in 1981

The IBM Personal Computer is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team of engineers and designers at International Business Machines (IBM), directed by William C. Lowe and Philip Don Estridge in Boca Raton, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM 3270</span> Family of block-oriented display terminals and printers made by IBM

The IBM 3270 is a family of block oriented display and printer computer terminals introduced by IBM in 1971 and normally used to communicate with IBM mainframes. The 3270 was the successor to the IBM 2260 display terminal. Due to the text color on the original models, these terminals are informally known as green screen terminals. Unlike a character-oriented terminal, the 3270 minimizes the number of I/O interrupts required by transferring large blocks of data known as data streams, and uses a high speed proprietary communications interface, using coaxial cable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandy 1000</span> IBM PC compatible home computer system

The Tandy 1000 is the first in a line of IBM PC compatible home computer systems produced by the Tandy Corporation for sale in its Radio Shack and Radio Shack Computer Center chains of stores. Introduced in 1984, the product line was aimed at providing affordable but capable systems for home computing or education, with some of its Tandy specific features like graphics, sound and joystick port making it more appealing for home use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM PS/2</span> Second generation of personal computers by IBM

The Personal System/2 or PS/2 is IBM's second generation of personal computers. Released in 1987, it officially replaced the IBM PC, XT, AT, and PC Convertible in IBM's lineup. Many of the PS/2's innovations, such as the 16550 UART, 1440 KB 3.5-inch floppy disk format, 72-pin SIMMs, PS/2 port, and VGA video standard, went on to become standards in the broader PC market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM PCjr</span> Home computer

The IBM PCjr was a home computer produced and marketed by IBM from March 1984 to May 1985, intended as a lower-cost variant of the IBM PC with hardware capabilities better suited for video games, in order to compete more directly with other home computers such as the Apple II and Commodore 64.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandy 2000</span> Personal computer by Radio Shack

The Tandy 2000 is a personal computer introduced by Radio Shack in September 1983 based on the 8 MHz Intel 80186 microprocessor running MS-DOS. By comparison, the IBM PC XT used the older 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor, and the IBM PC/AT would later use the newer 6 MHz Intel 80286. Due to the 16-bit data bus and more efficient instruction decoding of the 80186, the Tandy 2000 ran significantly faster than other PC compatibles, and slightly faster than the PC AT. The Tandy 2000 was the company's first computer built around an Intel x86 series microprocessor; previous models used the Zilog Z80 and Motorola 6809 CPUs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PC1512</span> 1986 PC-compatible microcomputer

The Amstrad PC1512 was Amstrad's mostly IBM PC-compatible computer system, launched in 1986, and advertised with prices from £399 plus VAT. The system was also marketed in the US by Texas-based Vidco Inc. from the start of 1987. Later in 1987, a slightly updated version called the PC1640 was introduced, also marketed as the PC6400 and Sinclair PC500. Schneider branded machines for the German market were also sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compaq Portable series</span> Laptop manufacturer

Compaq's first computers' form factors were portable, also called "luggables", and then "lunchbox computers", and together constituted the Compaq Portable series. These computers measured approximately 16 inches (410 mm) deep, 8 inches (200 mm) tall, and approximately 20 inches (510 mm) wide. As the products evolved, laptops and notebooks were created offing a new level of portability that caused the market to explode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compaq Portable</span> Early portable computer

The Compaq Portable is an early portable computer which was one of the first IBM PC compatible systems. It was Compaq Computer Corporation's first product, to be followed by others in the Compaq Portable series and later Compaq Deskpro series. It was not simply an 8088-CPU computer that ran a Microsoft DOS as a PC "work-alike", but contained a reverse-engineered BIOS, and a version of MS-DOS that was so similar to IBM's PC DOS that it ran nearly all its application software. The computer was also an early variation on the idea of an "all-in-one".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow 100</span> DEC microcomputer

The Rainbow 100 is a microcomputer introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1982. This desktop unit had a monitor similar to the VT220 and a dual-CPU box with both 4 MHz Zilog Z80 and 4.81 MHz Intel 8088 CPUs. The Rainbow 100 was a triple-use machine: VT100 mode, 8-bit CP/M mode, and CP/M-86 or MS-DOS mode using the 8088. It ultimately failed to in the marketplace which became dominated by the simpler IBM PC and its clones which established the industry standard as compatibility with CP/M became less important than IBM PC compatibility. Writer David Ahl called it a disastrous foray into the personal computer market. The Rainbow was launched along with the similarly packaged DEC Professional and DECmate II which were also not successful. The failure of DEC to gain a significant foothold in the high-volume PC market would be the beginning of the end of the computer hardware industry in New England, as nearly all computer companies located there were focused on minicomputers for large organizations, from DEC to Data General, Wang, Prime, Computervision, Honeywell, and Symbolics Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM Displaywriter System</span> 1980 office desktop computer

The IBM 6580 Displaywriter System is a 16-bit microcomputer that was marketed and sold by IBM's Office Products Division primarily as a word processor. Announced on June 17, 1980 and effectively withdrawn from marketing on July 2, 1986, the system was sold with a 5 MHz Intel 8086, 128 KB to 448 KB of RAM, a swivel-mounted monochrome CRT monitor, a detached keyboard, a detached 8" floppy disk drive enclosure with one or two drives, and a detached daisy wheel printer, or Selectric typewriter printer. The primary operating system for the Displaywriter is IBM's internally developed word processing software titled "Textpack", but UCSD p-System, CP/M-86, and MS-DOS were also offered by IBM, Digital Research, and CompuSystems, respectively.

Since the rise of the personal computer in the 1980s, IBM and other vendors have created PC-based IBM mainframe-compatible systems which are compatible with the larger IBM mainframe computers. For a period of time PC-based mainframe-compatible systems had a lower price and did not require as much electricity or floor space. However, they sacrificed performance and were not as dependable as mainframe-class hardware. These products have been popular with mainframe developers, in education and training settings, for very small companies with non-critical processing, and in certain disaster relief roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM JX</span> IBM PC model released in 1984

The IBM JX was a personal computer released in 1984 into the Japanese, Australian and New Zealand markets. Designed in Japan, it was based on the technology of the IBM PCjr and was designated the IBM 5511. It was targeted in the Australasian market towards the public education sector rather than at consumers, and was sold in three levels: JX (64 KiB), JX2 (128 KiB) and JX3 (256 KiB). Upgrades were available to both 384 KiB and 512 KiB. The JX was the first IBM PC to use 3.5" floppy drives.

The Z-100 computer is a personal computer made by Zenith Data Systems (ZDS). It was a competitor to the IBM PC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulip System-1</span> A 16-bit personal computer based on the Intel 8086 and made by Tulip Computers

The Tulip System I is a 16-bit personal computer based on the Intel 8086 and made by Tulip Computers, formerly an import company for the Exidy Sorcerer, called Compudata Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM 5550</span>

IBM 5550 is a personal computer series that IBM marketed in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China in the 1980s and 1990s, for business use customers. In Japan, it was introduced in 1983 and promoted as "Multistation 5550 (マルチステーション5550)" because it had three roles in one machine: a PC, a word processing machine which was traditionally marketed as a machine different from a PC in Japan, and an IBM-host attached terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APC series</span>

The APC was a series of business microcomputers released outside of Japan by the NEC Corporation. The series comprised the APC, the APC II and APC III, international versions of models from the Japanese NEC N5200 series(jp).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM Personal Computer XT</span> Personal computer model released in 1983

The IBM Personal Computer XT is the second computer in the IBM Personal Computer line, released on March 8, 1983. Except for the addition of a built-in hard drive and extra expansion slots, it is very similar to the original IBM PC model 5150 from 1981.

The IBM Personal Computer Basic, commonly shortened to IBM BASIC, is a programming language first released by IBM with the IBM Personal Computer, Model 5150 in 1981. IBM released four different versions of the Microsoft BASIC interpreter, licensed from Microsoft for the PC and PCjr. They are known as Cassette BASIC, Disk BASIC, Advanced BASIC (BASICA), and Cartridge BASIC. Versions of Disk BASIC and Advanced BASIC were included with IBM PC DOS up to PC DOS 4. In addition to the features of an ANSI standard BASIC, the IBM versions offered support for the graphics and sound hardware of the IBM PC line. Source code could be entered with a full-screen editor, and limited facilities were provided for rudimentary program debugging. IBM also released a version of the Microsoft BASIC compiler for the PC concurrently with the release of PC DOS 1.10 in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens PC-D</span>

The PC-D and PC-X were personal computers sold by Siemens between 1982 (PC-X)/1984 (PC-D) and 1986. The PC-D was the first MS-DOS-based PC sold by Siemens, though not hardware compatible with the IBM PC. It was slowly phased out after the introduction of the PCD-2. Which featured an IBM PC compatible design.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Personal Computer Family Service Information Manual" (PDF). January 1989. Chapter 10, "3270 PC Products". SA38-0037-00.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Edward A. Valenzuela (January 22, 1985). "3270 PC: All things to all users?". PC Magazine. pp. 157–161 continued on 166–167. ISSN   0888-8507.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "IBM Personal Computers At a Glance". BYTE. Fall 1984. pp. 10–26. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  4. "IBM 3270 PC Not Officially Supported by QuickBasic". Archived from the original on July 10, 2015.
  5. "IBM 3270 Personal Computer, New System Units And Large Screen Monitor". IBM. October 25, 1984.
  6. NEW MODELS OF THE IBM 3270-PC (5271) AND EXPANDED MEMORY ADAPTER (XMA)
  7. Mark J. Welch (April 14, 1986). "3270 Demand Not Expected to Rise". InfoWorld . p. 5. ISSN   0199-6649.
  8. BYTE Guide to the IBM PC, fall 1984, p. 35
  9. Eric Bender (July 2, 1984). "IBM bases graphics units on 3270-PC". Computerworld. p. 8. ISSN   0010-4841.
  10. Belitsos, Byron (April 6, 1987). "Operating System/2 to let PCs integrate more easily into SNA". InfoWorld. p. 6A. ISSN   0199-6649.
  11. "Licensed Program Specification and Statement Of Program Service for the IBM 3270 Workstation Program" (PDF). IBM. 90X7283.
  12. Augustin, Larry (Fall 1984). "The Mainframe Connection: IBM's 3270 PC". BYTE. pp. 231–237. Retrieved March 18, 2016.