IBM System/32

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IBM System/32
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IBM System/32
ManufacturerInternational Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Product family System/32
Release dateJanuary 7, 1975;49 years ago (1975-01-07)
Introductory priceapprox $1,000 per month
DiscontinuedOctober 17, 1984
Operating system System Control Program (SCP)
CPU Control Storage Processor (CSP)
Predecessor IBM System/3
Successor IBM System/34
Website Official website IBM Archives

The IBM System/32 [1] [2] (IBM 5320) introduced in January 1975 [3] was a midrange computer with built-in display screen, disk drives, printer, and database report software. It was used primarily by small to midsize businesses for accounting applications. RPG II was the primary programming language for the machine. [4]

Contents

Overview

IBM System/32 in Computer History Museum IBM System32.jpg
IBM System/32 in Computer History Museum

The 16-bit single-user System/32, also known as the IBM 5320, was introduced in 1975, [5] and it was the successor to the IBM System/3 model 6 in the IBM midrange computer line. IBM described it as "the first system to incorporate hardware and comprehensive application software." [5] The New York Times described the 32 as "a compact computer for first‐time users with little or no computer programming experience." [6] Within 40 months, "the System/32 had surpassed the IBM System/3 as the most installed IBM computer." [5]

The computer looked like a large office desk with a very small six-line by forty-character display. Having the appearance of a computerized desk, the System/32 was nicknamed the "Bionic Desk" after The Six Million Dollar Man (bionic man), a popular U.S. TV program when the computer was introduced in 1975. The 32 had a built-in line printer, that directly faced the operator when seated, and could print reports, memos, billing statements, address labels, etc.

It had been introduced January 7, 1975 and was withdrawn from marketing on October 17, 1984. Migration to the IBM System/34 was generally simple because source code was compatible and programs just needed recompilation.

Processor

The System/32 featured a 16-bit processor with a 200ns cycle time known as the Control Storage Processor (CSP). [7] Whereas the System/3 used a hardwired processor, the System/32 implemented the System/3 instruction set in microcode. The System/32 processor utilized a vertical microcode format, with each microinstruction occupying 16 bits of control storage. There were 19 different microinstruction opcodes, however certain microinstructions could carry out different operations depending on which bits were set in the rest of the microinstruction, meaning that there were about 70 distinct operations available in total. [8] An optional set of Scientific Macroinstructions was also available, which were used to support a Fortran compiler by implementing support for floating point arithmetic in microcode. [9] Some IBM engineers, including Glenn Henry and Frank Soltis, have retrospectively described the System/32's microcode as resembling a RISC instruction set. [7] [10]

The System/3 emulation performed poorly, which led IBM to implement performance critical parts of the SCP operating system directly in microcode. [11] The later System/34 and System/36 systems addressed this problem by using two different processors - the System/32 CSP architecture was used exclusively for operating system, I/O control and floating point code, whereas user code ran on the Main Storage Processor (MSP) which implemented the System/3 instruction set directly in hardware without microcode. [10] The use of microcode to implement instruction set emulation as well as performance-critical operating system components had some influence on the design of the microcode layers in the later System/38. [11]

Memory/storage

It had 16, 24, or 32 kilobytes of main memory, and 4 or 8 kilobytes of control storage. The larger control store was an optional extra, and was needed to support the scientific instruction set. [9] [8]

A single hard drive was available in one of three sizes: [12]

The system included an eight-inch floppy drive that could also read floppies from the IBM 3740 family.

Only one side of the 77-track floppy diskette was used. Each track held 26 128-byte sectors. An extended format was offered by IBM, and it permitted 512 bytes per sector. Even so, that came to an 8-inch floppy holding less than one third of a megabyte. [13]

System/32 operator

When keying input data, the operator would be viewing the character display, which was also common to the then current IBM 3740 family of data entry to floppy disk media.

A computer specialist was not required for the operation of System/32.

System software

Some terms associated with the System/32's software include:

See also

Related Research Articles

A control store is the part of a CPU's control unit that stores the CPU's microprogram. It is usually accessed by a microsequencer. A control store implementation whose contents are unalterable is known as a Read Only Memory (ROM) or Read Only Storage (ROS); one whose contents are alterable is known as a Writable Control Store (WCS).

In processor design, microcode serves as an intermediary layer situated between the central processing unit (CPU) hardware and the programmer-visible instruction set architecture of a computer, also known as its machine code. It consists of a set of hardware-level instructions that implement the higher-level machine code instructions or control internal finite-state machine sequencing in many digital processing components. While microcode is utilized in Intel and AMD general-purpose CPUs in contemporary desktops and laptops, it functions only as a fallback path for scenarios that the faster hardwired control unit is unable to manage.

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The PDP–11 is a series of 16-bit minicomputers sold by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from 1970 into the late 1990s, one of a set of products in the Programmed Data Processor (PDP) series. In total, around 600,000 PDP-11s of all models were sold, making it one of DEC's most successful product lines. The PDP-11 is considered by some experts to be the most popular minicomputer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/360</span> IBM mainframe computer family (1964–1977)

The IBM System/360 (S/360) is a family of mainframe computer systems announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and delivered between 1965 and 1978. They were the first family of computers designed to cover both commercial and scientific applications and a complete range of applications from small to large. The design distinguished between architecture and implementation, allowing IBM to release a suite of compatible designs at different prices. All but the only partially compatible Model 44 and the most expensive systems use microcode to implement the instruction set, featuring 8-bit byte addressing and fixed point binary, fixed point decimal and hexadecimal floating-point calculations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/370</span> Family of mainframe computers 1970–1990

The IBM System/370 (S/370) is a range of IBM mainframe computers announced as the successors to the System/360 family on June 30, 1970. The series mostly maintains backward compatibility with the S/360, allowing an easy migration path for customers; this, plus improved performance, were the dominant themes of the product announcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xerox Alto</span> Computer made by Xerox

The Xerox Alto is a computer system developed at Xerox PARC in the 1970s. It is considered one of the first workstations or personal computers, and its development pioneered many aspects of modern computing. It features a graphical user interface (GUI), a mouse, Ethernet networking, and the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously. It is one of the first computers to use a WYSIWYG text editor and has a bit-mapped display. The Alto did not succeed commercially, but it had a significant influence on the development of future computer systems.

In computer architecture and engineering, a sequencer or microsequencer generates the addresses used to step through the microprogram of a control store. It is used as a part of the control unit of a CPU or as a stand-alone generator for address ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/34</span> IBM midrange computer (1977–1985)

The IBM System/34 was an IBM midrange computer introduced in 1977. It was withdrawn from marketing in February 1985. It was a multi-user, multi-tasking successor to the single-user System/32. It included two processors, one based on the System/32 and the second based on the System/3. Like the System/32 and the System/3, the System/34 was primarily programmed in the RPG II language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/36</span> IBM midrange computer (1983–2000)

The IBM System/36 was a midrange computer marketed by IBM from 1983 to 2000 - a multi-user, multi-tasking successor to the System/34.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/38</span> IBM midrange computer (1978–1988)

The System/38 is a discontinued minicomputer and midrange computer manufactured and sold by IBM. The system was announced in 1978. The System/38 has 48-bit addressing, which was unique for the time, and a novel integrated database system. It was oriented toward a multi-user system environment. At the time, the typical system handled from a dozen to several dozen terminals. Although the System/38 failed to displace the systems it was intended to replace, its architecture served as the basis of the much more successful IBM AS/400.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Datapoint 2200</span> Personal computer and terminal

The Datapoint 2200 was a mass-produced programmable terminal usable as a computer, designed by Computer Terminal Corporation (CTC) founders Phil Ray and Gus Roche and announced by CTC in June 1970. It was initially presented by CTC as a versatile and cost-efficient terminal for connecting to a wide variety of mainframes by loading various terminal emulations from tape rather than being hardwired as most contemporary terminals, including their earlier Datapoint 3300. However, Dave Gust, a CTC salesman, realized that the 2200 could meet Pillsbury Foods's need for a small computer in the field, after which the 2200 was marketed as a stand-alone computer. Its industrial designer John "Jack" Frassanito has later claimed that Ray and Roche always intended the Datapoint 2200 to be a full-blown personal computer, but that they chose to keep quiet about this so as not to concern investors and others. Also significant is the fact that the terminal's multi-chip CPU (processor)'s instruction set became the basis of the Intel 8008 instruction set, which inspired the Intel 8080 instruction set and the x86 instruction set used in the processors for the original IBM PC and its descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DEC PRISM</span> RISC instruction set architecture

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/3</span> IBM midrange computer (1969–1985)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCP-1600</span>

The MCP-1600 is a multi-chip 16-bit microprocessor introduced by Western Digital in 1975 and produced through the early 1980s. Used in the Pascal MicroEngine, the WD16 processor in the Alpha Microsystems AM-100, and the DEC LSI-11 microcomputer, a cost-reduced and compact implementation of the DEC PDP-11.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/360 Model 50</span> Midrange IBM computer from 1960s

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References

  1. "I.B.M. Introduces Smallest Computer In a Bid for Data-Processing". The New York Times . January 8, 1975.
  2. "I.B.M. Corp. Introduces A 50-Pound Computer". The New York Times . September 10, 1975.
  3. IBM Archives: IBM System/32
  4. "SR30-0017-1 System32 RPG II Programming". January 1976.
  5. 1 2 3 "IBM System/32". IBM Corporation. 23 January 2003. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
  6. William D. Smith (November 17, 1976). "I.B.M. Starting Series 1 System To Enter Minicomputer Market". The New York Times .
  7. 1 2 Glenn Henry (2014-03-30). "The IBM System/32: The Second IBM Personal Computer". Glenn's Computer Museum. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  8. 1 2 "IBM Maintenance Library System/32 Theory Diagrams" (PDF). Bitsavers. IBM. May 1977. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  9. 1 2 "IBM System/34 and IBM System/32 Scientific Macroinstructions Functions Reference Manual" (PDF). Bitsavers. IBM. July 1978. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  10. 1 2 Frank G. Soltis (1997). Inside the AS/400, Second Edition. Duke Press. ISBN   978-1882419661.
  11. 1 2 Henry, Glenn (2001-08-07). "An Interview with An Interview with GLENN HENRY" (PDF). conservancy.umn.edu (Interview). Interviewed by Philip L. Frana. Charles Babbage Institute. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  12. with 5 more choices added a year later "Computerworld". Computerworld. January 19, 1976.
  13. "Floppy drive".
  14. "IBM System/32 Introduction" (PDF). IBM. January 1977. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  15. "IBM System/32 Data File Utility (DFU)".

Photographs