MP/M

Last updated

MP/M
Developer Digital Research, Inc. / Tom Rolander, [1] [2] [3] [4] Gary Kildall, Frank Holsworth [5] [6]
OS family CP/M
Working stateDiscontinued
Source modelOriginally closed source, since open sourced
Initial release1979;44 years ago (1979) [7] [8]
Latest release 2.1 / 1982;41 years ago (1982)
Available in English
Platforms 8080, 8085, Z80, 8086, 80286
Kernel type Monolithic kernel
Default
user interface
Command-line interface
License Originally proprietary, now BSD-like
Preceded by CP/M, CP/M-86
Succeeded by Concurrent CP/M, Concurrent CP/M-86
Official website www.cpm.z80.de

MP/M (Multi-Programming Monitor Control Program [8] ) is a discontinued multi-user version of the CP/M operating system, created by Digital Research developer Tom Rolander in 1979. [1] [7] [8] [9] [2] [3] [4] It allowed multiple users to connect to a single computer, each using a separate terminal.

Contents

MP/M was a fairly advanced operating system for its era, at least on microcomputers. It included a priority-scheduled multitasking kernel (before such a name was used, the kernel was referred to as the nucleus) with memory protection, concurrent input/output (XIOS) and support for spooling and queueing. It also allowed for each user to run multiple programs, and switch between them.

MP/M platforms

MP/M-80

The 8-bit system required a 8080 (or Z80) CPU and a minimum of 32  KB of RAM to run, but this left little memory for user applications. In order to support reasonable setups, MP/M allowed for memory to be switched in and out of the machine's "real memory" area. So for instance a program might be loaded into a "bank" of RAM that was not addressable by the CPU, and when it was time for the program to run that bank of RAM would be "switched" to appear in low memory (typically the lower 32 or 48 KB) and thus become visible to the OS. This technique, known as bank switching was subsequently added to the single user version of CP/M with version 3.0.

One of the primary uses of MP/M, perhaps to the surprise of DRI, was as a "power user" version of CP/M for a single user. The ability to run several programs at the same time and address large amounts of memory made the system worth the extra price.

MP/M II 2.0 added file sharing capabilities in 1981, [10] [11] [12] MP/M II 2.1 came with extended file locking in January 1982. [10]

Versions:

MP/M-86

Like CP/M, MP/M was eventually ported to the 16-bit Intel 8086, and appeared as MP/M-86 2.0 in September 1981. [14] [15] [16] Main developers of the system include Francis "Frank" R. Holsworth, [5] [6] later a director of marketing at Digital Research. Known revisions of MP/M-86 2.0 were dated 25 September 1981 and 5 October 1981. There also was an MP/M-86 2.1 dated 20 July 1982. [17]

MP/M-86 2.1 absorbed some of the technology of CP/M-86 1.1 (BDOS 2.2) to become Concurrent CP/M-86 3.0 [nb 1] (BDOS 3.0) in late 1982, [18] which also added support for "virtual screens". [18] Kathryn Strutynski, the project manager for CP/M-86, continued as project manager for Concurrent CP/M-86. In December 1983, [19] a DOS emulator named PC-MODE became available as an optional module for Concurrent CP/M-86 3.1 (BDOS 3.1), shipping on 21 February 1984, [20] and the system was further developed into the MS-DOS compatible Concurrent DOS (BDOS 3.1 and higher). [21] This in turn continued to evolve into FlexOS and Multiuser DOS and as such is still in use in some industrial applications.

MP/M 8-16

MP/M 8-16 (sometimes also referred to as MP/M-8/16 [18] ) was CompuPro's name for a combination of the multi-user 16-bit MP/M-86 to perform single-user, single-stream CP/M functions, along with multi-user, multi-tasking 8-bit MP/M operations [18] running on the multi-processor CompuPro System 816  [ sr ]. [22] Later on, this system was also able to run Concurrent DOS 3.1.

MP/M-286

In 1982, Digital Research announced plans to develop MP/M-286 to take advantage of the 16-bit Intel 80286's new memory management and protection features to run existing MP/M-86 and CP/M-86 applications. [23] This was apparently never published "as is", but was further developed into Concurrent CP/M-286, [24] which seems to have formed the basis for the later Concurrent DOS 286 in 1985 [24] and FlexOS 286 in 1986.

Commands

The following list of commands are supported by the MP/M II Console Command Processor CCP: [25]

CP/NET, CP/NOS, MP/NET and MP/NOS

In the early 1980s Digital Research also developed networking software named CP/NET used to connect an MP/M server with multiple CP/NET clients (named requesters) running CP/M. [26] It was originally developed by Tom Rolander. [2]

MP/NET was an MP/M system with networking allowing the MP/M system to function as both requester and server with CP/M requesters. [26]

The CP/NET clients could also be run in a diskless configuration with the system stored in ROM, then named CP/NOS (with NOS for Network Operating System). Similar, MP/NOS contained MP/M without local disk facilities. Like CP/NOS, MP/NOS performed the disk functions through the network. [26]

The system allowed to share files and printers and send electronic messages.

CP/NET existed in versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 in versions for 8080 and Z80 processors. CP/NET-86 for 8086 was available as well.

Later incarnations were DR Net and FlexNet.

Legacy

Caldera permitted the redistribution and modification of all original Digital Research files, including source code, related to the CP/M and MP/M families through Tim Olmstead's "The Unofficial CP/M Web site" since 1997. [28] [29] [30] After Olmstead's death on 12 September 2001, [31] the free distribution license was refreshed and expanded by Lineo, who had meanwhile become the owner of those Digital Research assets, on 19 October 2001. [32] [33] [34] [35]

Notes

  1. Since there was apparently no 8-bit version of Concurrent CP/M, the 16-bit version Concurrent CP/M-86 was also referred to simply as Concurrent CP/M.[ clarification needed ]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Kildall</span> American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur (1942–1994)

Gary Arlen Kildall was an American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur. During the 1970s, Kildall created the CP/M operating system among other operating systems and programming tools, and subsequently founded Digital Research, Inc. to market and sell his software products. Kildall was among the earliest individuals to recognize microprocessors as fully capable computers, and to organize a company around this concept. Due to his accomplishments during this era, Kildall is considered a pioneer of the personal computer revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CP/M</span> Discontinued family of computer operating systems

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Research</span> Defunct American software company

Digital Research, Inc. was a privately held American software company created by Gary Kildall to market and develop his CP/M operating system and related 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit systems like MP/M, Concurrent DOS, FlexOS, Multiuser DOS, DOS Plus, DR DOS and GEM. It was the first large software company in the microcomputer world. Digital Research was originally based in Pacific Grove, California, later in Monterey, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CP/M-86</span> Discontinued computer operating system for x86 processors

CP/M-86 is a discontinued version of the CP/M operating system that Digital Research (DR) made for the Intel 8086 and Intel 8088. The system commands are the same as in CP/M-80. Executable files used the relocatable .CMD file format. Digital Research also produced a multi-user multitasking operating system compatible with CP/M-86, MP/M-86, which later evolved into Concurrent CP/M-86. When an emulator was added to provide PC DOS compatibility, the system was renamed Concurrent DOS, which later became Multiuser DOS, of which REAL/32 is the latest incarnation. The FlexOS, DOS Plus, and DR DOS families of operating systems started as derivations of Concurrent DOS as well.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dynamic debugging technique</span> Series of debugger programs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">TYPE (DOS command)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Rolander</span> American computer engineer and entrepreneur, known for MP/M

Thomas Alan Rolander is an American entrepreneur, engineer, and developer of the multitasking multiuser operating system MP/M created for microcomputers in 1979 while working as one of the first employees of Digital Research with Gary Kildall, the "father" of CP/M. CP/M and MP/M laid the groundwork to later Digital Research operating system families such as Concurrent CP/M, Concurrent DOS and Multiuser DOS. He also developed CP/NET.

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