Attached Support Processor

Last updated

Attached Support Processor (ASP) was an implementation of loosely coupled multiprocessing for IBM's OS/360 operating system. [1] [2] IBM later changed the name to Asymmetrical multiProcessor but retained the acronym ASP.

Contents

ASP evolved from the design of the 7094/7044 direct coupled system, using data channel to data channel communication. By attaching an IBM 7044 as a peripheral processor throughput of the 7094 was more than doubled.

ASP was introduced in March 1967, and initially allowed connection of two System/360 computers via a channel-to-channel adapter (CTCA). [3]

As initially defined an ASP system typically [lower-alpha 1] consisted of a large System/360 computer, a Model 50, 65, or 75 running OS/360, called the main processor, and a smaller System/360, Model 40 or larger, called the support processor, running the ASP supervisor as a single task under OS/360 PCP (Primary Control Program). The support processor performed functions such as printing, card reading and punching, freeing the main processor to run the application workload. It queued jobs, roughly 30 in the basic configuration, and released them to the main processor in priority order, and also did pre-execution setup of removable input/output devices such as disks and tapes on the main processor. [2]

The main processor was configured identically to a "stand-alone processor operating under OS/360, except that the channel-to-channel adapter replaces the normal system input and output devices." The support processor was a minimum of a Model 40 G (G indicates memory size of 128KB) with two selector channels, a 1052 console typewriter, a 2540 card read/punch, a 1403 printer, and three 2311 disk drives. It was recommended that the support processor have access to one 2400-series tape drive for support.

The OS version on the main processor was modified to be able to overlay itself with the 7090/94 emulator program when an emulator job was to be run, and the emulator program would similarly overlay itself with OS/360 when done, to process emulated 709x jobs intermixed with standard 360 jobs. [2] This later became unnecessary with the introduction of integrated emulation programs on the Model 85 and System/370

Later IBM allowed a single support processor to control multiple main processors and added support for Local ASP (LASP), in which the same processor serves as both a local and a main. These capabilities are standard in the final ASP version, version 3, as is support for OS/VS2 (SVS).

With the introduction of MVS for System/370 IBM rewrote and renamed ASP as Job Entry Subsystem 3 (JES3) and it is still in use as of 2015.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ If a main processor was a 360/65 then ASP could IPL it between OS/360 and the 7090 Emulator.

Related Research Articles

IBM mainframes are large computer systems produced by IBM since 1952. During the 1960s and 1970s, IBM dominated the large computer market. Current mainframe computers in IBM's line of business computers are developments of the basic design of the IBM System/360.

<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 that was announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and delivered between 1965 and 1978. It was the first family of computers designed to cover both commercial and scientific applications and to cover 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, which features 8-bit byte addressing and binary, decimal, and hexadecimal floating-point calculations.

Computerized batch processing is a method of running software programs called jobs in batches automatically. While users are required to submit the jobs, no other interaction by the user is required to process the batch. Batches may automatically be run at scheduled times as well as being run contingent on the availability of computer resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM 7090</span> Mainframe computer

The IBM 7090 is a second-generation transistorized version of the earlier IBM 709 vacuum tube mainframe computer that was designed for "large-scale scientific and technological applications". The 7090 is the fourth member of the IBM 700/7000 series scientific computers. The first 7090 installation was in December 1959. In 1960, a typical system sold for $2.9 million or could be rented for $63,500 a month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM 700/7000 series</span> Mainframe computer systems made by IBM through the 1950s and early 1960s

The IBM 700/7000 series is a series of large-scale (mainframe) computer systems that were made by IBM through the 1950s and early 1960s. The series includes several different, incompatible processor architectures. The 700s use vacuum-tube logic and were made obsolete by the introduction of the transistorized 7000s. The 7000s, in turn, were eventually replaced with System/360, which was announced in 1964. However the 360/65, the first 360 powerful enough to replace 7000s, did not become available until November 1965. Early problems with OS/360 and the high cost of converting software kept many 7000s in service for years afterward.

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

In computing, spooling is a specialized form of multi-programming for the purpose of copying data between different devices. In contemporary systems, it is usually used for mediating between a computer application and a slow peripheral, such as a printer. Spooling allows programs to "hand off" work to be done by the peripheral and then proceed to other tasks, or to not begin until input has been transcribed. A dedicated program, the spooler, maintains an orderly sequence of jobs for the peripheral and feeds it data at its own rate. Conversely, for slow input peripherals, such as a card reader, a spooler can maintain a sequence of computational jobs waiting for data, starting each job when all of the relevant input is available; see batch processing. The spool itself refers to the sequence of jobs, or the storage area where they are held. In many cases, the spooler is able to drive devices at their full rated speed with minimal impact on other processing.

The Job Entry Subsystem (JES) is a component of IBM's MVS mainframe operating systems that is responsible for managing batch workloads. In modern times, there are two distinct implementations of the Job Entry System called JES2 and JES3. They are designed to provide efficient execution of batch jobs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM 7090/94 IBSYS</span> Early-to-mid 1960s operating system for the scientific line of IBM mainframes

IBSYS is the discontinued tape-based operating system that IBM supplied with its IBM 709, IBM 7090 and IBM 7094 computers. A similar operating system, also called IBSYS, was provided with IBM 7040 and IBM 7044 computers. IBSYS was based on FORTRAN Monitor System (FMS) and Bell Labs' "BESYS" rather than the SHARE Operating System. IBSYS directly supported several old language processors on the $EXECUTE card: 9PAC, FORTRAN and IBSFAP. Newer language processors ran under IBJOB.

Remote job entry is the procedure for sending requests for non-interactive data processing tasks (jobs) to mainframe computers from remote workstations, and by extension the process of receiving the output from such jobs at a remote workstation.

In computing, channel I/O is a high-performance input/output (I/O) architecture that is implemented in various forms on a number of computer architectures, especially on mainframe computers. In the past, channels were generally implemented with custom devices, variously named channel, I/O processor, I/O controller, I/O synchronizer, or DMA controller.

The Houston Automatic Spooling Priority Program, commonly known as HASP, is an extension of the IBM OS/360 operating system and its successors providing extended support for "job management, data management, task management, and remote job entry."

The IBM 2780 and the IBM 3780 are devices developed by IBM to perform remote job entry (RJE) and other batch functions over telephone lines; they communicate with the mainframe via Binary Synchronous Communications and replaced older terminals using synchronous transmit-receive (STR). In addition, IBM has developed workstation programs for the 1130, 360/20, 2922, System/360 other than 360/20, System/370 and System/3.

The history of IBM mainframe operating systems is significant within the history of mainframe operating systems, because of IBM's long-standing position as the world's largest hardware supplier of mainframe computers. IBM mainframes run operating systems supplied by IBM and by third parties.

Input/Output Control System (IOCS) is any of several packages on early IBM entry-level and mainframe computers that provided low level access to records on peripheral equipment. IOCS provides functionality similar to 1960s packages from other vendors, e.g., File Control Processor (FCP) in RCA 3301 Realcom Operating System, GEFRC in GECOS, and to the later Record Management Services (RMS) in DEC VAX/VMS

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/360 Model 20</span> Low-end IBM computer model from 1960s

The IBM System/360 Model 20 is the smallest member of the IBM System/360 family announced in November 1964. The Model 20 supports only a subset of the System/360 instruction set, with binary numbers limited to 16 bits and no floating point. In later years it would have been classified as a 16-bit minicomputer rather than a mainframe, but the term "minicomputer" was not current, and in any case IBM wanted to emphasize the compatibility of the Model 20 rather than its differences from the rest of the System/360 line. It does, however, have the full System/360 decimal instruction set, that allows for addition, subtraction, product, and dividend of up to 31 decimal digits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/360 Model 65</span> IBM computer model from 1960s

The IBM System/360 Model 65 is a member of the IBM System/360 family of computers. It was announced April 1965, and replaced two models, the Model 60 and Model 62, announced one year prior but never shipped. It was discontinued in March 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/360 Model 85</span> High-end IBM computer model from late 1960s

The IBM System/360 Model 85 is a high-end member of the System/360 family of computers, with many advanced features, and was announced in January 1968 and first shipped in December 1969. IBM built only about 30 360/85 systems because of "a recession in progress".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/370 Model 165</span> Type of mainframe computer

The IBM System/370 Model 165 were jointly announced June 30, 1970 as "designed for ... the Seventies." That same day IBM announced the 370/195. They were the first three models of the IBM System/370 line of computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM System/370 Model 168</span> Discontinued mainframe computer system

The IBM System/370 Model 168 and Model 158 were both announced on August 2, 1972. Prior 370 systems had not "offered virtual storage capability, which was to be a hallmark of the 370 line," and some said that the 168 and 158 were the first "real 370" products. By contrast, "in 1972, the System/370 Advanced Function was released and had new Address Relocation Hardware and now supported four new operating systems ."

References

  1. ↑ "Representative ASP Installation". Computerworld. September 13, 1967. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 IBM Corporation (1967). Catalog of Programs for IBM System/360 August 1967 (PDF).
  3. ↑ Pugh, Emerson W.; Johnson, Lyle R.; Palmer, John H. (1991). IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems. MIT Press. p. 710. ISBN   0262161230.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.