Apollo DSP90-3M

From: Bill Pechter <pechter_at_pechter.dyndns.org>
Date: Tue May 25 12:53:02 1999

> As I remember the DSP-90 was a rockin' machine for its time...the
> 'king of servers' machine. Mentor Graphics had a bunch of these sitting
> in a room with LOTS of Air Conditioning in it...to act as a simulation
> farm for their logic simulation software. As I remember...I think that
> the machine used all ECL logic for the CPU. It sucked up a lot of juice,
> and made a lot of heat.
>
> I seem to remember, but not completely sure, that the CPU was essentially
> an ECL implementation of a 68000...a comparatively very fast 68000.
>
> It should be preserved if possible...Apollos in general *could* have been
> the engineering workstation of choice had Apollo not made some silly
> 'closed architecture' blunders. Their OS and Network environment has
> solid features that today are still not real solid in the Unix/NT worlds.
>
> Rick Bensene
>
>
>

Apollo also OEM'd Alliant Computer's FX/8 and FX/1 68020 looking multiple
processor mini-Super. These things had Vector opcodes like a Cray
and ran a BSD looking Unix called Concentrix. AT&T also used 'em
at Bell Labs and Morgan Stanly used 'em on Wall Street.

Slick box with up to 8 cpu's and a number of 68010 or 68020 front end
processors on Multibus or VME bus.

(I worked for Alliant for about 8 months).

Bill
---
  bpechter_at_shell.monmouth.com|pechter_at_pechter.dyndns.org
      Three things never anger: First, the one who runs your DEC,
      The one who does Field Service and the one who signs your check.
Received on Tue May 25 1999 - 12:53:02 BST

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