Perkin-Elmer (was Re: AT&T 6300 PC)

From: Bill Pechter <pechter_at_pechter.dyndns.org>
Date: Wed Oct 18 15:53:49 2000

>
> --- Bill Pechter <pechter_at_pechter.dyndns.org> wrote:
> > > Is that a SystemIII box with dual 68000 processors,
> > >
> > > -ethan
> >
> >
> > Actually, it only had a single cpu. (10 mhz). Ran SysIII (UniPlus)
> > SysV (microXelos -- which had it's root in UniPlus SysV), and Idris.
>
> Mine has SysIII/UniPlus. Got all the docs and disks, too.
>
> > The dual cpu stuff at the time was done by Sun (I think) and Masscomp
> > (their 500 series stuff).
>
> My apologies for not being clearer... IIRC, there are two 68000 CPU
> chips in the box. One runs the OS, the other is part of the memory
> management system.
>
> -ethan
>


I don't believe so... that was a trick on some early workstations
MMU (i.e. Sun, I think) where the second machine kicks the first one
on a non-existant page fault and faults in the page to virtual memory.

I believe the 7300 and 7350 didn't do that. They had no virtual
paged memory and just did slow swapping to disk.

The Concurrent/Perkin Elmer XF200 also was similar, it didn't
have the graphics and had more MFM disks and the same 8mhz (I think)
68kcpu.

The microXelos would also boot and recognize the presence of a 68010
cpu and a friend swapped cpu's to improve the dismal performance.

The biggest performance problem was the video which ate the hell out of
the Versabus bandwidth.

I'd have loved to see a VME version with a 68020... Oh yeah, it was
called a Sun 3...

The rumor is Perkin Elmer didn't want to pay enough to keep the design
going after they spun off Concurrent.. I believe they went to DEC
hardware like MicroVaxen to do the LIMS lab control.

Bill

-- 
bpechter_at_monmouth.com    | FreeBSD since 1.0.2, Linux since 0.99.10  
                         | Unix Sys Admin since Sys V/BSD 4.2
                         | Windows System Administration: "Magical Misery Tour 
Received on Wed Oct 18 2000 - 15:53:49 BST

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