heck, are 11/785s extinct?

From: Phil Budne <phil_at_ultimate.com>
Date: Thu Jul 26 11:43:37 2001

> Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 07:02:22 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Ethan Dicks <ethan_dicks_at_yahoo.com>
>
> > The 11/782 was dual cpu 11/780's with shared memory bus run
> > master-slave for compute bound tasks with the i/o run off of one
> > cpu.
>
> Right. Developed by George Goble (of the LOX-on-the-BBQ fame), et. al, at
> Purdue, IIRC.

The 782 was the DEC solution, using a multiported memory (MA780).
Each CPU had it's own SBI, with private UBA's and MBA's (UNIBUS and
MASSBUSS adapters);

<a href="http://www.montagar.com/dfwcug/VMS_HTML/timeline/1982-5.HTM">VAX/VMS V3</a>

   VMS V3 supported three new processors: the VAX-11/750,
   VAX-11/725, VAX-11/782. V3 features included asymmetric multiprocessing
   (ASMP) for VAX-11/782, support for new architectures, protocols and
   busses, system communication architecture (SCS), mass storage control
   protocol (MSCP), lock management system services, and MONITOR utility
   for performance monitoring.

<a href="http://www.netbsd.org/Documentation/Hardware/Machines/DEC/vax/vax700.html">VAX hardware reference - VAX 700 series</a>;

   VAX 11/782
   Nickname: Atlas Cpu: Dual KA780
   Vup: 1.8
   Bus: 2 SBIs with 15 nexus slots each. Each slot can take a UBA (UNIBUS
   adapter), MBA (MASSBUS Adapter), or CI. (?)
   Introduced: 1982 NetBSD: (?) Probably

The Purdue work connected the two CPU's by replacing the SBI bus
terminator with the second CPU. There aparently were also a few
11/784s, with 4 CPU's, also using the MA780.

http://www.cam.anglia.ac.uk/~systimk/History/Vaxes.Txt, discusses it all,
an includes a 1993 message from George.

> My understanding was that the 11/785 was DEC's official implementation
> of what George and crew cobbled together as the 11/782. It only saw
> the light of day because, as you say, there was a gap in DEC's product
> line with the delays in the 8600 and customers wanted more than what was
> presently out there.

The 785 was a late life kicker to the 780;
It was not (by itself) a multiprocessor system.

<a href="http://www.montagar.com/dfwcug/VMS_HTML/timeline/1984-2.htm">VAX-11/785</a>
   CPU cycle time in the VAX-11/785 was 133ns, 50% faster
   than the 200ns cycle time of the VAX-11/780. The accelerated cycle time
   allowed all CPU operations to run up to 50% faster, resulting in higher
   throughput, faster response time and the ability to support more users

The NetBSD VAX hardware reference says that a 782 built from two 785's
would have been called a "787"

Disclaimer;
        I worked at DEC in the 80's, but on 36-bit products.
        (and briefly on the 64-bit RISC machine, codenamed "SAFE",
        which, after Cutler grabbed the project, was renamed PRISM).
Received on Thu Jul 26 2001 - 11:43:37 BST

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