nishri@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (04/05/87)
IBM made about 250 individual product announcements on April 2, 1987. This
is a summary compiled from notes I took at a seminar given April 3 by the
Toronto IBM Customer Center.
IBM announced a new line of personal computers which they called the
"Personal System/2 (TM)". Four models were announced:
Model 8530 8550 8560 8580
Configs 002/021 021 041/071 041/071/111
Code Name Palace Trailboss Roughride Wrangler
Available now in stores now in stores now in stores Summer 1987
Typical Config* $4300 $6400 $10,000 $17,000
Similiar config PC XT is $7000 XT286 is $10000 PC AT is $13000 --
Same "power" as PC AT -- -- IBM 370/168
CPU Chip 8086 80286 80286 80386
Clock Mhz 8 10 10 16/16/20
Wait States 0 1 1 1
Main Mem MB .640 1 1 1/2/2
Max Mem MB 2 7 15 16
Disk MB 0/20 20 44/70 44/70/115
Max Disk MB 20 20 88/185 88/185/230
Avg access ms 85 80 40/32 40/32/32
Trans rate/sec 5 5 5/10 5/10
Diskette (MB) .720 1.44 1.44 1.44
min/max number 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2
Micro Channel no yes yes yes
Stands on desk desk floor floor
old I/O slots 3 - - -
* Example showing where "typical configuration" price comes from: a model 30
configuration 021 is $3600. For the price in table a $900 display was added.
You cannot upgrade a machine from one model to the next.
The model 80 has 3 32-bit slots and 5 16-bit slots.
The configuration numbers can be interpreted as follows. The first two digits
talk about the amount of fixed disk. The third tells you the number of
diskettes you have. So the 8530 configuration 002 has no fixed disks and two
3.5" diskettes. The 8530 configuration 021 has a 20 meg fixed disk and one
3.5" diskette. And so on.
The PS2 machines are "software compatible" with current programs.
The Micro Channel (TM) is a 32-bit parallel bus architecture. (The
architecture is 32-bit although the implementation on the 80286 based models
50 and 60 only handles 16-bits of data.) The new Micro Channel supports up to
15 processors using the channel, so that, for example, the CPU might be
talking to memory while the network card talks to your disks. There is an
arbitration scheme. There is a burst mode, so that a disk could send 16 bytes
of data to the processor at one time.
Other misc Micro Channel trivia:
- The Micro Channel is handled by the BIOS, not the operating system.
- Architected provision for more than one 80286/80386 on bus.
- I/O cards, both IBM's & other vendor's, will not be dependent on clock speed.
- number of ground pins on I/O cards is increased.
- cards are self-configuring on bus.
Whereas the old PC family was built mostly with components off the shelf, the
PS2 has about 80% IBM designed and developed components. Many of the old
adaptor cards have been replaced by chips on the planar. (So although the
model 30 only has three I/O slots, none of these slots are required for
a monitor adaptor, a printer adaptor, or a diskette adaptor.)
All the PS2 machines use the same new graphics implemented in two chips on the
system board. For backward compatibility, these chips will support CGA and EGA
graphics. The input to the screen coming from the chip is now analog instead
of the digital signal which comes out of the old PC monitor adaptor cards.
IBM announced four new monitors. All use analog input signals and are usable
directly with PS2 machines without buying additional adaptors. They are
usable with PC machines using a special adaptor.
size 12" 14" 12" 16"
color monochrome color color color
resolution medium high high
price $389 $515 $1059 $2400
The color screens support images with up to 256 colors selected from a palette
of 262,144 colors. Monochrome graphics supports up to 64 shades of grey. The
graphics chips on the PS2 system board also do image smoothing.
Mode Type Colors Alpha Address
0+ 1+ A/N 16/256K 40x25 360x400
2+ 3+ A/N 16/256K 80x25 720x400
7+ A/N --- 80x25 720x400
11 APA 2/256K 80x30 640x480
12 APA 16/256K 80x30 640x480
13 APA 256/256K 40x25 320x200
Unity Aspect Ratio
The PS2 machines are ergonomically designed - the on/off switch is at the
front. The whole machine consists of parts which either snap together or are
held together by thumb screws. No screw driver necessary to take a PS2 apart
or put one together. There are also no dip switches to set.
All PS2 machines use 3.5 inch diskettes, not 5.25 inch. The model 30 uses
720K format, the model 50, 60, & 80 use the 1.44 MB format. The 1.44MB drive
can read the 720K format. For those with 5.25 inch floppies, IBM announced a
new outboard 5.25 inch drive for use with the PS2 machines. Another
alternative announced for 5.25 to 3.5 inch migration was a $50.00 connector by
which you connect the parallel port of your old PC to the parallel port of
your PS2, and then transfer data from one to the other.
There is new disk cache for PS2. Disk performance is also doubled by using
ESDI (enhanced small device interface). Interleaving on the PS2 is 1:1
instead of the PC/AT's 3:1 or the PC/XT's 6:1. (This means that a PS2 can
read a track of data in one disk revolution whereas a PC/AT takes three and
the PC/XT takes six.)
In the PS2 there can be up to eight DMA accesses going on at one time.
Memory is faster. And memory is now packaged as 512K x 9 SIPs instead
of as plug in chips as in the PC. A SIP (which stands for Single Inline
Packaging) is about the size of a pen.
The PS2 can provide security using the older key method and/or by
assigning an optional password. When you turn on your PS2 it will ask
you for your password and, if correctly entered, it will let you use it.
The IBM Enhanced PC keyboard is standard across all PS2 models.
The PS2 comes with the ABIOS (Advanced BIOS) to support the new hardware like
the 3.5" disk. ABIOS also has provision to work with the new operating system
which will be available later. For backward compatibility the CBIOS
(Compatibility BIOS) is available.
IBM will publish its BIOS interfaces, I/O Card interfaces, and Micro Channel
interfaces. IBM will not publish how its all put together.
IBM announced four new printers. The IBM Proprinter II (TM) is a near letter
quality 9-wire dot matrix (price $819), the IBM Proprinter X24 is a 24-wire
dot matrix letter quality with 240 cps (price $1100), the IBM Proprinter XL24
is a wide-carriage version of the X24 (price $1600), and the IBM Quietwriter
III (TM) is an "executive letter-quality" printer with eight online fonts
(price $4300).
Also announced was a "solution pack for desk-top publishing". It consists of
a Personal System 2 model 30, all of the software you need, a mouse, and a new
IBM six page per minute printer designed for desk top publishing. (Price for
entire working package $13,000.)
IBM announced a new 200MB optical disk. You can put up to eight of these on a
system (for 1600MB max capacity.) It uses WORM (write once, read multiple
times) technology and the cartridge will be $60. You can install this device
on the PC or PS2 machines.
IBM announced a new streaming tape with a 55MB capacity. For backups, if its
small use diskettes, if there is more to backup use the more expensive
streaming tape, and if there is lots to back up use the still more expensive
optical disk.
In the software area, IBM announced DOS 3.3. Summary of the changes:
- attrib command has option to do subdirectories
- improvements to backup/restore including speedup and ability
to backup to unformatted disks.
- can partition hard disk into multiple DOS partitions. (This is the
method used to get around the old 32MB restriction. Multiple
partitions are used, each one being a logical disk. So drive C:,
D:, and F: might all be one physical drive.)
- support for 1.4MB 3.5" floppy.
- access to environ vars from bat files.
- new DEVICE=DISPLAY.SYS and PRINTER.SYS option in CONFIG.SYS.
- improvements in serial port support so can handle 19.2K bps.
- extensions so you can use more than 640K (example: if using TOPVIEW)
IBM introduced the "Work Station" (WS) program. Using DOS, WS and a card, any
PS2 will give you the capability of the current 3270/PC (ie four host sessions,
six PC sessions, windowing, notepad, etc.)
Also announced was Operating System/2 (TM).
- no 640K memory limit.
- no 32MB limit on disk size.
- multi-tasking
- "standard edition" OS/2 will be out 1st quarter 1988.
- "extended edition" of OS/2 will be out 1st quarter in 1989. It will have a
database manager and a communications manager. OS/2 extended edition
will also abide by IBM's new Systems Application Architecture. (SAA will be
an evolutionary set of standards to provide common user access and common
programming interfaces to an application. For example, the PF keys might
finally be consistent! SAA also will prove cross system consistency and
source level compatibility for applications across operating systems on
PS2, S/3x, and S/370.)
- will run on existing XT 286 and PC AT.
The PC Network Baseband (over twisted-pair) was announced. (This runs the
same software as the Token-Ring and PC Network, but is much cheaper and
simplier to install.) Various other LAN announcements were made. Various
cards are available to use the PS2 with existing networks, etc.
IBM has indicated its intent to have its AIX operating system running on the
PS2 model 80 some day. (ie Unix on the 386 processor only.)
(TM) IBM Personal Computer XT, Personal Computer AT, Proprinter, Quietwriter
and IBM PC Network are registered trademarks of International Business
Machines Corporation. Personal System/2, Operating System/2, and
Micro Channel are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation. IBM Canada Ltd., a related company, is a registered user.
DISCLAIMER: I do not work for IBM. I have not verified anything I have written.john@hpcvlo.HP.COM (John Eaton) (04/14/87)
<<<< Another thing that IBM has given us in this announcement is a new way to use the letter "M". A 1.44 MB drive is actually twice the size of a 720 Kbyte which means it is 1440 Kbytes. This means that M now refers to the unusual multiplier of 1000*1024. Talk about mixed unit of measure. John Eaton !hplabs!hp-pcd!john
cbenda@unccvax.UUCP (04/15/87)
In article <1610008@hpcvlo.HP.COM>, john@hpcvlo.HP.COM (John Eaton) writes: > Another thing that IBM has given us in this announcement is a new way to use > the letter "M". A 1.44 MB drive is actually twice the size of a 720 Kbyte > which means it is 1440 Kbytes. This means that M now refers to the unusual > multiplier of 1000*1024. Talk about mixed unit of measure. I probably don't need to ask, but have you seen the new drive working in the new machines, or are you just assuming that it has only twice the space as a 720Kbyte drive just because 720*2 = 1440... True this is a coinsidence, but the capacity may really be 1.44 Mega Bytes /Carl P. S. if you are positive the drive does not have the stated capacity, I stand corrected.