[net.general] New HP9000 32-bit Unix Machine

rich (11/22/82)

Friday November 19, 1982

I attended a product introduction session today for the new Hewlett-Packard
9000 series computer, just announced.  It is a very impressive machine in
its price/performance and its design.  It utilizes NMOS-III technology,
developed by HP for this machine.  This technology represents an order-of-
magnitude increase in circuit density:  500,000 transistors on one chip!
It is a true 32-bit machine with virtual memory, running the HP port of
Bell Labs System III UNIX* (including some Berkeley programs, like "vi").

The machine's guts fit in what HP refers to as the "lunch box", and it
really is the size of your standard size lunch pail!  (The power supply
fits in another box about the same size.)  The "lunch box" holds up to
12 boards, with 4 being the minimum configuration:  CPU, I/O processor, and
2 memory boards (256k each, utilizing 20 *128k* chips).  The boards are only
about 6" by 9".

The 9000 series machines come in three flavors:

	* model 20 integrated workstation
	* model 30 System II rack-mount enclosure
	* model 40 stand-alone cabinet (table height)

The initial marketing thrust appears to be engineering applications - the
demos were all CAD/CAM graphics.  All three models can have single-user or
multi-user Unix; the model 20 can have the HP BASIC Language System in
addition to (or (gasp!) instead of) Unix.

A very interesting feature of the machine is that it will accept one or
two additional CPU boards and one or two additional IOP boards; the rest
of the slots can be used for memory.  HP claims that each additional CPU
gives a 90% improvement in processing speed.  Thus, with three CPUs a 9000
will run at 2.8 times a single-CPU unit (and there is no system reconfig-
uration - just plug in the board and go).  Here is a brief list of features
(no warranty, expressed or implied, as to accuracy):

	* 350 KIPS with 1 CPU (Whetstone B1D benchmark)
	* 1 MIPS with 3 CPUS (Whetstone B1D benchmark; VAX/780 = ~750 KIPS)
	* 36MB memory processor bus
	* virtual memory (1000MB per-user address space; 500MB/500MB data/code)
	* instruction pipelining (CPU fetches next instruction while executing
	  current one)
	* 55ns basic instruction time
	* 10.4 micro-second 64-bit floating-point multiply (100k/second)
	* 8 DMA channels per IOP (each DMA channel supports up to 8 terminals)
	* up to 2.5MB of multi-ported memory (256k/board)
	* single-bit memory error detection/avoidance (it doesn't correct
	  errors, just records location and tries elsewhere, periodically
	  re-trying previous error locations when internal error-recording
	  buffer fills up)
	* full System III (licensed) Unix with some Berkeley utilities
	  (more coming all the time)
	* power-up diagnostics that will busy out blocks of memory with
	  hard failures
	* C, Fortran 77, Pascal
	* IMAGE/9000 DBMS, GRAPHICS/9000 (3D)
	* large disks up to 404MB
	* Ethernet supported today (to hang systems and device servers
	  together)

Delivery for the Unix multi-user system (currently only HP-BASIC systems
are being delivered) is scheduled for April 1983.  Prices quoted:

	9040A Base System in stand-alone cabinet        $24,115
	    (includes 1 CPU, 512KB RAM, 1 IOP, power supply)
	    (note that minimum recommended configuration is 1MB RAM)
	Additional IOP                                    1,010
	Additional CPU                                      ?NA ($3,000?)
	HP-IB I/O Interface (for system disk)             1,010*
	8-channel Multiplex card                            ?NA*
	60MB disk with DEI cartridge tape backup         17,000
	404MB disk (with cartridge tape??)               26,700
	9-track tape drive                               11,200
	256KB RAM board                                   3,025

	HP-UX Multi-User Operating System (Unix)          7,565*
	Fortran 77                                        6,055*
	Pascal                                            6,055*
	GRAPHICS/9000 (DGL & AGP)                         7,500*
	IMAGE/9000                                        5,045

	9040S Multi-User Bundled System                 $44,900
	    (includes 1 CPU, 1MB RAM, 1 IOP, power supply,
	     plus all items above with asterisks)
	    (the basic monthly maintenance charge for this
	     configuration is $150)


All in all, it was an impressive presentation of an impressive machine!

	      Rich Baughman
	      ...decvax!cca!ima!cfib!rich

* Unix is a registered trademark of Bell Laboratories, Inc.