[comp.sys.concurrent] Concurrent Optimizes Systems For Simulation

swoyer@masscomp.westford.ccur.com (Ted Swoyer) (06/25/91)

Real-Time Technology Penetrates Price-Sensitive Simulation Application Areas

TINTON FALLS, NJ, June 18, 1991 - Concurrent Computer Corporation (Concurrent)
today announced its SIM-7000 and SIM-8000 packaged systems for simulation and
training application development and deployment. The company's systems improve
productivity, shorten development time, and reduce life cycle costs of
simulation and training systems development.

SIM Packages Address Development and Deployment

Concurrent's family of SIM-7000 systems, based on Motorola's MC68040
microprocessor, are particularly well suited for training simulation
applications such as flight simulators, vehicle simulators, power plant
simulators, and maintenance trainers. The systems allow real-time systems
builders  to take advantage of the high level of integration in the Motorola
chipset, and the addeed value of several real-time hardware/software
facilities. Based on the small 6U VMEbus(TM) form factor, the systems are a
powerful solution for simulators and trainers designed to withstand the
vibration of field or mobile applications. The SIM-7000 family offers high-
resolution user clocks and timers for stamping events and controlling frame-
based scheduling critical to simulation environments.

The Concurrent family of SIM-7000 systems expand Concurrent's position as
a broad-range supplier of standards-based, high-performance, real-time systems
to systems builders. The multiprocessing capability is key for developing
deterministic, high-throughput solutions because of the need to dedicate
compute and I/O resources to critical tasks. The Synchronous System Bus (SSB)
and VMEbus support Bus Profiling Tools that monitor interrupt latency, bus
grant latency and bus utilization rates.

The family of SIM-7000 systems reflect Concurrent's commitment to provide
simulation and training application developers with pre-planned product
improviements (PPI). The software binary compatibility between Concurrent's
Series 6000 and SIM-7000 family enables easy migration. Developers gain up
to a 3X performance increase with migraiton from the Series 6000 to SIM-7000
family.

Concurrent's highest performance standards-based computers, the family of
SIM-8000 packaged systems, employ a tightly coupled, symmetric, shared-
memory multiprocessor architecture that employs the MIPS R3000 33 MHz
RISC processor. These systems are expandable up to 8 processors (200 MIPS),
and 256 MB of physical memory allowing for future system growth. Dual industry-
standard VMEbus channels provide 50 MB/sec of sustainable data transfers
satisfying the high I/O throughput demands of today's simulation and
training applications.

Concurrent Computer Corporation's real-time enhanced UNIX(R) operating
system (RTU(TM)) is bundled into the whole family of SIM-7000 and 8000
packages. RTU is an enhanced and extended UNIX operating system, supporting
both multiprocessor and real-time applications without sacrificing the
two most popular characteristics associated with UNIX, standardization and
portability. Additionally, RTU is fully compatible with AT&T's UNIX
System V Release 3 and includes a Berkeley 4.2/BSD compatibility environment
and many Concurrent-developed multiprocessor and real-time programming
enhancements.

To meet the computational, response, and I/O throughput needs of real-time
applications, RTU provides enhancements for real-time processing, including
symmetric, tightly-coupled multiprocessors with user-controlled load balancing,
a preemptive kernel, dynamic and fixed scheduling policies with multiple
scheduling mechanisms, process locking, high performance and reliable task
synchronization, and performance enhanced interprocess communication.

RTU features are designed to enable real-time applications to dediate system
resources to critical tasks, while ensuring data integrity and continual
systems operation. The Synthetic Period Scheduler (SPS) is one of RTU's
functionality enhancements. The SPS scheduling mechanism is tailored to
support applications requiring synchronized pattern-based scheduling. SPS
enables simulation applications to be scheduled in a repetitive, rather
than continuous, pattern over time.

Pricing and Availability

Based on configuration, SIM-7000 packaged systems start at US$40,000, and the
SIM-8000 packaged systems start at US$97,250. Both systems are available now.

Concurrent Computer Corporation, headquartered in Tinton Falls, New Jersey,
is the leading supplier of high-performance, real-time computer systems
worldwide. The company's products, marketed through its commercial, federal,
and real-time technical business lines, provide real-time solutions to the
financial, communications, public sector, technical, aerospace, and simulation
markets. Its common stock trades on NASDAQ under the symbol CCIRC.

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Contact:  Leslie Smith/Linda Lewis
          Concurrent Computer Corp.
          (908) 758-7572

          Malinda Banash/Michele Frost
          The Weber Group, Inc.
          (617) 661-7900

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RTU is a trademark of Concurrent Computer Corporation.
UNIX is a registered trademark of USL (UNIX Systems Laboratories, Inc.).
VMEbus is a trademark of Motorola Corporation.

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