All Topics  
DECsystem

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

DECsystem
 
 
  Topics DECsystem Topic Home

DECsystem was a line of server computers from Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation

Digital Equipment Corporation was a pioneering United States company in the computer industry. It is often referred to within the computing industry as DEC ....
. They were based on MIPS architecture
MIPS architecture

MIPS is a RISC instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . In the mid to late 1990s, it was estimated that one in three RISC microprocessors produced were MIPS implementations....
 processors and ran DEC's version of the UNIX
Unix

Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of American Telephone & Telegraph employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson , Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna....
 operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
, called Ultrix
Ultrix

Ultrix was the brand name of Digital Equipment Corporation's native Unix systems. While ultrix is the Latin word for avenger, the name was chosen solely for its sound....
. They ranged in size from workstation-style desktop enclosures to large pedestal cabinets.

The DECsystem (or DECSYSTEM) name was also used for later models of the PDP-10
PDP-10

The PDP-10 was a mainframe computer manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation from the late 1960s on; the name stands for "Programmed Data Processor model 10"....
 mainframe
Mainframe computer

Mainframes are computers used mainly by large organizations for critical applications, typically bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, Enterprise Resource Planning, and financial transaction processing....
, namely the DECsystem-10 and DECSYSTEM-20 series.

DECsystem 3100
Identical to the DECstation 3100
DECstation

The DECstation was a brand of computers used by Digital Equipment Corporation, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989....
, but was intended to be used as a multiuser system.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'DECsystem'
Start a new discussion about 'DECsystem'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


DECsystem was a line of server computers from Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation

Digital Equipment Corporation was a pioneering United States company in the computer industry. It is often referred to within the computing industry as DEC ....
. They were based on MIPS architecture
MIPS architecture

MIPS is a RISC instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . In the mid to late 1990s, it was estimated that one in three RISC microprocessors produced were MIPS implementations....
 processors and ran DEC's version of the UNIX
Unix

Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of American Telephone & Telegraph employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson , Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna....
 operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
, called Ultrix
Ultrix

Ultrix was the brand name of Digital Equipment Corporation's native Unix systems. While ultrix is the Latin word for avenger, the name was chosen solely for its sound....
. They ranged in size from workstation-style desktop enclosures to large pedestal cabinets.

The DECsystem (or DECSYSTEM) name was also used for later models of the PDP-10
PDP-10

The PDP-10 was a mainframe computer manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation from the late 1960s on; the name stands for "Programmed Data Processor model 10"....
 mainframe
Mainframe computer

Mainframes are computers used mainly by large organizations for critical applications, typically bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, Enterprise Resource Planning, and financial transaction processing....
, namely the DECsystem-10 and DECSYSTEM-20 series.

Models


DECsystem 3100


Identical to the DECstation 3100
DECstation

The DECstation was a brand of computers used by Digital Equipment Corporation, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989....
, but was intended to be used as a multiuser system. It was announced in early May 1989 at the UniForum exhibition in San Francisco. It was shipped in June 1989.

DECsystem 5000 Series


Rebranded Personal DECstation 5000 Series
DECstation

The DECstation was a brand of computers used by Digital Equipment Corporation, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989....
 without any graphics.

DECsystem 5000 Model 100 Series


Rebranded DECstation 5000 Model 100 Series
DECstation

The DECstation was a brand of computers used by Digital Equipment Corporation, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989....
 without any graphics.

DECsystem 5000 Model 200 Series


Rebranded DECstation 5000 Model 200 Series
DECstation

The DECstation was a brand of computers used by Digital Equipment Corporation, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989....
 without any graphics.

DECsystem 5100


A desktop uniprocessor entry-level server. It replaced the DECsystem 3100.

DECsystem 5400


A pedestal uniprocessor system based on the Q-Bus
Q-Bus

The Q-bus was one of several bus technologies used with Programmed Data Processor and VAX computer systems manufactured by the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
.

DECsystem 5500


A pedestal uniprocessor system based on the Q-Bus
Q-Bus

The Q-bus was one of several bus technologies used with Programmed Data Processor and VAX computer systems manufactured by the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
. It replaced the DECsystem 5400.

DECsystem 5800 Series


The DECsystem 5800 Series are high-end multiprocessor systems, and the series was comprised of the DECsystem 5810, 5820, 5830 and 5840, with the third digit referring to the number of processors. These systems can be considered to be the MIPS/RISC alternatives of the VAX 6000
VAX 6000

The VAX 6000 is a family of minicomputers developed and manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation using processors implementing the VAX instruction set architecture ....
. The 5810 and 5820, using 25 MHz R3000 microprocessors and R3010 floating-point coprocessors, were introduced on 11 July 1989.

DECsystem 5900 and DECsystem 5900/260


The DECsystem 5900 and DECsystem 5900/260 are rack-mounted DECstation 5000 Model 240 and DECstation Model 260 workstations, respectively, positioned as mid-range servers by Digital. The DECsystem 5900 was introduced in early December 1991. Both models were discontinued on 28 January 1994. Their intended replacement was the DEC 3000 Model 800S AXP
DEC 3000 AXP

DEC 3000 AXP was the name given to a series of computer workstations and server computers, produced from 1992 to around 1995 by Digital Equipment Corporation....
 packaged in a similar rack-mountable enclosure.

The DECstation system module is repackaged in a CPU drawer, which is mounted in a rack with a mounting kit which permits the drawer to be slid in and out. The CPU module also contained an integrated TURBOchannel Extender, the power supply and a blower, which cooled the system. However, as the system module that these systems use does not feature multiprocessing capabilities, the presence of two CPU drawers in a rack simply meant that there were two separate systems. The mass storage drawers, in such a case, would be divided between the CPU drawers, with a minimum of one per a CPU drawer.

There are two models of mass storage drawers. One model may contain one to four 5.25-inch full-height non-removable, one 5.25-inch full-height removable or non-removable and two 5.25-inch half-height removable devices. The other model may contain one to five 5.25-inch full-height non-removable, one 5.25-inch removable and two 5.25-inch half-height removable devices. In both models, a 400 W power supply is located at the rear of the drawer.

The H9A00 enclosure, a 19-inch rack
19-inch rack

A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronics modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws....
, contains a minimum of one CPU drawer and one mass storage drawer. A power controller at the bottom of the enclosure distributed power to the CPU and mass storage drawers. The rack can contain a maximum of two CPU drawers and four mass storage drawers.

The DECsystem 5900 has a width of 61 cm (24 in), a height of 170 cm (66.9 in), a depth of 86.4 cm (34 in) and a weight of 265 to 485 kg (480 to 1,070 lb) depending on the configuration.

See also

  • DECstation
    DECstation

    The DECstation was a brand of computers used by Digital Equipment Corporation, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989....
  • PDP-10
    PDP-10

    The PDP-10 was a mainframe computer manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation from the late 1960s on; the name stands for "Programmed Data Processor model 10"....