This is a discussion to collect items for use on a timeline of MTS development. Contributions and corrections welcome. See also:
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Timeline
#4: HG MTS System
On 9 May 2019, at 10:31, Jeff Ogden wrote: What model of IBM 370 computer was used at Human Genetics to run MTS? A 4341? A 4331? Something else? Do you remember approximately what year the HG system was installed? What role did the Computing Center play with the HG system? Did it maintain MTS? Anything else? -Jeff On May 9, 2019, at 11:19 AM, Steve Burling wrote: My memory on all this is very vague. I think it was a 4341, but hell if I
can remember the dates. I think I consulted with them a few times, but
don't remember being actively involved in the maintenance of their
system. I can't find anything in my email archives where I communicated
with the guy at HG (Paul Kopec) about anything MTS related. -- Steve On May 9, 2019, at 12:33 PM, Thomas Valerio wrote: I might be able to dig through some archive/update files of the UMPS account to get some answers regarding the HG system. Also Jim Bodwin may recall some of the details of the HG system. -- Tom/ On May 9, 2019, at 4:42 PM, Jim Bodwin wrote: I can confirm that it was a 4341 but I don't remember the dates. It was around the same time as the switch to the 3090. I thought that there was a note in the CC newsletter shortly after it was installed. I found a reference to it in the index for Volume 2 (4:16) (which would be 1986, I think) but I could not find the actual newsletter issue online. We managed the system - all software updates, reboots, etc. I do remember that MTS didn't have a way to change to/from daylight savings time without a reboot. I went over once on the Monday after the DST switch to reboot it and discovered that it hadn't been rebooted since the previous DST switch. I think that it was still running when I left in 1989. - Jim On May 9, 2019, at 4:52 PM, Jim Bodwin wrote: Here it is: https://books.google.com/books?id=im4qAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP93&dq=computing+center+newsletter+human+genetics&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWm7_JqY_iAhUROn0KHRnUAswQ6AEIOzAD#v=onepage&q=human%20genetics&f=false On May 9, 2019, at 6:32 PM, Mike Alexander wrote: As I mentioned to Jeff in another message, I have an EMail archive of 367 messages related to HG. I sent this to Jeff, I can send it to anyone else who wants it. Here is a relevant message: Date: Tue, 4 Mar 86 16:01:46 EDT From: Thomas.D.Berry@um.cc.umich.edu Subject: Machine configuration To: Andy.Goodrich@um.cc.umich.edu I have a tentative hardware configuration for the IBM 4361 along with a tentative budget. I would greatly appreciate an evaluation by you and your to make sure we are in the right ball park. We are pushing our budget a little depending on the final discount from IBM. We were given a 44% discount on the first try but it might not be as great this time due to the exclusion of the operating system. One item that is not included but should be considered is the Resource Manager. Steve Peterson from Simon Fraser would be glad to help us get it going and we could include some money for his assistance. I believe he estimated 3 weeks time. It is my understanding that we could live with HASP for a while under the proposed configuration if we are willing to sacrifice .24 gb disk space for a spooler (ugh!). Depending on the estimated implementation for the RM at the CC I believe I would rather wait and be running the same version of MTS as the Center. Here is the configuration/budget: 44% Monthly Description List Price discount Maint. 4361-MDL4 (16mb mem) $242,200.00 $135,632.00 $854.00 1422 Blk Mpx $3,340.00 $1,870.40 $3.00 1431 high spd BLKMPX $4,760.00 $2,665.60 $3.00 3205 Color console $2,895.00 $1,621.20 $24.75 3880-3 controller $60,270.00 $33,751.20 $176.00 3380-AD4 2.5 gb Disk $88,780.00 $49,716.80 $295.00 3430 Tape & cntrl $33,400.00 $18,704.00 $251.00 3430 Tape drive $16,900.00 $9,464.00 $176.00 4245 Line printer $28,000.00 $15,680.00 $300.00 3262 Alarm $201.00 $112.56 IBM Hardware $480,746.00 $269,217.76 $2,082.75 4654 Acrith sub lib $6,000.00 $3,600.00 5748 FORTRAN comp $558.00 $334.80 $186.00 5799 Elem Math Lib $300.00 $180.00 5796 PASCAL comp $5,670.00 $3,402.00 IBM software $12,528.00 $7,516.80 $186.00 IBM Total $276,734.56 $2,268.75 ORACLE RDBMS $5,400.00 $975.00 SQL $1,080.00 SQLT $1,080.00 SQL Link $1,080.00 Protocol $720.00 ORACLE - for 10 AT's $3,200.00 $266.67 ORACLE - installation $3,000.00 ORACLE - support $11,700.00 SUMMARY IBM Hardware $269,217.76 $2,082.75 IBM Software $7,516.80 $186.00 PCP $26,000.00 ORACLE $27,260.00 $1,241.67 MIDAS $1,200.00 Room modifications $3,000.00 CC support $20,000.00 $1,500.00 TOTAL $354,194.56 $5,010.42 Yearly maint $60,125.00 A few things are not obvious from the budget so let me reiterate them here. Processor - IBM 4361 mdl4 16 mb memory floating point processor 8 mb cahe memory 2 block MPX channels 1 high speed BMPX channel Any questions, let me know. Thanks, Dinny I also have a long message from Jim critiquing this configuration and suggesting alternatives. I didn’t yet find one giving the final configuration they got, but it’s probably in there somewhere. My EMail archive from that period is fairly complete. Mike And from Mike Alexander's e-mail archive: Date: Fri, 7 Feb 86 11:28:34 EDT From: Thomas.D.Berry@um.cc.umich.edu Subject: Human Genetics To: Jeff.Ogden@um.cc.umich.edu At the Department of Human Genetics we are in the process of replacing our PDP 11/70 computing system. We are considering either an IBM 4361 model 4 running VM/SP or a VAX 11/785 running VMS 4.2. Because this facility will be supporting researchers from different parts of the country (and different countries for that matter) we would like to do everything possible to ensure the best possible link to the network. We presently have two SCP's (11/23) which we are using to connect the PDP 11/70 and VAX 11/750 to the network as async hosts. I have worked out the details the VAX 11/785 connection but I am unclear as to the options for connecting the IBM 4361. At a recent IBM presentation Kathy Edwards mentioned that you were working with the University Libraries to connect their IBM to the network. We would be in a position to consider the purchase of a PCP if that would increase the ease and/or functionality of our connection. Thanks for your help Dennis Berry |
#3: IBM 360/40 at ISR
On Tue, May 7, 2019, at 9:14 PM, Jeff Ogden wrote to Greg Marks: When was the IBM 360/40 installed at SRC/ISR? Was it purchased or leased? What OS did it run, OS360, MFT, MVT, DOS, something else? I’m working to fill in a timeline of mainframe computers at U-M. -Jeff On May 10, 2019, at 6:49 PM, Gregory A Marks wrote: Jeff, I cannot think of any documents I have left that would provide those details with certainty. I can deduce likely dates from the following: I started work at ICPSR in 1964. I think the NSF funding quest started in 1965. The 360/40 arrived once the new ISR building was occupied in 1965. It was in place for a period of time, maybe a year or more, before the 360/67 arrived at the Computing Center - my recollection about that is fuzzy. The timeline at https://isr.umich.edu/about/history/timeline/ suggests a 1967 installation, but I would guess earlier than that. So my best guess is 1966, but it might be early 1967. I recall only that it was the simplest form of OS/360. Looking at the Wikipedia piece on OS/360 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS/360_and_successors I would conclude ISR had the simplest, OS/360:PCP which handled a single stream at a time. ISR had a tape-based 1401 before the 360/40. As I recall, the nature of the job queue being one job at a time, first-come, first-served was the same with both systems. I am planning to clean up a lot of old boxes of accumulated stuff during the summer. I think I threw away most of my ICPSR stuff about 20 years ago, but if I find anything relevant to your question, I’ll let you know. Kudos to you for doing this work, Jeff. All the best. ...Greg On May 10, 2019, at 9:19 PM, Jeff Ogden wrote: Thanks. Someone said that they thought that the 360/40 at ISR was used mostly as a remote batch station to MTS. That didn’t jibe with my memory, but I wasn’t around yet (I arrived in Ann Arbor as a freshman in the Residential College in the fall of ’68, took my first computer class in ’69, didn’t take my second one until ’72, and went to work for Interface Systems later in ‘72) so anything I know is at best second hand. I suspect that the 360/40 was used as a remote batch station at some point as well as for running jobs directly. I’m guessing that a lot of those jobs were OSIRIS. Later the 360/40 was moved from SRC/ISR to the UNYN [a public site in the Michigan Union by the U-M Computing Center] where it was a full time remote batch station. The fact that the U held on to the 360/40 for such a long time makes me think that is was probably purchased rather than leased. -Jeff On May 10, 2019, at 10:47 PM, Mike Alexander wrote: Thanks, that’s earlier than I thought. I doubt that it was earlier than mid 1966 since there were very few , if any, 360s in Michigan then. When I needed to test the code for the 360/50 we were getting I had to go to Chicago to find one that I could use for testing. I’m quite sure there wasn’t one in Ann Arbor then. That was in April 66. This is consistent with Greg’s recollection. Mike |
#2: Timeline of mainframe computers used for academic computing at U-M
1953 -- MIDAC operational MIchigan Digital Automatic Computer becomes operational (August). MIDAC was operated by Willow Run's Digital Computation Department under the leadership of John Carr III. The project was under the sponsorship of the Wright Air Development Center, United States Air Force and the Willow Run Research Center of the Engineering Research Institute, University of Michigan. MIDAC remained the property of the Air Force until it was removed in 1958. [UMRNews76] 1956 -- IBM 650 The IBM 650 was installed in the Statistical Research Lab. [UMRNews76] 1959 -- Computing Center established A "research and service activity of the Graduate School" and was intended to "provide consultation and computing service for teaching and research units of the University." [UMRNews76] 1959 -- IBM 704 purchased The first computer installed at the Computing Center is for at least some operations 100 times faster than the IBM 650. [UMRNews76] 1961 -- IBM 709 installed The IBM 709 computer at U-M's Willow Run Laboratories is transferred to
the Computing Center in January and moved to the North University
Building in August replacing the Center's IBM 704. [UMRNews76] 1962 -- IBM 7090 installed A transistorized, or solid-state, version of the 709, but six times faster, replaces the U-M Computing Center's IBM 709. [UMRNews76] 1963 -- Computing Center moved Reporting changed from the Graduate School to the Office of the Vice-President for Research. [UMRNews76] 1966 -- IBM 360/40 Installed at the Survey Research Center within ISR to replace a tape-based IBM 1401. Ran OS/360 rather than MTS. [GregMarks19] 1966 -- IBM 360/50 installed As part of U-M's CONCOMP Project an IBM System 360 Model 50 is located at the North University Building
(NUBS). This system is used to support peripheral operations for the 7090, development of a IBM channel interface for the PDP-8 Data Concentrator, and for early MTS development work (May). There wasn’t room in the machine room for both an IBM 1410 and the 360/50, so the 50 had to take over the work of the 1410. [UMITD96] 1966 -- IBM 360/67 installed This single processor system was eight times faster than the previous IBM 7090. The 360/67 was the first IBM mainframe to support virtual memory and other features to support time sharing. Serial number 2. The IBM 360/50 was removed when the model 67 was installed. [UMITD96] 1968 -- IBM 360/67 upgraded to two processors The U-M Computing Center obtains a dual-processor (duplex) IBM S/360-67 (August).
It replaces the earlier single processor 360/67 which was designed to be field upgrade-able, but in fact was not. The original plan was to upgrade the half-duplex 360/67 by adding a second CPU. That’s why U-M got the half-duplex instead of the slightly cheaper simplex model 67 initially. In the end, IBM decided they would rather replace the whole half-duplex 360/67 rather than try to field install all the fixes that hadn’t yet been installed on the half-duplex. It was going to be a major job to install all the fixes and the result would probably be less reliable than a new machine. So MTS was shut down for a weekend and IBM moved out the half-duplex and moved in a duplex.The IBM 7090 was removed earlier to make room for the duplex 67. [UMITD96] 1974 -- IBM 370/168 installed Installed at the end of fall term 1974, the 370/168 was, on average, six times greater than that of a single processor on the 360/67. 1975 -- Amdahl 470V/6 purchased Installed in July the new computer is on average between 1.6 to 1.7 times faster than the previous IBM 370/168 mainframe. It was the first mainframe computer purchased by U-M, the previous mainframes were leased. Serial #2. Main memory increased from 2 to 4 megabytes in July 1976, from 4 to 6 megabytes at the end of December 1977 and from 6 to 8 megabytes in November 1978. ???? -- Amdahl 470V/6-II upgrade The 470V6-II offered up to a 15% performance improvement over the original 470V/6. 1978 -- IBM 370/148 A system used by the IBM sponsored Word Processing Project, it ran MVS rather than MTS and was not generally available to campus students, faculty, and staff. An Amdahl V/7 with 8 megabytes of real memory that was 50% faster than the Amdahl 470V/6 it replaced in March. Real memory was increased to 12 megabytes early in 1980. 1980 -- Amdahl 470V/8 purchased The Amdahl 470V/8 replaced the V/7 and provided 10% to 15% additional capacity. Real memory on the system was increased from 8 to 12 megabytes. In September 1981 real memory on the V/8 was increased again to 16 megabytes. 1982 -- Amdahl 5860 purchased Serial # P1 (first production machine) began production service in November. The 5860 provided a 40% increase in processor capacity compared to the 470V/8 that it replaced. The new system had 24 megabytes of real memory. 1985 -- Amdahl 470V/8 installed This system was donated by Amdahl and became the second MTS system in March, called UB. It had 16 megabytes of real storage. 1986 -- IBM 3090-400 approved A four processor system with 128 megabytes of main storage, 64 I/O channels, and two IBM Vector Facilities (VFs) with an option to add a third VF at a later time. The first factory shipped IBM 3090-400 was installed in October. Each 3090 CPU is roughly 1.5 times as fast as an Amdahl 5860 CPU. The 3090 replaced both the Amdahl 5860 (UM) and the Amdahl V/8 (UB). To continue to run UM and UB as separate systems the four processors of the 3090 were often partitioned into separate systems with two processors each with one partition often running under VM/370. [UMCNews86] The U-M Department of Human Genetics ran MTS on an IBM 4361 mainframe starting in January or February 1987. U-M's academic Computing Center maintained MTS, performed software upgrades, re-IPLed the system, and did trouble-shooting as necessary. [UMCNews87] 1988 -- IBM 3090-600E upgrade An upgrade to a six processor system with two Vector Facilities was completed in July 1988. [UMITD96] "MTS Timeline", Information Technology Digest, University of Michigan, pp.9-10, Volume 5, No. 5 (May 13, 1996). [UMRNews76] "A Faster Cratchet", Research News, Vol. XXVII, No. 1 (January 1976), University of Michigan, 24 pages. [UMCNews86] "An IBM 3090 for the Computing Center", U-M Computing News, University of Michigan Computing Center, p. 2, Volume 1, No. 6 (October 13, 1996). [UMCNews87] "Department of Human Genetics Now Runs MTS", U-M Computing News, University of Michigan Computing Center, p. 16, Volume 2, No. 4 (February 16, 1987). [GregMarks19] E-mail from Greg Marks (May 10, 2019) |
#1: Timeline (General)
Otherwise unreferenced items are from the article "MTS Timeline" in the Information Technology Digest, University of Michigan, pp.9-10, Volume 5, No. 5 (May 13, 1996). [UMITD96] Items refer to events at the University of Michigan unless otherwise noted. 1949-1958 late 1940s
1949
1950
1957
1959-1965 1959
1963
1964
1965
1966
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