List of Archived Posts
2026 Newsgroup Postings (07/11 - )
- Network History
- IBM Mainframe Assembler and REX
- Channel Throughput
- Future System, 3081, Amdahl
- Slow 3880 Controller
- CP67 and ASCII TTY
- CP67 and ASCII TTY
- SCI, FCS, HA/CMP
- IBM Mainframe Demise
- IBM Mainframe Demise
- IBM Mainframe HASP
- IBM Terminal Support
- IBM 370 CISC Chip
- Remember when discussions were worth reading?
- IBM Publication
- IBM Unbundling and HONE
- IBM 370/125
- NSF Supercomputer and Network
- NSF Supercomputer and Network
- NSF Supercomputer and Network
- ACP/TPF
- CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
- NSFNET
- Tandem
- MVT Storage Management Problems
- MVS
- MVS
- HSDT
- HSDT
- HSDT
- SQL Server
- Punch Cards
- MIT CTSS/7094, MULTICS, UNIX, Virtual Machines
- Internet Lore
- Cloud Computing
- Cloud Computing
- VM/370
- Lynn Conway
- Reliability, Availability, Serviceability
- history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
- history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
- history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
- position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the
- position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
- history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
- history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
- IBM Networking
- IBM 370 Virtual Memory
- IBM 370 Virtual Memory
- Home Terminal
- Military and Defense Contractors Cyberdumb
- IBM 3278
- IBM CSC, HONE
- Usenet history
- Usenet history
- IBM HASP
- IBM Channel and HA/CMP
- IBM A74, Mainframe Workstation
- IBM SQL/Relational
- IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
- IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
- Harvest time!
- Ethernet and IBM Token-Ring
- Harvest time!
- Distributed
- Distributed
- Distributed
- IBM DASD
- IBM 370 Virtual Memory
- VM370/CMS & MVS Program Sizes
- VM370/RSCS, MVS/JES2
- Software and other stuff
- Mainframe, Cobol, Java
- Old Computers
- Old Computers
- System Storage and Virtual Memory
- System Storage and Virtual Memory
- System Storage and Virtual Memory
- 370 Compare-and-Swap
- "The end of software secrecy is almost upon us"
- EMAIL, VMSG, PROFS
- Early 360, BPS, PCP, MFT, MVT, CP67/CMS
- IBM Unbundling, Virtual Memory, Future System
- "The end of software secrecy is almost upon
- what's a process, was The end of software secrecy is almost
- Internet Browsers
- Internet Browsers
- VM370/OS Dispatch/Scheduling
Network History
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Network History
Date: 11 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html"#107 Network History
great change-over to TCP/IP (from IMPS and HOST protocol) was 1Jan1983
at the time there were about 100 IMP nodes with 255 connected HOSTS.
2nd half of 80s, I was on Chesson's XTP TAB. There were several gov
projects and so took XTP (as HSP) to (ISO chartered) ANSI X3S3.3 for
standardization (at time gov. was pushing for elimination TCP/IP and
everything move to GOSIP). At 1st they agreed ... but then they said
that ISO said no work on anything that didn't conform to OSI
model. XTP/HSP didn't because 1) supported internetworking layer
(which wasn't in OSI), 2) skip Transport/Networking interface, 3) went
directly to LAN/MAC interface which doesn't exist in OSI.
Joke at the time was ISO did standards that didn't even have to be
implementable while IETF (internet) required at least two
interoperable implementations for progression in standards process.
After leaving IBM in the 90s, (IETF RFC Editor) Postel let me help
with the periodically re-issued STD1. After NETSCAPE brought me into
do the stuff for interfacing to the payment networks, I did a talk on
why internet wasn't business critical dataprocessing (based on
documentation, software, processes I had do for financial
transactions), Postel sponsored my talk at USC/ISI.
OSI: The Internet That Wasn't. How TCP/IP eclipsed the Open Systems
Interconnection standards to become the global protocol for computer
networking
https://spectrum.ieee.org/osi-the-internet-that-wasnt
Meanwhile, IBM representatives, led by the company's capable director
of standards, Joseph De Blasi, masterfully steered the discussion,
keeping OSI's development in line with IBM's own business
interests. Computer scientist John Day, who designed protocols for the
ARPANET, was a key member of the U.S. delegation. In his 2008 book
Patterns in Network Architecture(Prentice Hall), Day recalled that IBM
representatives expertly intervened in disputes between delegates
"fighting over who would get a piece of the pie.... IBM played them
like a violin. It was truly magical to watch."
... snip ...
XTP/HSP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#xtphsp
web server support for payment transactions posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
recent posts mentioning internet wasn't business critical
dataprocessing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#92 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#79 IBM 8100, SNA, OSI, TCP/IP, Amadeus
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#38 Amazon Explains How Its AWS Outage Took Down the Web
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#35 Linux Clusters
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#23 IBM Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#111 ARPANET, NSFNET, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#42 IBM OS/2 & M'soft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#97 Open Networking with OSI
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#41 AIM, Apple, IBM, Motorola
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#0 Financial Engineering
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#36 IBM ATM Protocol?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#80 The New Internet Thing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#71 Netscape Ecommerce
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#16 ARPANET And Science Center Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#43 Netscape
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#97 Mainframe Integrity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#50 Architectural implications of locate mode I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#47 E-commerce
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#92 TCP Joke
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#62 HTTP over TCP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#73 Vintage IBM, RISC, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#70 HSDT, HA/CMP, NSFNET, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#33 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#71 IBM AIX
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Mainframe Assembler and REX
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Mainframe Assembler and REX
Date: 13 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Took two credit hr intro to fortran/computers. At the end of the
semester, I was hired to re-implement 1401 MPIO (709 tape->tape, 1401
reader/punch/printer front-end) in assembler for 360/30. Univ. was
getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and got 360/30
temporarily until availability of 360/67s. Univ. shutdown datacenter
on weekends and I got the whole place dedicated (although 48hrs w/o
sleep made Monday classes hard). I was given pile of hardware &
software manuals (learn assembler and hardware) and got to design and
implement my own monitor, device drivers, interrupt handlers, error
recovery, storage management, etc ... and within a few weeks had 2000
card 360/30 assembler program. Assembler option for two modes; 1)
stand-alone, IPLed with BPS loader and 2) OS/360 macros, GET/PUT,
OPEN/CLOSE, etc. Sometimes when I came in on weekend, production had
finished early and everything was dark/shutdown ... and 360/30 powerup
wouldn't work. Some manuals and experimenting, I found if I put all
the controllers in CE-mode, I could power on the 360/30, then power on
individual controllers and take them out of CE-mode.
The 360/67 arrived with-in a year of taking intro class and I was
hired fulltime responsible for OS/360 (TSS/360 not coming to
production). 709 use to do student fortran in less than second. 360/67
(as 360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 to carefully place
datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS directory)
multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs. OS/360 never
got better than 709 until I install Univ Waterloo WATFOR; on 360/65
WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min (333/sec), student fortran
tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after
CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with it
during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine test
ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six
months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class
in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it
turns out that the people that were going to teach it had resigned the
Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online
spin-offs.
CP/67 arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and auto-terminal ident,
capable switching terminal type scanner type for each port. Univ. also
had TTY33&35 and I add ASCII support integrated with auto-terminal
type. I then want to have single dial-in number (hunt group) for all
terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM had hard-wired line speed ... so we
start a clone terminal controller. Build a IBM channel interface board
for Interdata/3 programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition
for auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface
and cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business
Turn of century, toured datacenter that had descendant of our
Interdata box, that was handling nearly all card POS terminal dial-up
east of the Mississippi.
When I graduate, I join IBM CSC. A few years later, I transfer to SJR
on west coast and work with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on the original
SQL/relational RDBMS, System/R (morphs into both SQL/DS and DB2). I
also get to wander around datacenters in silicon valley, including
disk bldg14 engineering and bldg15 product test across street. They
were running pre-scheduled, 7x24, stand-alone testing and mentioned
they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that environment,
requiring manual re-IPL). I offer to rewrite I/O supervisor to make it
bullet proof and never fail, enabling any amount of on-demand,
concurrent testing, greatly improving productivity. I then write a I/O
Integrity research report and happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF,
bringing down the wrath of the MVS organization down on my head
(including blocking corporate award for the work)
Bldg15, product test gets the 1st engineering 3033 outside POK 3033
processor engineering. Product test was only taking a percent or two
of processing, so we scrounge up a 3830 controller and 3330 string for
our own private online service (also run 3270 coax under the street to
my office in bldg28). The 303x channel director was periodically still
hanging and required somebody to walk over and hit IMPL button. I then
find if I quickly hit all six channel addresses with CLRCH, it would
automagically re-IMPL. Note for 303x channel director, they took
158-engine with just the integrated channel microcode (and no 370
microcode). A 3031 was two 158-engines, one with just 370 microcode
and one with just integrated channel microcode. A 3032 was 168-3
reworked to use 303x channel director for external channels. A 3033
started out with 168 logic remapped to 20% faster chips.
More than decade after joining IBM, I wanted to show REX (before
renamed and released to customers) wasn't just another pretty
scripting language. I selected a large assembler dump analysis, IPCS
... to redo in REX with ten times the function and ten times the
performance, working half time over three months. I finished early and
wrote a automated library that looked for common failures. I had
assumed it would be released, replacing the assembler version ... but
for various reasons it wasn't (even though most internal datacenters
and PSRs were using it). I eventually got permission to give talks at
user group meetings on how it was done (and non-IBM versions started
appearing). Later the 3090 service processor (3092) planned to start
shipping it.
IBM CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
clone controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
original SQL/Relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
REX DUMPRX posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#dumprx
A few recent posts mentioning bringing down the wrath of the MVS
organization on my head
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#96 IBM CEOs and IBM Downfall
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#95 Future System, 16-CPU, 3033, 3081, 3880, 3380
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#70 IBM Online Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#57 IBM IPL and IMPL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#54 VM4341 Cluster Supercomputing and Departmental Distributed
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#50 CSC, CP40/CMS, CP67/CMS, Boeing Computer Services
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#16 IBM 16-CPU SMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#4 IBM Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#2 IBM 370/195
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#82 IBM DASD, CKD, FBA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#71 IBM 3033
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#68 Adirondack
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#60 IBM 135/145, 138/148, 4331/4341
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#59 IBM CP67 and VM370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#50 Online Timesharing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#34 IBM, NSC, HSDT, HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#33 IBM, NSC, HSDT, HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#28 360 Channel
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#106 CP67, VM370, MVT, VS2/SVS, VS2/MVS, MVS/XA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#89 Re-impl Controllers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#75 Interactive response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#62 IBM Mainframe Projects
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#47 IBM 360/85
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#14 IBM DASD, CKD and FBA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#10 IBM Interactive Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#107 Rapid Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#98 IBM Supercomputer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#45 Some VM370 History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#35 IBM Internal Apps, Retain, HONE, CCDN, ITPS, Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#34 IBM Internal Apps, Retain, HONE, CCDN, ITPS, Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#92 FCS, ESCON, FICON
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#62 IBM Future System And Follow-on Mainframes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#53 IBM 3270 Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#47 IBM 3270 Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#42 SNA & TCP/IP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#29 360 Card Boot
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#2 Interactive Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#113 2301 Fixed-Head Drum
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#86 Big Iron Throughput
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#71 VM370/CMS, VMFPLC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#61 old pharts, Multics vs Unix
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#59 Multics vs Unix
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Channel Throughput
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Channel Throughput
Date: 13 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
3272 channel attach controller (for 3277 terminals) had .086 hardware
response. for 3278 they move a lot of the electronics to the 3274 that
drove up the coax protocol chatter and hardware response went to .3-.5
secs (depending on how much data involved). 3274/3278 time-frame there
were studies about quarter second response improved
productivity. Letters to 3278 product administrator got response that
3278 wasn't intended for interactive computing, but "data entry".
after joining IBM CSC, one of my hobbies was enhanced production
operating systems for internal datacenters (online branch
sales&marketing HONE was one of my 1st and long time customers). At
the time 3278 introduced I had several customers getting .11 trivial
interactive system response (w/3277, aggregate for humans as .086+.11
or .196secs ... meeting .25sec requirement). MVS users rarely noticed
was because very few MVS systems even met one sec system response).
1980, STL was bursting at the seams and they were moving 300 from IMS
group to offsite bldg. They had tried "remote" (telco/SNA) 3270 and
found human factors were totally unacceptable. I get con'ed into doing
channel-extender support ... allowing channel attached controllers to
be placed at offsite bldg ... resulting in no noticeable human factors
difference (with inside STL).
There was unintended consequences ... STL had distributed 3270
controllers across all 168 channels with 3330s. 3270 controllers had
high channel busy interfering with 3330 I/O. The channel-extender had
significantly lower 168 channel busy ... improving 3330 I/O and
increasing system throughput 10-15%. There was consideration on moving
*ALL* 3270 controllers (even inside STL) to channel-extender.
In 1988, IBM branch asks if I can help LLNL (national lab) with
standardization of some serial stuff they were working with ... which
quickly becomes fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I
had done in 1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate
200mbyte/sec). Then IBM POK mainframe releases some serial (when it
was already obsolete) as ESCON, initially 10mbyte/sec. Then some POK
engineers become involved with "FCS" and define a heavy-weight
protocol that drastically cuts native throughput, eventually ships as
FICON.
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Future System, 3081, Amdahl
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Future System, 3081, Amdahl
Date: 16 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Amdahl won the battle to make ACS, 360 compatible. When ACS/360 was
killed (folklore: executives were afraid it would advance state of art
too fast and IBM would loose control of the market), Amdahl leaves
IBM. Following lists some ACS/360 features that don't show up until
the 90s with ES/9000.
https://mark.people.clemson.edu/acs_end.html
Future System effort 1st half of 70s was completely different than 370
and planned to replace 370. Internal politics was killing off 370
efforts ... the lack of new 370s during FS is credited with giving
clone 370 makers (including Amdahl) their market foothold. When FS
implodes, there is mad rush to get stuff back into product pipelines,
including kicking off quick&dirty 303x and 3081 efforts in parallel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
... and from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and *MAKE
NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that thereafter, IBM
lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the heavy investment
of face by the top management, F/S took years to kill, although its
wrong headedness was obvious from the very outset. "For the first
time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became politically dangerous,"
recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
ASDD Products Architecture
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
In 1973, I had attended a presentation on the design of the VANDERBILT
hardware. After showing a diagram of the CPU frame, which contained
sixteen circuit boards, the presenter proudly said "Each of these
boards contains as much circuitry as a System/370, Model 168." At that
point, I asked the obvious question: "But the expected performance is
only about three times faster than a Model 168. Why don't you just
build sixteen 168s?" Instead of answering, he just glared at me. But
when the FS project was canceled in 1975, IBM did just that. According
to the IBM archives, "Whereas the Model 168 had required 40 months to
evolve from development to initial shipment, the 3033 was shipped to
its first customer after only 28 months in development." IBM achieved
that feat by remapping the Model 168 design into the circuitry
intended for VANDERBILT and making a number of tweaks in the design to
improve performance. Of course, IBM could have delivered a machine
with similar or better performance in 1975 instead of 1977, if they
hadn't killed all the System/370 design projects to avoid competition
with the FS fantasy.
... snip ...
When FS imploded, I got asked to help with a 16-CPU 370 and we con the
3033 processor engineers to help in their spare time (lot more
interesting than remapping 168 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody
thought it was great until somebody told the head of POK that it could
be decades before POK's favorite son operating system ("MVS") had
(effective) 16-cpu support (POK doesn't ship 16-CPU system until after
turn of the century). Head of POK then tells some of us to never visit
POK again and directed 3033 processor engineers, heads down and no
distractions (once the 3033 is out the door, they start on
trout/3090).
Initial 3081D 2-CPU aggregate MIPS was less than Amdahl single
processor system. IBM doubled the processor cache sizes for the 3081K
2-CPU, bringing aggregate MIPS up to about same as Amdahl
1-CPU. However MVS docs had MVS 2-CPU multiprocessor support only got
1.2-1.5 times throughput of 1-CPU ... so MVS 2-CPU 3081K throughput
was only .6-.75 of Amdahl 1-CPU MVS (despite having approx. same
aggregate MIPS).
also
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
The 370 emulator minus the FS microcode was eventually sold in 1980 as
as the IBM 3081. The ratio of the amount of circuitry in the 3081 to
its performance was significantly worse than other IBM systems of the
time; its price/performance ratio wasn't quite so bad because IBM had
to cut the price to be competitive. The major competition at the time
was from Amdahl Systems -- a company founded by Gene Amdahl, who left
IBM shortly before the FS project began, when his plans for the
Advanced Computer System (ACS) were killed. The Amdahl machine was
indeed superior to the 3081 in price/performance and spectaculary
superior in terms of performance compared to the amount of circuitry.]
... snip ...
... and claims that the enormous number circuits required the use of
TCMs in order to package the circuits in a reasonably sized space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_IBM#1980
not long after being told to never visit POK again, I transfer out to
SJR on west coast. I worked with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on original
SQL/relational, System/R (all work done on VM370). I also get to visit
silicon valley datacenters including disk bldg14 (engineering) and
bldg15 (product test) across the street. The were doing prescheduled,
7x24, stand-alone testing and said that they had recently tried MVS,
but it had 15min MTBF (requiring manual re-ipl in that environment). I
offer to rewrite I/O supervisor to make it bullet proof and never
fail, allowing any amount of on-demand, concurrent testing, greatly
improving productivity.
Then bldg15 get engineering 3033 (1st outside POK processor
engineering). Testing was only taking percent or two of CPU, so we
scrounge up a 3830 and 3330 string and setup our own private online
service. Then summer of 1978, get engineering 4341 (year before
announce). Branch office hears about it and Jan1979 cons me into doing
benchmark for national lab that was looking at getting 70 for compute
farm (sort of leading edge of the coming cluster supercomputing
tsunami).
Also find that small cluster of five 4341s had higher aggregate
throughput, much less expensive, much less power & cooling, and
smaller footprint than 3033. Also BofA had System/R joint study and
orders 60 VM4341s for distributed operation.
future system posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
original SQL/Relational RDBMS posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
some recent posts mentioning Amdahl and cancel ACS/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#100 Amdahl
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#95 Future System, 16-CPU, 3033, 3081, 3880, 3380
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#93 Hercules IBM Emulator
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#73 IBM System/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#68 IBM Career, Promotions, Raises
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#51 Mainframe, Virtualization, Cloud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#18 IBM 16-CPU SMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#2 IBM 370/195
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#71 IBM 3033
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#25 Amdahl Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#24 IBM 360, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#15 IBM 360s, Unbundling, 370s, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#11 4341, cluster supercomputing, distributed computing
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Slow 3880 Controller
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Slow 3880 Controller
Date: 18 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Note once the 3033 was out the door, the processor engineers start on
trout/3090. They configure memory, processor, channels, I/O to meet
specific throughput goals. However, in San Jose, the administration
dictated that the 3880 disk controller would use a (really slow,
resulting in significant channel busy) vertical CISC processor (much
slower than the previous processor in 3830 controller). The 3090
people thought the 3880 would be the same as 3830, but supporting 3380
3mbyte/sec transfer, when they found out how bad the 3880 controllers'
channel busy was, they realized they would have to significantly
increase the number of I/O channels in order to achieve system
throughput targets ... which required an additional TCM (3090 said
semi-facetiously they would bill the 3880 organization for the
increase in 3090 manufacturing cost). Marketing eventually comes up
with what a fantastic I/O machine the 3090 is with big increase in
number of channels.
2nd half 70s, I transfer out to SJR on west coast. I worked with Jim
Gray and Vera Watson on original SQL/relational, System/R (all work
done on VM370). I also get to visit silicon valley datacenters
including disk bldg14 (engineering) and bldg15 (product test) across
the street. The were doing prescheduled, 7x24, stand-alone testing and
said that they had recently tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF
(requiring manual re-ipl in that environment). I offer to rewrite I/O
supervisor to make it bullet proof and never fail, allowing any amount
of on-demand, concurrent testing, greatly improving productivity. I
write a I/O Reliability Enhancement research report and happen to mention the MVS
15min MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS organization on my
head. Then bldg15 get engineering 3033 (1st outside POK processor
engineering). Testing was only taking percent or two of CPU, so we
scrounge up a 3830 and 3330 string and setup our own private online
service.
One monday morning, I come in and have irate phone calls from bldg15
asking what did I do to the 3033 system over the weekend
... interactive CMS response had gone over a second (my internal
sjr/vm systems had .11 interactive system response). I said I did
nothing, "what did they do". They said nothing, eventually it turns
out somebody had replaced the 3830 with a 3880. Had to regress to the
3830 ... had at least six months before 3880 customer release and had
to come up with a few hacks to try and obfuscate some of the worst
side effect consequences of the slow 3880 processor.
"calypso" 3880 was to connect 3mbyte/sec 3380 to 1.5mbyte channels as
well as eckd channel commands.
engineering 3033 was 3880 connecting with 3330 disks. 3880 had done
acceptance with vanilla single thread/drive mvs test. mvs has
something 10k instruction path for channel redrive (from interrupt to
start nxt queued channel program) ... to help mask slow 3880, they
present ending interrupt early and figured to do controller cleanup
overlapped with operating system processing. single drive thread/drive
mvs didn't have queued channel programs so it was more than 10k to nxt
system i/o.
my sjr/vm had something like 500 instruction, interrupt to channel
redrive (and bldg15 heavy use could have multiple queued channel
programs waiting). Channel redrive then would immediately result in
CC=1,SM+BUSY (control unit busy), have to requeue the channel program
and wait for CUE (to retry channel redrive).
trivia: early last decade, I was asked to track down executive
decision to add virtual memory to all 370s, and found staff to the
executive. Basically MVT storage management was so bad, that REGION
sizes had to be specified four times larger than used. As a result
typical 1mbyte 370/165 only ran four concurrent regions, insufficient
to keep system busy and justified. going to MVT in 16mbyte virtual
address space, allowed number of regions to be increased by factor of
four (capped at 15 because of 4bit storage protect keys) with little
or not paging (sort of like running MVT in CP67 16mbyte virtual
machine).
I periodically dropped in Ludlow doing initial VS2/SVS on 360/67
(pending engineering 370 w/virtual memory). Little bit of code to
build virtual memory tables and some simple paging. Biggest was
channel programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 had virtual addresses (and
channels require real addresses). He borrows CP67 CCWTRANS (that
creates channel program copies with real addresses) for crafting into
EXCP.
So part of 370/XA was architecture to address the excess latency that
it took for MVS channel redrive.
Also 1988, branch office asks me if I could help LLNL (national lab)
with standardizing some serial stuff they had been working with
... which quickly becomes fibre-channel standard ("FCS", initial 1gbit
transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbytes/sec, including some stuff I
had done in 1980). POK eventually releases their serial stuff as ESCON
(when it is already obsolete), initially 10mbyte/sec transfer. Then
some POK engineers become involved with "FCS" and define a
heavy-weight protocol that drastically cuts native throughput,
eventually ships as FICON.
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
getting to play disk engineer in bldgs 14&15 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
CP67 and ASCII TTY
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: CP67 and ASCII TTY
Date: 21 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Took two credit hr intro to fortran/computers. At the end of the
semester, I was hired to re-implement 1401 MPIO (709 tape->tape,
1401 reader/punch/printer front-end) in assembler for
360/30. Univ. was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and
got 360/30 temporarily until availability of 360/67s. Univ. shutdown
datacenter on weekends and I got the whole place dedicated (although
48hrs w/o sleep made Monday classes hard). I was given pile of
hardware & software manuals (learn assembler and hardware) and got
to design and implement my own monitor, device drivers, interrupt
handlers, error recovery, storage management, etc ... and within a few
weeks had 2000 card 360/30 assembler program. Assembler option for two
modes; 1) stand-alone, IPLed with BPS loader and 2) OS/360 macros,
GET/PUT, OPEN/CLOSE, etc. Sometimes when I came in on weekend,
production had finished early and everything was dark/shutdown ... and
360/30 powerup wouldn't work. Some manuals and experimenting, I found
if I put all the controllers in CE-mode, I could power on the 360/30,
then power on individual controllers and take them out of CE-mode.
The 360/67 arrived with-in a year of taking intro class and I was
hired fulltime responsible for OS/360 (TSS/360 not coming to
production). 709 use to do student fortran in less than second. 360/67
(as 360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 to carefully place
datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS directory)
multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs. OS/360 never
got better than 709 until I install Univ Waterloo WATFOR; on 360/65
WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min (333/sec), student fortran
tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd
after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with
it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine
test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six
months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class
in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it
turns out that the people that were going to teach it had resigned the
Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online
spin-offs.
CP/67 arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and auto-terminal
ident, capable switching terminal type scanner type for each
port. Univ. also had TTY33&35 (paper tape) and I add TTY ASCII
support integrated with auto-terminal type (ASCII port scanner had
arrived in a Heathkit box; TTY required much more finger strength than
IBM selectric typeball-based 1052&2741). I then want to have
single dial-in number (hunt group) for all terminals. Didn't quite
work, IBM had hard-wired port line speed ... so we start a clone
terminal controller. Build a IBM channel interface board for
Interdata/3 programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition for
auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface and
cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
clone controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
some recent posts mentioning 709, 1401 MPIO, Fortran, 360/67 and WATFOR
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#1 IBM Mainframe Assembler and REX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#88 Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#78 Early CSC (& CP67/CMS)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#73 IBM System/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#72 IBM 2321 Datacell, CICS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#70 IBM Online Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#14 Bad Responsee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#4 IBM Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#98 IBM 360&370 Experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#91 CP/67 and VM/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#83 Touch Type, Typewriters, Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#82 IBM DASD, CKD, FBA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#81 IBM 60s-90s
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#78 IBM OS Debugging
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#67 Early Mainframe work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#59 IBM CP67 and VM370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#46 UofM MTS and IBM CP67
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#28 360 Channel
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#24 IBM 360, Future System
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
CP67 and ASCII TTY
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: CP67 and ASCII TTY
Date: 23 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#5 CP67 and ASCII TTY
When I graduate, I join IBM Science Center, and get home (134.5 baud)
2741, which was replaced by a 300baud CDI Miniterm (very similar to TI
silent 700), which was quickly replaced with early (1200 baud) IBM
glass teletype, TOPAZ/3101. Then got ROMS from the plant in Japan that
supported "block mode" (3270 like operation).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3101
VM370 implemented virtual 3270 and "passthrough virtual machine
(PVM)" used interface to simulate 3270s over the internal network
... which also included gateway to the internal CCDN terminal
network. Then for the travel/home terminal program got special
encrypting 2400 baud modems (that could simulate industry standard
modem).
Then there was IBM/PC PCTERM program for VM370 home terminal service
that used PVM for host 3270 emulation and a IBM/PC app that simulated
3270 terminal. The host/PC (PCTERMs) maintained synchronized caches of
recently transmitted data,, could specify changes to the current
screen display (actual data, or pieces of data from cache), reducing
amount of data transmitted (inbound and outbound). For actual data
transmitted, it was further reduced using compression.
Also, late 70s, the (CMS 3270 app) VMSG (used by PROFS for the email
client) author had done (CMS) PARASITE/STORY (predating IBM/PC HLLAPI)
... interfaced to the VM370 virtual 3270 support. It could do
programmed 3270s on the same machine or interface to PVM. A STORY in
this archived post to log into the internal IBM "RETAIN" and download
(customer) support information.
https://web.archive.org/web/20260305093053/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001k.html#36
a few PCTERM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#66 IBM 3101 Glass Teletype and "Block Mode"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#75 IBM Mainframe Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#43 IBM/PC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021h.html#33 IBM/PC 12Aug1981
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#101 You count as an old-timer if (was Re: Origin of the phrase "XYZZY")
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014j.html#25 another question about TSO edit command
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#11 The Tragedy of Rapid Evolution?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014h.html#71 The Tragedy of Rapid Evolution?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014e.html#49 Before the Internet: The golden age of online service
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011d.html#6 If IBM Hadn't Bet the Company
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#51 Baudot code direct to computers?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#66 The use of "script" for program
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006y.html#0 Why so little parallelism?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
SCI, FCS, HA/CMP
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: SCI, FCS, HA/CMP
Date: 23 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
1988, branch office asks if I could help SLAC/Gustavson with SCI
standard (various uses including shared memory multiprocessor, up to
64 cache consistency, some efforts Data General and Sequent 64 4-i486
boards (256 processors), Convex 64 2-HP-snake boards (128 processor),
SGI 64 4-MIPS boards, etc),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Coherent_Interface
https://www.scizzl.com/
... same time asked about helping LLNL (national lab) with
fibre-channel standard ("FCS", initial 1gbit transfer, full-duplex,
aggregate 200mbyte/sec)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_Channel
Then IBM announces their fiber stuff as ESCON (when it was aleady
obsolete), initially 10mbyte/sec. Then IBM engineers become involved
with FCS and define protocol that significantly cuts native
throughput, that is announced as FICON
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
... also 1988, Nick Donofrio approves HA/6000, initially for NYTimes
to move their newspaper system (ATEX) off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000, I
rename it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing (technical/scientific) cluster scale-up with
national labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR/UCAR, etc) and commercial cluster
scale-up with RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with
VAXCluster support in same source base with UNIX. Also migrate LLNL
UNICOS "LINCS"
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f5fc/36f760a62a39e1b780b556d5817841d40fac.pdf
and NCAR "Mesa Archive" spin-off, to HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD executive
Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters by mid92
and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on HA/CMP
work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for federal
supercomputers. By end of Jan, we are told that cluster scale-up is
being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM Supercomputer (SP,
technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed to work with
anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a few months
later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news ... IBM
establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that it would have eaten the mainframe in the
commercial market. 1993 industry benchmarks (number of program
iterations compared to the industry MIPS/BIPS reference platform):
ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : (1-CPU) 126MIPS, 16-systems: 2BIPS,
... 128-systems: 16BIPS
After leaving IBM, I do some consulting for Steve Chen (was
responsible for YMP at Cray), was then CTO at Sequent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequent_Computer_Systems
SCI Exemplar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequent_Computer_Systems#NUMA
before IBM buys Sequent and shuts it down.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequent_Computer_Systems#IBM_purchase_and_disappearance
FCS and/or FICON Posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
SCI, scalable.coherent.interface, and Sequent posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#23 IBM CSC, IBM Unbundle, IBM HONE, IBM System/R, SCI, FCS, IBM HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#69 IBM System/R, SCI, FCS, IBM HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#66 IBM CSC, IBM Unbundle, IBM HONE, IBM System/R, SCI, FCS, IBM HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#54 IBM Supercomputer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#24 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#16 Cluster Supercomputing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#85 IBM S/38
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#90 Mainframe Processor and I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#54 RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#37 RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#106 Shared Memory Feature
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#22 Vintage Cray
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#16 370/125 VM/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#78 microcomputers, minicomputers, mainframes, supercomputers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#42 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#91 Stanford SLAC (and BAYBUNCH)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022f.html#29 IBM Power: The Servers that Apple Should Have Created
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#118 GM C4 and IBM HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#95 Latency and Throughput
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#23 Target Marketing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#16 A brief overview of IBM's new 7 nm Telum mainframe CPU
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021h.html#45 OoO S/360 descendants
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#64 Early Computer Use
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#44 HA/CMP Marketing
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Mainframe Demise
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Mainframe Demise
Date: 31 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Late 80s, senior gpd/adstar engineer gets a talk scheduled at
internal, annual, world-wide communication group conference,
supposedly on 3174 performance, but opens the talk with statement that
the communication group was going to be responsible for the demise of
the disk division. the disk division was seeing drop in disk sales
with data fleeing mainframes to more distributed computing friendly
platforms. the disk division had come up with a number of solutions,
but they were all being vetoed by the communication group with their
corporate responsibility for everything that crossed datacenter
walls. The senior gpd/adstar software executive had partial
countermeasure with investments in distributed computing startups that
would use IBM disks (and would periodically ask us to stop in on his
investments to offer help).
Articles started appearing about the demise of
mainframes. Communication group stanglehold on IBM datacenters wasn't
just disks and 1992 IBM has one of the largest losses in the history
of US companies. IBM was being reorganized into the 13 "baby blues" in
preparation for breaking up the company (take-off on the "baby bells"
breakup a decade earlier)
https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977353-1,00.html
we had already left IBM but get a call from the bowels of Armonk
asking if we could help with the breakup of the company. Before we get
started, the board brings in the former president of Amex as CEO to
try and save the company, who (somewhat) reverses the breakup and uses
some of the same techniques used at RJR (gone 404, but lives on at
wayback)
https://web.archive.org/web/20181019074906/http://www.ibmemployee.com/RetirementHeist.shtml
Didn't save the disk division ... there hasn't been any IBM CKD DASD
manufactured for decades, all being simulated on industry standard
fixed-block devices.
Demise of disk division posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal
IBM downturn/downfall/breakup posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ibmdownfall
pension posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#pension
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Mainframe Demise
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Mainframe Demise
Date: 31 Jul, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#8 IBM Mainframe Demise
IBM 1993: The Biggest Layoffs in US History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX4wJvQR4ok
1972, Learson tried (& failed) to block the bureaucrats, careerists,
and MBAs from destroying Watson culture/legacy, pg160-163, 30yrs of
management briefings 1958-1988
https://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/generalInfo/IBM_Thirty_Years_of_Mangement_Briefings_1958-1988.pdf
Future System disaster,
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and *MAKE
NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that thereafter, IBM
lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the heavy investment
of face by the top management, F/S took years to kill, although its
wrong headedness was obvious from the very outset. "For the first
time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became politically dangerous,"
recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
I was blamed for online computer conferencing late 70s and early
80s. It really took off spring of 1981 when I distributed trip report
of visit to Jim Gray at Tandem. Only about 300 directly participated,
but claims that upwards of 25,000 were reading. Six copies of 300
pages were packaged in Tandem 3-ring binders and sent to the corporate
executive committee (folklore 5of6 wanted to fire me). From IBM Jargon
(Datamation reference was in original version):
https://havantcivicsociety.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ibmjarg.pdf
Tandem Memos - n. Something constructive but hard to control; a fresh
of breath air (sic). That's another Tandem Memos. A phrase to worry
middle management. It refers to the computer-based conference (widely
distributed in 1981) in which many technical personnel expressed
dissatisfaction with the tools available to them at that time, and
also constructively criticized the way products were [are]
developed. The memos are required reading for anyone with a serious
interest in quality products. If you have not seen the memos, try
reading the November 1981 Datamation summary.
... snip ...
There was executive summary and a summary of the executive summary;
from summary of summary:
• The perception of many technical people in IBM is that the company is
rapidly heading for disaster. Furthermore, people fear that this
movement will not be appreciated until it begins more directly to
affect revenue, at which point recovery may be impossible
• Many technical people are extremely frustrated with their management
and with the way things are going in IBM. To an increasing extent,
people are reacting to this by leaving IBM. Most of the contributors
to the present discussion would prefer to stay with IBM and see the
problems rectified. However, there is increasing skepticism that
correction is possible or likely, given the apparent lack of
commitment by management to take action
• There is a widespread perception that IBM management has failed to
understand how to manage technical people and high-technology
development in an extremely competitive environment
... snip ...
There were task forces to look at online computer conferencing
resulting in official IBM forum software and approved, moderated forum
discussions. Also a researcher was paid to study how I communicated;
sat in the back of my office for nine months taking notes on how I
communicated, also got copies of all my incoming and outgoing email
and logs of all instant messages. The result was used for IBM research
reports, conference talks and papers, books and Stanford Phd (joint
with language and computer AI, Winograd was advisor on computer AI
side).
I was told that with 5of6 of the executive committee wanting to fire
me, they would never be able to make me an IBM Fellow, but if I would
keep a low profile, they would divert funding my way as if I was. An
IBM Fellow became my 1st line, reporting to YKT (but left in San Jose,
having to commute to YKT a couple times a month).
I get funding for HSDT, T1 and faster computer links (terrestrial and
satellite) and battles with the communication group (60s had 2701 that
supported T1 links, 70s issues with VTAM capped controllers at
56kbits). Funding was predicated on being able to show some IBM
content, was able to find FSD S/1 T1 Zirpel cards (for gov. agency
2701s that were failing). Also working with NSF director and was
suppose to get $20M to interconnect the NSF supercomputer
centers. Then congress cuts the budget, some other things happened and
eventually there was RFP released (in part based on what we already
had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary Announcement
https://web.archive.org/web/20250428194307/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
... snip ...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet.
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
computer conferencing posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#cmc
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
Internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
IBM downturn/downfall/breakup posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ibmdownfall
pension posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#pension
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Mainframe HASP
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Mainframe HASP
Date: 03 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
HASP was spooling program morphs into JES2 for MVS. ASP was
multi-system operation with shared DASD ... which morphs into JES3
(for MVS). My wife had been in the gburg JES group (headed by
Crabtree, one of the Houston HASP people). She was one of the ASP/JES3
"catchers" ... then co-author of "JESUS", features of JES2&JES3 that
the respective customers couldn't live w/o ... for various reasons
never came to fruition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Automatic_Spooling_Priority
My wife was then talked into going to POK in charge of loosely-coupled
(mainframe for cluster) architecture
The internal network was primarily RSCS/VNET (initially morphing from
scientific center CP67-based wired-area network). The major MVS
support was JES2, code having come from HASP (at one time cards had
"TUCC" in cols 68-71). JES2 implementation still had the original
network node definitions that used spare entries in the 255-entry
pseudo device table (typically 160 to maybe 180) ... however the
internal network had rapidly passed 255 entries (and the JES2 code
would discard traffic where origin and/or destinition wasn't in local
table; by the time JES2 got around to increasing node definitions to
supporting 999, the internal network had already passed 1000.
HASP/JES2 networking evolved another problem. The network fields were
intermixed with job control fields. Minor release changes could result
in crashing the destination host MVS system. Eventually there were
RSCS/VNET emulated JES2 drivers that would recognize the immediately
connected destination JES2 release and reorganize the fields if
necssary (preventing destination MVS from crashing). There was
infamous case where the Hursley MVS systems were crashing and the
Hursley RSCS/VNET people were blamed because they hadn't updated the
RSCS/VNET emulated JES2 drivers to account for changes in San Jose MVS
JES2 systems.
In college took two credit hr intro to fortran/computers. At the end
of the semester, I was hired to re-implement 1401 MPIO (709
tape->tape, 1401 reader/punch/printer front-end) in assembler for
360/30. Univ. was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and
got 360/30 temporarily until availability of 360/67s. Univ. shutdown
datacenter on weekends and I got the whole place dedicated (although
48hrs w/o sleep made Monday classes hard). I was given pile of
hardware & software manuals and got to design and implement my own
monitor, device drivers, interrupt handlers, error recovery, storage
management, etc ... and within a few weeks had 2000 card 360/30
assembler program
360/67 arrived within year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 never came to fruition). 709
did student fortran in less than second, but 360/67 os/360 took over
minute. I install HASP for MFT9.5 cutting time in half. I then start
redoing MFT11 SYSGEN STAGE2 carefully placing datasets and PDS members
optimizing arm seek and multi-track search cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. 360/67 never got better than 709 until I install UofWaterloo
WATFOR, clocked on 360/67 at 20,000 cards/min (333 cards/sec
... student fortran tended to run 30-60cards/job).
Before I graduate, I was hired fulltime into small group in the Boeing
CFO office to help form the Boeing Computer Services (consolidate all
dataprocessing into independent business unit). I think Renton
datacenter largest in the world. Both Boeing and local IBM tell story
on day OS/360 was announced, Boeing gives the IBM marketing rep a 360
order, making him the highest paid IBM employee that year (days of
straight commission, following year, IBM introduces quotas). When I
graduate, I join IBM Cambridge Scientific Center (instead of staying
with CFO).
HASP/JES2, ASP/JES3, NJI/NJE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
peer-coupled shared data (loosely-coupled) architecture posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#shareddata
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Terminal Support
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Terminal Support
Date: 04 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
one of my hobbies after joining IBM was enhanced production operating
systems for internal datacenters and online, internal sales&marketing
support HONE systems was one of first (from 2741 days) and long time
customers (note: when FACEBOOK 1st moved into Silicon Valley, it was
new bldg built next door to the former consolidated US HONE
datacenter). Channel attached 3272/3277 had .086sec hardware
response. 3278 period started to see studies showing .25sec response
improved productivity. For 3278, lots of electronics moved back into
3274 (reducing 3278 manufacturing cost) driving up coax protocol
latency to .3sec-.5sec. (depending on amount of data) I had lots of
systems that were getting .11sec interactive system response
(resulting .086+.11=.196sec total elapsed response, within .25sec
target, which 3278s were NEVER able to meet). Letters to 3278 product
administrator complaining got responses that 3278 wasn't for
interactive computing, but data entry. MVS users never really noticed
the 3277/3278 difference since it was rare for MVS to even see 1sec
system response. Then IBM/PC 3277 emulation cards had 4-5 times the
upload/download throughput of 3278 emulation cards.
... also 1980, STL (since renamed SVL) was bursting at the seams, and
300 people (and 3270s) from IMS group were being moved to offsite bldg
with dataprocessing service back to STL. They had tried "remote 3270"
but found the human factors unacceptable. I get con'ed into doing
channel-extender support that placed 3270 channel-attached controllers
at the offsite bldg; resulting in no perceptible human factors
difference with inside STL. Unattended side-effects was that the
systems with channel-extender 3270 controllers saw a 10-15%
improvement in system throughput. STL had been distributing
channel-attached 3270 controllers across the channels with 3330
DASD. The channel-extenders significantly reduced the 3270 controller
(168) channel busy (for same amount of 3270 I/O) ... and they were
considering placing all 3270 controllers on channel-extenders.
trivia:
Took two credit hr intro to fortran/computers. At the end of the
semester, I was hired to re-implement 1401 MPIO (709 tape->tape, 1401
reader/punch/printer front-end) in assembler for 360/30. Univ. was
getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and got 360/30
temporarily until availability of 360/67s. Univ. shutdown datacenter
on weekends and I got the whole place dedicated (although 48hrs w/o
sleep made Monday classes hard). I was given pile of hardware &
software manuals (learn assembler and hardware) and got to design and
implement my own monitor, device drivers, interrupt handlers, error
recovery, storage management, etc ... and within a few weeks had 2000
card 360/30 assembler program. Assembler option for two modes; 1)
stand-alone, IPLed with BPS loader and 2) OS/360 macros, GET/PUT,
OPEN/CLOSE, etc. Sometimes when I came in on weekend, production had
finished early and everything was dark/shutdown ... and 360/30 powerup
wouldn't work. Some manuals and experimenting, I found if I put all
the controllers in CE-mode, I could power on the 360/30, then power on
individual controllers and take them out of CE-mode.
The 360/67 arrived with-in a year of taking intro class and I was
hired fulltime responsible for OS/360 (TSS/360 not coming to
production). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 to carefully place
datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS directory)
multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs. OS/360 never
got better than 709 until I install Univ Waterloo WATFOR; on 360/65
WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min (333/sec), student fortran
tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after
CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs, precursor to VM370) and I mostly get
to play with it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few
months rewriting pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual
machine. Bare machine test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU
534secs). After a few months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to
113secs. I then start rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic
adaptive resource manager/default fair share scheduling policy),
paging, adding ordered seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page
transfer channel programs (from FIFO and optimized for
transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging drum from 70-80 4k
transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six months after univ
initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class in LA. I arrive
on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it turns out that
the IBMers that were going to teach it had resigned the Friday before
to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online spin-offs.
CP/67 arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and auto-terminal ident,
capable switching terminal type scanner type for each port. Univ. also
had TTY33&35 (paper tape) and I add TTY ASCII support integrated with
auto-terminal type (ASCII port scanner had arrived in a Heathkit box;
TTY required much more finger strength than IBM selectric
typeball-based 1052&2741). I then want to have single dial-in number
(hunt group) for all terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM had hard-wired
port line speed ... so we start a clone terminal controller. Build a
IBM channel interface board for Interdata/3 programmed to emulate IBM
controller with the addition for auto-baud. Then upgraded with
Interdata/4 for channel interface and cluster of Interdata/3s for port
interfaces. Interdata (and later Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone
controllers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business
trivia2:
Mid-80s, communication group was fighting off releasing mainframe
TCP/IP (for VM370), when they lost they said that since they had
corporate ownership of everything that crossed datacenter walls, it
had to be released through them. What shipped got aggregate
44kbytes/sec using nearly whole 3090 processor. I then added RFC1044
support and in some tuning tests at Cray Research between Cray and
4341, got sustained 4341 channel throughput using only modest 4341 CPU
(something like 500 times improvement in bytes moved per instruction
executed). The VM370 TCP/IP support was released for MVS (by
simulating some VM370 "diagnose" instruction).
Late 80s, univ study found BSD (Reno/Tahoe) UNIX TCP pathlengths had
been clocked at 5k instructions while VTAM LU6.2 pathlengths was 160k
instructions.
Later in the early 90s, communication group hired silicon valley
contractor to add TCP/IP support to VTAM. What he 1st demo'ed had TCP
running much faster than LU6.2. He was then told that everybody knows
that a "proper" TCP/IP implementation is much slower than LU6.2 and
they would only be paying for a "proper" implementation.
trivia3:
1988, the IBM branch office asks if I can help LLNL (national lab)
with standardization of some serial stuff they were working with
... which quickly becomes fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including
some stuff I had done in 1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex,
aggregate 200mbyte/sec, and non-blocking 64-port switch). Then IBM POK
mainframe releases some serial (when it was already obsolete) as
ESCON, initially 10mbyte/sec. Then some POK engineers become involved
with "FCS" and define a heavy-weight protocol that drastically cuts
native throughput, eventually ships as FICON.
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
IBM CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
online commercial CP67 service
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#online
clone controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
XTP/HSP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#xtphsp
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM 370 CISC Chip
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM 370 CISC Chip
Date: 05 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
2nd half 70s, an effort was started to use 801/RISC for many of IBM
microprocessors, AS/400, 4361, 4381, controllers, etc. I got asked to
help with document that showed it was possible to do 370 CISC chip
that implemented most of 370 directly in circuits. 370/138, 370/148,
4331, 4341 were done in microprocessors that avg. 10 microcode
instructions for every 370 instruction. Earlier for 138/148 I had been
asked to help with ECPS, moving highest executed operating system
paths directly into native microcode rather than 370 instruction on
approx. 1:1 basis.
trivia: initial analysis for ECPS ... 6kbytes of operating system 370
instruction paths accounted for 79.55% of operating system execution
... ECPS getting 10 times speedup:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/94.html#21
trivia2: i86 makers did something similar to ECPS in mid-90s ... where
hardware layer dynamically ("on the fly") translated i86 instructions
into risc micro-ops for actual execution ... supporting out-of-order
execution and multiple executions.
1999 industry benchmarks (number program iterations compared to
industry MIPS/BIPS reference platform, not physical count of their
instructions)
IBM PowerPC 440: 1,000MIPS
Pentium3: 2,054MIPS (twice PowerPC 440)
2010 (same) benchmarks (compared to industry MIPS/BIPS) reference
platform)
z196, 80 cores, 50BIPS, 625MIPS/core
E5-2600, 2 Intel XEON, 8-core chips, 16 cores, 500BIPS, 32BIPS/core
801/risc, iliad, romp, rios, pc/rt, rs/6000, power, power/pc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#801
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Remember when discussions were worth reading?
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Remember when discussions were worth reading?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:00:55 -1000
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Time-Sharing_System
people went to the 5th flr and MULTICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
others went to the 4th flr and IBM Cambridge Science Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Scientific_Center
CTSS RUNOFF
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TYPSET_and_RUNOFF
was redone for CMS as "SCRIPT"
One of the 1969 GML (GML tag processing added to SCRIPT, later morphs
into SGML and HTML) inventors, CSC had originally hired to promote the
Scientific Center wide-area network;
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for the
project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my knowledge
of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the staffs of the
various scientific centers to make use of the CP-67-based Wide Area
Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
which becomes RSCs/VNET, used for the internal corporate network (larger
than arpanet/internet from just about the beginning until sometimed
mid/late 80s about the time forced to convert SNA/VTAM) ... also used
for the corporate sponsored univ. BITNET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BITNET
... CSC CP/67 was precursor to VM370. Edson was responsible for CP67
wide-area network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which paved
the way to the Internet as we know it today.
... snip ...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
2nd half 70s, Ed and I transfer out to SJR on the west coast and I get
to wander around IBM mainframe datacenters in silicon valley
... including TYMSHARE
TYMSHARE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tymshare
in Aug1976, started offering their (IBM mainframe) VM370/CMS-based
computer conferencing, free to the (user group) SHARE organization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHARE_(computing)
archives here:
http://vm.marist.edu/~vmshare
I cut a deal with TYMSHARE for a monthly tape dump of all VMSHARE files
for puting up on the internal network and systems. Late 70s and early
80s, I'm also blamed for online computer conferencing on the internal
network. It really took off spring 1981 when I distributed trip report
to visit Jim Gray at Tandem. We packaged up six copies of 300 pages in
Tandem 3-ring binders and set them to corperate executive committee
(folklore is that 5of6 wanted to fire me).
Early 80s, I got "HSDT", T1 and faster computer links (terrestrial and
satellite) and battles with the communication group (60s had 2701 that
supported T1 links, 70s issues with VTAM capped controllers at
56kbits). Funding was predicated on being able to show some IBM content,
was able to find FSD S/1 T1 Zirpel cards (for gov. agency 2701s that
were failing). Also working with NSF director and was suppose to get
$20M to interconnect the NSF supercomputer centers. Then congress cuts
the budget, some other things happened and eventually there was RFP
released (in part based on what we already had running). NSF 28Mar1986
Preliminary Announcement
https://web.archive.org/web/20250428194307/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers Program
to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program to foster
new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and the Networking
Program to build a National Supercomputer Access Network - NSFnet.
...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director tried
to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director to IBM
Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research, copying IBM
CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that just made the
internal politics worse (as did claims that what we already had
operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid), as regional
networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone, precursor to
modern internet.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
online computer conferencing posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#cmc
commercial online (virtual machine) service posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#online
hsdt posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Publication
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Publication
Date: 07 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
When I graduate, I join IBM Cambridge Scientific Center (instead of
staying with Boeing CFO). Late 70s, I transfer out to SJR on the west
coast and get to wander around IBM (and non-IBM) datacenters in
silicon valley, including disk bldg14 (engineering) and bldg15
(product test) across the street. They were running, 7x24,
pre-scheduled, stand-alone testing and mentioned they had recently
tried MVS (but it had 15min MTBF in that environment, requiring
re-ipl). I offer to rewrite I/O supervisor making it bullet-proof and
never fail, allowing any amount of on-demand concurrent testing,
greatly improving productivity.
Not for external release, I write an (internal) research report on the
I/O Reliability Enhancement work and happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down
the wrath of the MVS organization on my head (was in told in part,
that there was no way I would get any kind of award for the work,
given the MVS organization opposition).
I write a number of additional publications that were being handled by
the senior San Jose GPD publication editor ... he said that research
management was constantly requiring additional document editing.
In late 70s and early 80s, I had been blamed for online computer
conferencing on the internal network. It really took off the spring of
1981 when I distribute trip report of visit to Jim Gray at
Tandem. Only about 300 directly participated but claims 25,000 were
reading. We printed six copies of 300 pages with executive summary and
summary of the summary, packaged in Tandem 3-ring binders and sent to
the corporate executive committee (folklore is that 5of6 wanted to
fire me). Nearly decade later, the senior GPD publication editor was
retiring and cleaning out his files and sent working copies of all my
draft research reports (that he could never get approved for
publication).
posts getting to play disk engineer in bldgs 14&15
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
online computer conferencing posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#cmc
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Unbundling and HONE
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Unbundling and HONE
Date: 08 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
IBM 23jun1969 unbundling announce started to charge for (application)
software (managed to make case kernel software was still free), SE
services, maint, etc. SE training used to include part of SE group
onsite at customers, but IBM couldn't figure out how not to charge for
trainee SEs onsite. HONE was the result, multiple CP67 datacenters
around the US, that branch office people could dial-in (2741s) and
practice with guest operating systems running in virtual
machines (after joining IBM, one of my hobbies was enhanced
production operating systems for internal datacenters and HONE was one
of the first and long time customer).
CSC also ports APL\360 to CMS as CMS\APL (included API that allowed
invoking system services like file i/o) and HONE started offering
(CP67) CMS\APL-based online sales&marketing support applications
... which came to dominate all HONE activity (guest operating system
practice just withered away). HONE migrated to VM370/CMS and all US
HONE datacenters were consolidated in Palo Alto (trivia: when FACEBOOK
1st moves into silicon valley, it was into new bldg built next door to
the former US HONE datacenter), while other HONE datacenters were
starting to sprout up all over the world (HONE becoming the largest
APL use in the world).
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
23jun1969 unbundling announce posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#unbundle
HONE (& APL) posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM 370/125
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM 370/125
Date: 09 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I got con'ed into designing and implementing 5-processor 370/125 (same
time Endicott had me doing ECPS for 138&148). 115/125 had
9-position memory bus. 115 had all microprocessors the same (emulated
controllers and microprocessor with 370 microcode clocked at
80KIPS). 125 was the same, but the 370 microprocessor was 50% faster
(clocked at 120KIPS) than the other microprocessors. The 125
multiprocessor version would have two to five microprocessors with 370
microcode.
Then Endicott complained that the 5-CPU 125 would overlap the 148 and
escalated to corporate (I had to attend and argue both sides) and the
multiprocessor 125 got canceled. I was then talked into helping with
the 16-CPU 370 (and we con the 3033 processor engineers into working
on it in their spare time, a lot more interesting than remapping 168
logic to 20% faster chips).
A few yrs later, one the IBMers I worked with had left and was working
for Apple on the Cray machine. It had a large, high-performance
graphics display on Cray channel and programmed to emulate Apple
display. He could simulate screen resolution, screen update time,
system response, etc.
5-CPU 370/125 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#bounce
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared-memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
some recent posts mentioning both 16-CPU 370 and 138/148 ECPS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#54 VM4341 Cluster Supercomputing and Departmental Distributed
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#4 IBM Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#92 CP/67 and VM/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#71 IBM 3033
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#25 Amdahl Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#10 4341, cluster supercomputing, distributed computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#62 IBM Mainframe Projects
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#61 Amdahl Leaves IBM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#49 IBM And Amdahl Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#118 IBM 168 And Other History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#58 IBM Downturn, Downfall, Breakup
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#46 POK High-End and Endicott Mid-range
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#43 Multics vs Unix
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#112 Dataprocessing Innovation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#129 IBM 4300
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
NSF Supercomputer and Network
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: NSF Supercomputer and Network
Date: 12 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I had HSDT effort (t1 and faster computer links, both terrestrial and
satellite) starting in the early 80s and was working with NSF director
and suppose to get $20M to interconnect the NSF supercomputer
centers. UCB/Berkeley was suppose to get grant for NSF supercomputer
center and I was asked to give presentations at UCB about the
interconnect. Turns out UC Regents building plan had San Diego getting
the next new building ... and it became the San Diego Supercomputer
center (since the NSF grant went to UC system, NSF didn't actually
have any direct control over which campus it was used for), operated
by General Atomics.
Then congress cuts the budget, some other things happened and
eventually there was RFP released (in part based on what we already
had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary Announcement
https://web.archive.org/web/20250428194307/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet.
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
some posts mentioning HSDT, NSFNET, NSF supercomputer, regents, UCB,
UCSD
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#73 Early Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#73 IBM 2250 Hypertext Editing System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#51 IBM Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021g.html#61 IBM HSDT & HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019e.html#88 5 milestones that created the internet, 50 years after the first network message
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
NSF Supercomputer and Network
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: NSF Supercomputer and Network
Date: 13 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#17 NSF Supercomputer and Network
There was internal IBM projects that had done mainframe TCP/IP in
VS/Pascal (IBM Los Gatos lab was using Metaware's TWS for various VLSI
projects and had used it for mainframe Pascal). The communication
group was fighting the mainframe TCP/IP release. When they lost, they
said that since they had corporate responsibility for everything that
crossed datacenter walls, it had to be released through them. What
shipped got aggregate 44kbytes/sec using nearly whole 3090
processor. I then added RFC1044 support and in some tuning tests at
Cray Research between Cray and IBM 4341 (slightly more than one MIPs,
competed with DEC VAX in mid-range market), got sustained 4341 channel
throughput using modest amount of 4341 CPU (something like 500 times
more bytes moved per instruction executed).
RFC1044 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044
Internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
1988, IBM Branch Office asked if I could help LLNL with standardizing
some serial stuff they were playing, which quickly becomes
fibre-channel standard (FCS, including some stuff I had done in 1980,
initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbytes/sec). Same
time, was also asked to help SLAC/Gustavson with SCI standard (Data
General and Sequent did 64 4-i486 boards, 256 processor SCI
NUMA). After leaving IBM did some consulting for Steve Chen (had done
Cray YMP), who was then Sequent CTO (before IBM bought it and shut it
down).
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
Also 1988, got HA/6000 project, initially for NYTimes to move their
newspaper system (ATEX) off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000, I rename it
HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix. Ported LLNL's UNICOS LINCS and
NCAR's filesystem (spun off as Mesa Archival) to HA/CMP.
IBM S/88 (relogo'ed Stratus) Product Administrator started taking us
around to their customers and also had me write a section for the
corporate continuous availability strategy document (it gets pulled
when both AS400/Rochester and mainframe/POK complain they couldn't
meet requirements). Had coined disaster survivability and
geographic survivability (as counter to disaster/recovery) when out
marketing HA/CMP. One of the visits to 1-800 bellcore development
showed that S/88 would use a century of downtime in one software
upgrade, while HA/CMP had a couple extra "nines" (compared to S/88).
One of the first HA/CMP customer installs was new Indian Reservation
Casino in Connecticut, was suppose to have week of testing before
opening ... but after 24hrs, they decided to open the doors (based on
projected revenue; at the time was largest in the US, still one of the
largest in the country)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxwoods_Resort_Casino#Debt_default
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
some posts mentioning mainframe tcp/ip, pascal, metware tws, los gatos
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#114 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#114 Disconnect Between Coursework And Real-World Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#70 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#8 Niklaus Wirth 15feb1934 - 1jan2024
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#68 Assembler & non-Assembler For System Programming
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#98 Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#40 Mainframe Development Language
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#6 "In Defense of ALGOL"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022f.html#13 COBOL and tricks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021c.html#95 What's Fortran?!?!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017e.html#24 [CM] What was your first home computer?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015g.html#52 [Poll] Computing favorities
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013m.html#36 Quote on Slashdot.org
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013l.html#59 Teletypewriter Model 33
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010n.html#54 PL/I vs. Pascal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009l.html#36 Old-school programming techniques you probably don't miss
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#77 CLIs and GUIs
some posts mentioning SCI, Sequent, Steve Chen, NUMA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#7 SCI, FCS, HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#90 Mainframe Processor and I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#54 RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#91 Stanford SLAC (and BAYBUNCH)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#16 A brief overview of IBM's new 7 nm Telum mainframe CPU
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#32 Cluster Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018d.html#57 tablets and desktops was Has Microsoft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017c.html#49 The ICL 2900
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014.html#71 the suckage of MS-DOS, was Re: 'Free Unix!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013n.html#50 'Free Unix!': The world-changing proclamation made30yearsagotoday
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013h.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012p.html#13 AMC proposes 1980s computer TV series Halt & Catch Fire
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010i.html#61 IBM to announce new MF's this year
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
NSF Supercomputer and Network
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: NSF Supercomputer and Network
Date: 14 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#17 NSF Supercomputer and Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#18 NSF Supercomputer and Network
2nd half 70s, I transfer out to IBM SJR on the west coast and get to
wander around datacenters in silicon valley, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test. They were doing 7x24,
prescheduled, stand-alone testing and mentioned that they had recently
tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that environment, require manual
re-ipl). I offer to rewrite I/O supervisor making it bullet proof and
never fail, allowing any amount of on-demand, concurrent testing,
greatly improving productivity.
Bldg15 then gets 1st engineering 3033 outside POK processor
engineering. Testing was only taking percent or two of CPU, so we
scrounge up 3830 controller and 3330 string for our own private online
service. Then summer 1978, bldg15 gets an engineering 4341 (a year
before 1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears about it and
cons me into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for national lab that
was looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm (4341 benchmarked
about same as decade old 6600, but 70, sort of the leading edge of the
coming cluster supercomputer tsunami).
A decade of VAX sales, sliced and diced by model, year, us/non-us
https://web.archive.org/web/20260305143949/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#0
4300s sold in similar numbers as VAX into mid-range market for small
unit orders. Big difference was large corporations with orders of
hundreds of VM4300s at a time, for placing out in departmental areas
(sort of the leading edge of the coming distributed computing
tsunami). Inside IBM conference rooms were becoming scarce, so many
being converted to departmental/distributed computing.
posts getting to play disk engineer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
ACP/TPF
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: ACP/TPF
Date: 16 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
3081 was going to be multiprocessor only, 2-CPU 3081D had smaller
aggregate MIPs than 1-CPU Amdahl. IBM then doubles 3081 processor
cache sizes for 2-CPU 3081K, bringing aggregate MIPS up to about the
same as Amdahl 1-CPU. However ACP/TPF didn't have shared-memory
multiprocessor support, only supported 1-CPU system ... and IBM was
concerned that the whole ACP/TPF market would move to Amdahl 1-CPU
systems. Then some very unnatural things done to VM/370 to improve
ACP/TPF throughput running in 1-CPU virtual machine .... however it
degraded the system throughput by 10-15% for nearly every other
customer VM370 multiprocessor system. Eventually IBM did 3083 (for
ACP/TPF) where one 3081 CPU was removed (but it never matched Amdahl
1-CPU systems). I got brought into some number of these other
customers (but IBM wouldn't allow me to regress the VM370
multiprocessor changes for ACP/TPF).
Later in 80s, my wife did short stint as chief architect for Amadeus
(built off the old Eastern 370/195 "System One"). However she sided
with Europe about X.25 and the IBM communication group got her
replaced. It didn't do them much good, Europe went with X.25 anyway
and the communication group replacement was replaced.
Mid-90s (after leaving IBM), I was brought into the largest airline
res system to look at the 10 impossible things they couldn't do. They
started with "ROUTES" (represented about 25% of the workload and took
about 1/4 of organization people). Walked me through the impossible
things and I got softcopy of full OAG (all commercial scheduled flts
in the world). I went away and after a couple weeks had a C-language
RS/6000 that implemented existing ROUTE function that ran about 100
times faster. I then added support for the impossible things ... which
slowed it down to about ten times faster ... and took it back and let
them test it. Benchmarks showed a cluster of ten RS6000/990s would be
able to handle every ROUTE transaction for every scheduled airline in
the world (and reduce "ROUTES" support head count from around 800 to
about 40).
trivia: less than decade later cellphone (XSCALE) processor had more
MIPS than aggregate of the ten 990s.
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
a few posts mentioning doing work on ACP/TPF "ROUTES"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#59 Mainframe, Workstation, Cellphone CPU
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#45 STL Channel Extender
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#55 IBM ACP/TPF
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#92 IBM TPF
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#90 Has anybody worked on SABRE for American Airlines
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#74 MVS/TSO and VM370/CMS Interactive Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#96 Mainframe Assembler
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#77 IBM ACP/TPF
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#76 IBM ITPS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016.html#58 Man Versus System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015f.html#5 Can you have a robust IT system that needs experts to run it?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
Date: 17 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I had done CMSBACK in 1979 ... 1st used in SJR (before move up the
hill to Almaden) and then in US Consolidated (IBM branch office
marketing&sales support) HONE datacenters up in Palo Alto (one of my
hobbies after joining IBM was enhanced production operating systems
for internal datacenters and HONE was one of the 1st and long time
customer) then some number other IBM locations. After my initial
internal release, I worked with SJR coworker ... who left IBM and did
VMBACKUP release 2 in 1982 for VM Software. Later in the 80s, some of
the Almaden people added PC and workstation clients and it was
released as WDSF (workstation datasave facility), which morphed into
ADSM and then TSM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Tivoli_Storage_Manager
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Tivoli_Storage_Manager#History
TSM descended from a project done at IBM's Almaden Research Center
around 1988 to back up VM/CMS systems. The first product that emerged
was Workstation Data Save Facility (WDSF). WDSF's original purpose was
to back up PC/DOS, OS/2, and AIX workstation data onto a VM/CMS (and
later MVS) server. WDSF morphed into ADSTAR Distributed Storage
Manager (ADSM) and was re-branded Tivoli Storage Manager in 1999.
...
IBM's GPD was rebranded as ADSTAR as part of reorganizing IBM into the
13 "baby blues" in prepartion for breaking up the company (1992, IBM
had one of the largest losses in the history of US companies).
https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977353-1,00.html
we had already left IBM but get a call from the bowels of Armonk
asking if we could help with the breakup of the company. Before we get
started, the board brings in the former Amex president for CEO to try
and save the company, who (somewhat) reverses the breakup and uses
some of the same techniques used at RJR (gone 404, but lives on at
wayback)
https://web.archive.org/web/20181019074906/http://www.ibmemployee.com/RetirementHeist.shtml
While former president of Amex reverses the original breakup, much of
the hardware portion of ADSTAR was sold off ... and much of ADSTAR
software was transferred to other IBM organizations.
Early 80s, I got HSDT project (and responsibility for CMSBACK was
transferred to other SJR people), T1 and faster computer links
(terrestrial and satellite) and battles with the communication group
(60s had 2701 that supported T1 links, 70s issues with VTAM capped
controllers at 56kbits). Also working with NSF director and was
suppose to get $20M to interconnect the NSF supercomputer centers. NSF
was giving a grant to UC for Berkeley Supercomputer Center and I was
asked to give UCB presentations on the interconnect. However the UC
Regents had UCSD getting the next new bldg and it becomes the San
Diego Supercomputer Center instead (NSF had no control).
Then congress cuts the budget, some other things happened and
eventually there was RFP released (in part based on what we already
had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary Announcement
https://web.archive.org/web/20250428194307/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet.
some recent posts mentioning CMSBACK:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#91 IBM AdStar
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#56 IBM CMSBACK, WDSF, ADSM, TSM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#87 IBM San Jose
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#75 IBM San Jose
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#7 IBM Tapes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#98 Mainframe Tapes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#81 Storage Management
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#104 IBM Term "DASD"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#55 IBM VM/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#85 VMworkshop.og 2022
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#32 CMSBACK & VMFPLC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021.html#26 CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
NSFNET
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: NSFNET
Date: 20 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I had taken two credit hour intro to fortran/computers. At the end of
semester, I was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in assembler for
360/30. The univ was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401
(360/30 temporarily replaced 1401 pending arrival of 360/67). The
univ. shutdown datacenter on weekends and I would have the place
dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made monday classes hard). I was
given pile of hardware&software manuals and got to design & implement
monitor, device drivers, interrupt handlers, error recovery, storage
management, etc. and within a few weeks had 2000 card assembler
program.
Within a year of taking intro class, the 360/67 arrives and I was
hired fulltime responsible for OS/360 (tss/360 never came to
production). The 709 ran student fortran jobs in under second, but
initially with os/360, they ran over a minute. I install HASP which
cuts the time in half. I then start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2, to
carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize disk arm seek and
multi-track search ... cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs; it never
got better than 709 until I install UofWaterloo WATFOR, WATFOR clocked
at 20,000 statements/min (333 statements/sec), student fortran tended
to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd
after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with
it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine
test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six
months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class
in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it
turns out that the people that were going to teach it had resigned the
Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online
spin-offs.
CP/67 had arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and
auto-terminal ident, capable switching terminal type scanner type for
each port. Univ. also had TTY33&35 and I add ASCII support
integrated with auto-terminal type. I then want to have single dial-in
number (hunt group) for all terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM had
hard-wired line speed ... so we start a clone terminal
controller. Build a IBM channel interface board for Interdata/3
programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition for
auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface and
cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business
Turn of century, toured datacenter that had descendant of our
Interdata box, that was handling nearly all payment card POS terminal
dial-up east of the Mississippi.
Before I graduate, I was hired fulltime into very small group in the
Boeing CFO office to help with the formation of Boeing Computer
Services (consolidate all dataprocessing into independent business
unit). I think Renton datacenter was possibly largest in the world,
360/65s arriving faster than they could be installed, boxes constantly
staged in the hallways around the machine room (and lonely 360/75,
black rope around perimeter, black velvet dropped and guards at
perimeter when running classified). I was given mid-management badge
so I could park in lots newer to bldgs. Lots of politics between
Renton director and Boeing CFO, who only had a 360/30 up at Boeing
Field for payroll, although they enlarge the room for a 360/67 for me
to play with when I wasn't doing other stuff. When I graduate, I join
IBM Cambridge Scientific Center (instead of staying w/Boeing CFO).
CSC co-worker was responsible for the Science Center wide-area
network, which morphs into the corporate network (larger than
arpanet/internet from beginning until sometime mid/late 80s (about the
time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM) and technology also used
for corporate sponsored univ. BITNET. Account by one of the CSC
inventors of GML in 1969 (decade later morphs into ISO standard SGML
and after another decade morphs into HTML at CERN):
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
Edson was responsible for CP67 wide-area network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
... snip ...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
Also early 80s, I got HSDT project, T1 and faster computer links (both
terrestrial and satellite) and battles with SNA group (60s, IBM had
2701 supporting T1, 70s with SNA/VTAM and issues, links were capped at
56kbit ... and I had to mostly resort to non-IBM hardware, did find
the FSD Series/1 T1 Zirpel card for gov. agencies with failing
2701s). Also was working with NSF director and was suppose to get $20M
to interconnect the NSF Supercomputer centers. NSF gives grant to UC
for Berkeley Supercomputer Center and I'm asked to give them
presentations on the interconnect. However, UC Regents plan for next
new bldg was for UCSD and it becomes the San Diego Supercomputer
Center instead, run by General Atomics (NSF didn't have control).
Then congress cuts the budget, some other things happened and
eventually there was RFP released (in part based on what we already
had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary Announcement:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250428194307/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
... snip ...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet. Note RFP had called for T1 links,
however winning bid put in PC/RTs each with 440kbit/sec link ... then
to make it look something like T1, they put in T1 trunks with telco
multiplexors running multiple 440kbit/sec links over T1 trunks.
Mid-80s, communication group was fighting off mainframe TCP/IP
support. When they lost, the said that since they had corporate
responsibility for everything that crossed datacenter walls, it had to
be released through them. What shipped got aggregate 44kbytes/sec
using nearly whole 3090 CPU. I then add RFC1044 and in some tuning
tests at Cray Research between Cray and 4341, got sustained 4341
channel throughput using only modest amount of 4341 CPU (something
like 500 times improvement in bytes moved per instruction executed).
1988, branch office asks if I could help SLAC/Gustavson with SCI
standard (various uses including shared memory multiprocessor, up to
64 cache consistency, some efforts Data General and Sequent 64 4-i486
boards (256 processors), Convex 64 2-HP-snake boards (128 processor),
SGI 64 4-MIPS boards, etc),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Coherent_Interface
https://www.scizzl.com/
After leaving IBM in the 90s, do some consulting for Steve Chen (had
done YMP at Cray) who was Sequent CTO (before IBM bought it and shut
it down).
I was also on Chessin's XTP Technical Advisory Board and since there
was heavy participation by several gov agencies, we take it as
High-Speed Protocol to ANSI x3s3.3 (ISO chartered standards body) for
level 3&4. Initially saw acceptance but then was told that ISO
required standards work *ONLY* on protocol that conformed to OSI
Model. XTP/HSP didn't because 1) supported internetworking, level that
didn't exist in OSI, 2) skipped level 3/4 interface going directly to
LAN MAC, 3) supported LAN MAC which doesn't exist in OSI.
There was request for NSFNET upgrade to T3. The executive running the
IBM response asked me to be "red team" (possibly thought it would
shutdown my criticism) and 20 people from half dozen labs around the
world, the "blue team". At the review, I presented 1st and then the
"blue team". Ten minutes into the "blue team" presentation, the
executive pounded on the table and said he would lay down in front of
a garbage truck before he would allow my presentation go forward (we
and few others get up and walk out).
Also 1988, IBM branch office asks if I could help LLNL with
standardize some serial stuff they were working with, which quickly
becomes fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done
in 1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec
transfer). Then IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it
is already obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK
engineers becomes involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol
that radically reduces throughput eventually released as "FICON".
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
AWD engineer that had done much of the work for RS/6000 "SLA" (sort of
enhanced version of mainframe ESCON, but faster and full-duplex)
... problem wasn't compatible or interoperable with anything
else. Pending availability of "FCS" support, con one of the super high
performance router vendors (16 fast Ethernet, FDDI, T1 & T3,
supercomputer and IBM mainframe channel options) into adding SLA
support. Engineer then wanted to do a 800mbit SLA but talk him into
joining the FCS standards committee instead (part of objective was
RS/6000 as high-performance TCP/IP server ... leveraging the existing
SLA interface to external super high-performance router). Get some
installed in the new Almaden research bldg.
... more 1988, IBM Nick Donofrio approves HA/6000, initially for
NYTimes to move their newspaper system (ATEX) off DEC VAXCluster to
RS/6000, I rename it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing (technical/scientific) cluster scale-up with
national labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR/UCAR, etc) and commercial cluster
scale-up with RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with
VAXCluster support in same source base with UNIX. Also migrate LLNL
UNICOS "LINCS"
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f5fc/36f760a62a39e1b780b556d5817841d40fac.pdf
and NCAR "Mesa Archive" spin-off, to HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD executive
Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters by mid92
and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on HA/CMP
work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for federal
supercomputers. By end of Jan, we are told that cluster scale-up is
being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM Supercomputer (SP,
technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed to work with
anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a few months
later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news ... IBM
establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Sometime after leaving IBM, I had been brought in as consultant into
small client/server startup. Two former Oracle people (that were in
the Ellison/Hester meeting) are there responsible for something they
called "commerce server" and they wanted to do payment
transactions. The startup had also invented this technology they
called "SSL" they wanted to use. I was responsible for everything
between commerce servers (now frequently called e-commerce) and
payment networks. I then do talk: "Why Internet Isn't Business
Critical Dataprocessing" (based on processes, documentation and
software I had to do for e-commerce) that (Internet, IETF) RFC
standards editor Postel sponsored at ISI/USC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Postel
He also had me help with the periodically re-released STD1.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
RFC1044 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044
XTP/HSP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#xtphsp
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
Interop 88 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#interop88
801, risc, romp, iliad, pc/rt, rios, rs/6000, power/pc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#801
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
payment gateway posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Tandem
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Tandem
Date: 21 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I transferred out to IBM SJR on the west coast the 2nd half of 70s and
worked with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on the original SQL/Relational,
System/R. Fall of 1980, Jim Gray leaves for Tandem (palming off some
amount of stuff on me).
I was blamed for online computer conferencing late 70s and early
80s. It really took off spring of 1981 when I distributed trip report
of visit to Jim Gray at Tandem. Only about 300 directly participated,
but claims that upwards of 25,000 were reading. Six copies of 300
pages were packaged in Tandem 3-ring binders and sent to the corporate
executive committee (folklore 5of6 wanted to fire me). From IBM Jargon
(Datamation reference was in original version):
https://havantcivicsociety.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ibmjarg.pdf
Tandem Memos - n. Something constructive but hard to control; a fresh
of breath air (sic). That's another Tandem Memos. A phrase to worry
middle management. It refers to the computer-based conference (widely
distributed in 1981) in which many technical personnel expressed
dissatisfaction with the tools available to them at that time, and
also constructively criticized the way products were [are]
developed. The memos are required reading for anyone with a serious
interest in quality products. If you have not seen the memos, try
reading the November 1981 Datamation summary.
... snip ...
There was executive summary and a summary of the executive summary;
from summary of summary:
• The perception of many technical people in IBM is that the company is
rapidly heading for disaster. Furthermore, people fear that this
movement will not be appreciated until it begins more directly to
affect revenue, at which point recovery may be impossible
• Many technical people are extremely frustrated with their management
and with the way things are going in IBM. To an increasing extent,
people are reacting to this by leaving IBM. Most of the contributors
to the present discussion would prefer to stay with IBM and see the
problems rectified. However, there is increasing skepticism that
correction is possible or likely, given the apparent lack of
commitment by management to take action
• There is a widespread perception that IBM management has failed to
understand how to manage technical people and high-technology
development in an extremely competitive environment
... snip ...
There were task forces to look at online computer conferencing
resulting in official IBM forum software and approved, moderated forum
discussions. Also a researcher was paid to study how I communicated;
sat in the back of my office for nine months taking notes on how I
communicated, also got copies of all my incoming and outgoing email
and logs of all instant messages. The result was used for IBM research
reports, conference talks and papers, books and Stanford Phd (joint
with language and computer AI, Winograd was advisor on computer AI
side).
At Dec81 ACM SIGOPS meeting, Jim asks me if I can help Tandem
co-worker get their Stanford Phd. It involved global LRU page
replacements and the forces from the late 60s ACM local LRU are
lobbying to block giving Phd for anything involving global
LRU. I had lots of data on my 60s undergraduate Global LRU
work and at CSC, that run 768kbyte 360/67 (104 pageable pages after
fixed requirement) with 75-80 users. I also had lots of data from the
IBM Grenoble Science Center that had modified CP67 to conform to the
60s ACM local LRU literature (1mbyte 360/67, 155 pageable pages after
fixed requirement). CSC with 75-80 users had better response and
throughput (104 pages) than Grenoble running 35 users (similar
workloads and 155pages). For some reason, IBM executives (also)
prohibited me from responding for nearly a year (19Oct1982).
copy of old archived post with 19Oct1982 cover letter
https://web.archive.org/web/20260311153642/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email821019
original SQL/Relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
online computer conferencing posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#cmc
global LRU, paging posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#wsclock
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
MVT Storage Management Problems
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: MVT Storage Management Problems
Date: 22 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Early last decade I was asked to track down decision to add virtual
memory to all 370s. Basically MVT storage management was so bad that
region sizes had to be specified four times larger than used, limited
standard 1mbyte, 370/165 to four concurrent running regions,
insufficient to keep system busy and justified.
Running MVT in 16mbyte virtual address space (similar to running MVT
in a 360/67, CP/67 16mbyte virtual machine) allowed number of
concurrent regions to be increased by factor of four times (capped at
15 concurrent regions because of 4bit storage protect key) with little
or no paging.
Ludlow was doing the initial implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS on
360/67 (until engineering 370 with virtual memory) and I would drop by
periodically. He had a little bit of code for the 16mbyte virtual
address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was channel
programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and channels
required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for integrating
into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing virtual with
real addresses).
VS2/SVS->VS2/MVS eliminated storage protection keys to separate
"regions" and the 15 region concurrent cap ... placing them in
separate virtual address spaces. But that created a different
problem. OS/360 history was heavily built on pointer passing API. As a
result an 8mbyte "image" of MVS kernel was placed in every 16mbyte
virtual address space (leaving 8mbyte for applications). Then because
subsystems were placed in their own 16mbyte virtual address
space. Then for applications to call subsystems, they created the
1mbyte common segment area ("CSA") image in every 16mbyte virtual
address space (for passing data to and back), leaving 7mbytes for
applications. CSA space needs were proportional to concurrently
running applications and subsystems and by 3033 "CSA" exploded to 5-6
mbytes (and rename "common system area") ... leaving 2-3mbytes for
applications ... but CSA threatening to become 8mbytes (leaving zero
space for applications) .... part of desperate need to move customer
base to MVS/XA (also the retrofitting "dual-address" mode facility to
3033).
Before I graduate in the 60s, I'm hired fulltime into small group in
Boeing CFO office to help with formation of Boeing Computer Services
(consolidate all dataprocessing into independent business unit). I
think Renton, largest datacenter in the world, 360/65s arriving faster
than they could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways
around machine room (did have lone 360/75, when doing classified work;
black rope around area, guards at corners, heavy black felt covering
console lights and visible 1403 printer areas). Lots of politics
between Renton director and CFO, who only had a 360/30 up at Boeing
Field for payroll, although they enlarge the room to install 360/67
for me to play with when I wasn't doing other stuff. I had mid-level
management badge so could park in lots closer to the bldgs. 747-3 was
flying skies of Seattle getting FAA flt certification. Tours of
mock-up of 747 cabin just south of Boeing field would claim 747s
carried so many passengers, they would never be serviced with fewer
than four jetways. Both Boeing and IBM told stories that on 360
announcement day, Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing
rep, highest paid IBM employee that year. Sales were still straight
commission; IBM shifts to quota the following year.
Boeing Huntsville ordered a 2-CPU 360/67 with lots of 2250 graphic
displays for TSS/360 ... TSS/360 didn't come to production so they
configured it as two 360/65 MVT13 systems. They ran into the MVT
storage management problems (later motivating IBM adding virtual
memory to all 370s and MVT morphing into VS2) and modified MVT13 to
run in simplified virtual memory mode as countermeasure
Posts mentioning VS2, Ludlow, MVS, Common Segment Area, 3033
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#70 IBM Online Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#12 IBM Virtual Machine and Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#115 Comsat
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#105 Early Mainframe Work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#71 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#108 IBM OS/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#79 IBM System/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#24 ARM is sort of channeling the IBM 360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#77 MVT, MVS, MVS/XA & Posix support
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#26 Ferranti Atlas
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#55 CMS OS/360 Simulation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016.html#78 Mainframe Virtual Memory
Posts mentioning Boeing Huntsville, 360/67, 2250s, MVT13 and MVT storgage
management problems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#59 IBM CP67 and VM370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#48 UofM MTS and IBM CP67
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#117 SHARE, MVT, MVS, TSO
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#72 Building the System/360 Mainframe Nearly Destroyed IBM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#136 HASP, JES2, NJE, VNET/RSCS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#40 ancient OS history, ARM is sort of channeling the IBM 360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#3 Bypassing VM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#87 IBM 360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#81 MVT, MVS, MVS/XA & Posix support
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#39 Vintage Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#19 OS/360 Bloat
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#5 Vintage Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#110 CSC, HONE, 23Jun69 Unbundling, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#52 IBM Vintage 1130
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#34 IBM 360/67
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#106 IBM Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#4 Processes' memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010b.html#61 Source code for s/360 [PUBLIC]
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009r.html#43 Boeings New Dreamliner Ready For Maiden Voyage
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007m.html#60 Scholars needed to build a computer history bibliography
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004c.html#47 IBM 360 memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001m.html#55 TSS/360
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
MVS
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: MVS
Date: 25 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I had taken two credit hr intro to Fortran/Computers. At the end of
semester was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360 assembler for 360/30.
Univ was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and got 360/30
temporarily replacing 1401 pending arrival of 360/67. Univ. 360/67
arrived within year of taking intro class and I was hired fulltime
responsible for OS/360 (TSS/360 not coming to production, so ran as
360/65). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 to carefully place
datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS directory)
multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs. OS/360 never
got better than 709 until I install Univ Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65,
WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min (333 statements/sec), student
fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Before I graduate, I'm hired fulltime into small group in the Boeing
CFO office (to help with the formation of Boeing Computer Services,
consolidate all dataprocessing into independent business unit). I
think Renton datacenter largest in the world. Boeing & IBMers tell
story on day 360 was announced, Boeing walks into the IBM marketing
rep's office and gives him an order making him the highest paid
employee that year (days of straight commission, following year, IBM
deploys quota).
After I graduate, I join IBM Cambridge Science Center (instead of
staying with Boeing CFO) and one of my hobbies was enhanced production
operating systems for internal datacenters and sales&marketing
support HONE systems were one of my first (and long time) customers.
After Future System imploded in mid-70
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
I got coned into helping with a 16-CPU 370 multiprocessor effort and
we talk the 3033 processor engineers into working on it in their spare
time (a lot more interesting than mapping 168 logic to 20% faster
chips). Everybody thought it was great until somebody tells the head
of POK that it could be decades before POK's favorite son operating
system ("MVS") has (effective) 16-CPU support (POK doesn't ship 16-CPU
until after turn of century; MVS documents at the time was that MVS
2-CPU support only got 1.2-1.5 throughput of single processor
operation). Then some of us were invited to never visit POK again and
the 3033 processor engineers were directed, heads down and no
distractions (once 3033 is out the door, the 3033 processor engineers
start on trout/3090).
After being forbidden to visit POK again (although 3033 proceessor
engineers would have me sneak back in), I transfer to SJR on the west
coast get to wander around datacenters in silicon valley, including
disk bldg14 (engineering) and bldg15 (product test) across the
street. They were doing 7x24, prescheduled, stand-alone testing
(mentioned that they had recently tried "MVS", but it had 15min MTBF
in that environment, requiring manual re-ipl). I offer to rewrite I/O
supervisor making it bullet proof and never fail; supporting any
amount of on-demand concurrent testing (greatly improving
productivity). I write an (internal only) I/O Reliability Enhancement research
report and happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF bringing down the wrath of
the MVS organization on my head (perceived that they were concerned
about IBM executives would see it).
Then bldg15 get 1st engineering 3033 outside POK processor
engineering. Product test was only taking percent or two of CPU, so we
scrounge up a 3830 controller and 3330 string, setting up our own
private online service (I would frequently have dedicated for days at
a time).
1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL with standardize some
serial stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes
fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in
1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec
transfer). Then IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it
is already obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK
engineers becomes involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol
that radically reduces throughput eventually released as "FICON".
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
Also 1988, Nick Donofrio approves HA/6000, originally for NYTimes to
move their newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000
(running project out at Los Gatos lab). I rename it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix. I was planning on using FCS for
HA/CMP FCS and ported LLNL's UNICOS LINCS and NCAR's filesystem (spun
off as Mesa Archival) to HA/CMP.
IBM S/88 (relogo'ed Stratus) Product Administrator started taking us
around to their customers and also had me write a section for the
corporate continuous availability strategy document (it gets pulled
when both AS400/Rochester and mainframe/POK complain they couldn't
meet requirements). Had coined disaster survivability and
geographic survivability (as counter to disaster/recovery) when out
marketing HA/CMP. One of the visits to 1-800 bellcore development
showed that S/88 would use a century of downtime in one software
upgrade, while HA/CMP had a couple extra "nines" (compared to S/88).
One of the first HA/CMP customer installs was new Indian Reservation
Casino in Connecticut, was suppose to have week of testing before
opening ... but after 24hrs, they decided to open the doors (based on
projected revenue; at the time was largest in the US, still one of the
largest in the country)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxwoods_Resort_Casino#Debt_default
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 benchmark (number of program iterations
compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
I then asked in as consultant to small client/server startup. Two
former Oracle people (that were in the Ellison/Hester meeting) are
there responsible for something they called "commerce server" and they
wanted to do payment transactions. The startup had also invented this
technology they called "SSL" they wanted to use. I was responsible for
everything between commerce servers (now frequently called e-commerce)
and payment networks. I then do talk: "Why Internet Isn't Business
Critical Dataprocessing" (based on processes, documentation and
software I had to do for e-commerce) that (Internet, IETF) RFC
standards editor Postel sponsored at ISI/USC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Postel
He also had me help with the periodically re-released STD1.
HASP, JES2, ASP, JES3, NJI, NJE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
e-commerce gateway posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
posts mentioning CKD, DASD, multi-track search, FBA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#dasd
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
MVS
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: MVS
Date: 25 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#25 MVS
Early 80s, got HSDT, T1 and faster computer links (both terrestrial
and satellite) and battles with the communication group (60s, IBM had
2701 supporting T1, 70s with SNA/VTAM and issues, links were capped at
56kbit ... and I had to mostly resort to non-IBM hardware, did find
the FSD Series/1 T1 Zirpel card for gov. agencies with failing
2701s). First cross country T1 was between Los Gatos lab and
Clementi's
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Clementi
E&S lab in Kingston that had a whole boatload of FPS-264 systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_Point_Systems
that had 40mbyte/sec disk arrays.
Communication group was fighting off release of mainframe TCP/IP
support. When they lost they said it had to be released through them
since they had corporate ownership of everything that crossed
datacenter walls. What shipped got aggregate 44kbytes/sec using nearly
whole 3090 processor (also shipped on MVS by simulating VM370
"diagnose" instructions). I then added RFC1044 support and in some
tuning tests at Cray Research, between Cray and 4341, got sustained
4341 channel throughput using only modest amount of 4341 CPU
(something like 500 times improvement in bytes moved per instruction
executed).
Also was working with NSF director and was suppose to get $20M to
interconnect the NSF Supercomputer centers. NSF gives grant to UC for
Berkeley Supercomputer Center and I'm asked to give them presentations
on the interconnect. However, UC Regents plan for next new bldg was
for UCSD and it becomes the San Diego Supercomputer Center instead,
run by General Atomics (NSF didn't have control). Then congress cuts
the budget, some other things happened and eventually there was RFP
released (in part based on what we already had running). NSF 28Mar1986
Preliminary Announcement:
https://web.archive.org/web/20251217225848/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
... snip ...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet. Note RFP had called for T1 links,
however winning bid put in PC/RTs each with 440kbit/sec link ... then
to make it look something like T1, they put in T1 trunks with telco
multiplexors running multiple 440kbit/sec links over T1 trunks.
Early 90s, communication group hired a silicon valley contractor
directly implement TCP/IP in VTAM. What he demo'ed showed TCP running
much faster than LU6.2. He was then told that everybody "knows" that a
"proper" TCP/IP implementation is much slower than LU6.2 ... and they
would only be paying for a "proper" implementation.
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
RFC1044 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
a few posts mentioning Clementi, FPS-264 and 40mbyte/sec disk arrays
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#116 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#107 IBM San Jose Disk
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#74 Cluster Supercomputing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#37 FAA ATC, The Brawl in IBM 1964
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#114 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#54 Multics vs Unix
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#33 IBM ATM Protocol?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#31 On-demand Supercomputer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#12 IBM APPN
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#82 IBM Registered Confidential and "811"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#116 what's a mainframe, was is Vax addressing sane today
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#79 NSFNET
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#28 VMNETMAP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#85 ATT/SUN and Open System Foundation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#19 IBM Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#5 Disconnect Between Coursework And Real-World Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#68 Berkeley 10M
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#22 HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#38 RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#97 Shared Memory Feature
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#44 IBM Vintage Series/1
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#27 Ferranti Atlas
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#104 DASD, Channel and I/O long winded trivia
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#3 IBM Supercomputer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023b.html#57 Ethernet (& CAT5)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#26 Inventing the Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#57 ASCI White
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#52 IBM Personal Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#22 Telum & z16
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#79 Channel I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#69 ARPANET pioneer Jack Haverty says the internet was never finished
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#16 Channel I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#121 HSDT & Clementi's Kingston E&S lab
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#95 Latency and Throughput
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021j.html#31 IBM Downturn
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021c.html#53 IBM CEO
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#1 Will The Cloud Take Down The Mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021.html#62 Mainframe IPL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019c.html#48 IBM NUMBERS BIPOLAR'S DAYS WITH G5 CMOS MAINFRAMES
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#32 Cluster Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#109 IBM Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018b.html#47 Think you know web browsers? Take this quiz and prove it
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017j.html#92 mainframe fortran, or A Computer That Never Was: the IBM 7095
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017h.html#50 System/360--detailed engineering description (AFIPS 1964)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014b.html#4 IBM Plans Big Spending for the Cloud ($1.2B)
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
HSDT
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: HSDT
Date: 26 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
1980, STL was bursting at the seams and 300 people (& 3270
terminals) were being moved to offsite bldg with dataprocessing
service back to STL datacenter. They had tried remote 3270 support,
but found the human factors unacceptable. I then get con'ed into doing
channel-extender support so channel attached 3270 controllers were
placed at offsite bldg with no perceptible difference in human
factors.
STL had been spreading the channel-attached controllers on all
channels with 3830 disk controllers. Unattended side-effect of the
channel extender was it significantly reduced the channel busy
(interference with 3330 DASD) for same amount of 3270 terminal traffic
... increasing system throughput by 10-15%. There was then some
consideration of moving ALL 3270 channel attached controllers to
channel-extenders.
Then did something similar for a IBM FE group in Boulder being moved
to a bldg on the other side of highway. Had infrared modems on the
roofs of the two bldgs. There was complaints about weather blocking
transmissions ... but bit-error tester showed worst case was white-out
snow storm interference when people weren't able to get into the
office. The actual worst case was strong sunlight heated the bldg on
one side, tilting it just enough that the infrared beam got out of
alignment. Had to do some careful positioning to counteract strong sun
light from misaligned the signal.
Early 80s got HSDT, T1 and faster computer links (both satellite and
terrestrial) and battles with communication group (60s, IBM had 2701
that supported T1, issues with SNA in the 70s, capped controllers at
56kbit).
Then my HSDT project got custom built 3-node Ku-band satellite system
(4.5m dishes in Los Gatos and Yorktown and 7m dish in Austin) with
transponder on SBS4. Yorktown community meeting complained about
radiation from the 25watt signal. It was pointed out if they were hung
directly above dish transmission, it would be significantly less
radiation than they were currently getting from local FM radio tower
transmission.
As undergraduate at the univ. in the 60s, I did computer dynamic
adaptive resource scheduling ... so for HSDT, did dynamic adaptive
rate-based pacing ... adapting to both rate and distance/latency
(single hop sat was twice 22k miles, to/back four times. double hop
was four time 22kmiles, round-trip eight times; west/east coast, east
coast/Europe).
Also in 60s, CP67 installed at the univ (3rd after CSC & MIT
Lincoln Labs) supported 1052/2471 telecommunication unit dynamically
swapping terminal-type port scanner. Univ. had some number of
ASCII/TTY and to ASCII-type port scanner (arrived in Heathkit box). I
added ASCII/TTY terminal support. I then wanted to have single dial-in
number ("hunt group") but IBM had taken short-cut and hard-wired each
port line-speed ... so Univ starts a clone terminal controller
project. Build a IBM channel interface board for Interdata/3
programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition for
auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface and
cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business
Turn of century, toured datacenter that had descendant of our
Interdata box, that was handling nearly all payment card POS terminal
dial-up east of the Mississippi.
Co-worker at CSC (I joined after graduating) was responsible for
RSCS/VNET ... originally for CP67-based wide-area science center
network (which later morphs into corporate internal network and
technology also used for the corporate sponsored Univ BITNET). Ref by
one of the CSC inventors of GML in 1969 (decade later morphs into SGML
and after another decade morphs into HTML at CERN).
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
Edson was responsible for CP67 wide-area network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
... snip ...
Channel Extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extendeer
Dynamic adaptive resource scheduling posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#fairshare
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
Clone (plug-compatible) controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
BITNET (&/or EARN) posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
GML, SGML, HTML posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
HSDT
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: HSDT
Date: 26 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#27 HSDT
more HSDT & other trivia:
Early 80s, was having some special designed, custom hardware being
built on the other side of Pacific. Friday (before visit to see
progress), Raleigh distributes an announcement of new
telecommunication, online FORUM with the following definitions
low-speed: 9.6kbits/sec
medium-speed: 19.2kbits/sec
high-speed: 56kbits/sec
very high-speed: 1.5mbits/sec
Monday morning on conference room wall on the other side of Pacific:
low-speed: <20mbits/sec
medium-speed: 100mbits/sec
high-speed: 200mbits-300mbits/sec
very high-speed: >600mbits/sec
... snip ...
trivia: In late 70s and early 80s, I had been blamed for online
computer conferencing on the internal network. It really took off
spring of 1981 when I distributed trip report of visit to Jim Gray at
Tandem. Only about 300 directly participated, but claims that upwards
of 25,000 were reading. Six copies of 300 pages were packaged in
Tandem 3-ring binders and sent to the corporate executive committee
(folklore: 5of6 wanted to fire me). From IBM Jargon (Datamation
reference was in original version):
https://havantcivicsociety.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ibmjarg.pdf
Tandem Memos - n. Something constructive but hard to control; a fresh
of breath air (sic). That's another Tandem Memos. A phrase to worry
middle management. It refers to the computer-based conference (widely
distributed in 1981) in which many technical personnel expressed
dissatisfaction with the tools available to them at that time, and
also constructively criticized the way products were [are]
developed. The memos are required reading for anyone with a serious
interest in quality products. If you have not seen the memos, try
reading the November 1981 Datamation summary.
... snip ..
There was executive summary and a summary of the executive summary;
from summary of summary:
• The perception of many technical people in IBM is that the company is
rapidly heading for disaster. Furthermore, people fear that this
movement will not be appreciated until it begins more directly to
affect revenue, at which point recovery may be impossible
• Many technical people are extremely frustrated with their management
and with the way things are going in IBM. To an increasing extent,
people are reacting to this by leaving IBM. Most of the contributors
to the present discussion would prefer to stay with IBM and see the
problems rectified. However, there is increasing skepticism that
correction is possible or likely, given the apparent lack of
commitment by management to take action
• There is a widespread perception that IBM management has failed to
understand how to manage technical people and high-technology
development in an extremely competitive environment
... snip ...
There were task forces to look at online computer conferencing
resulting in official IBM FORUM software and approved, moderated FORUM
discussions. Also a researcher was paid to study how I communicated;
sat in the back of my office for nine months taking notes on how I
communicated (face-to-face, telephone), also got copies of all my
incoming and outgoing email and logs of all instant messages. The
result was used for IBM research reports, conference talks and papers,
books and Stanford Phd (joint with language and computer AI, Winograd
was advisor on computer AI side).
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
online computer conferencing posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#cmc
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
HSDT
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: HSDT
Date: 27 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#28 HSDT
IRMA boards should have been connected via COAX to IBM (channel
attached) 3274 controllers ... and it would be problem with IBM 3274
driving 100% channel busy?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irma_board
fix would be 3174 ... handling coax & lans?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3270#3174_controller
trivia: For PC/RT (with AT bus), AWD did their own cards including
4mbit token-ring. Then for RS/6000 with microchannel, they were told
they couldn't do their own cards but had to use the (communication
group heavily performance kneecapped) PS2 microchannel cards. The
PC/RT 4mbit T/R card had higher throughput than PS2 16mbit T/R
(microchannel) card.
Mid-80s, communication group was fighting release of mainframe TCP/IP
support. When they lost, they said that since they have corporate
responsibility for everything that crossed datacenter walls, it had to
be released through them. What shipped got aggregate 44kbytes/sec
throughput using nearly full 3090 processor. I then add RFC1044
support and in some tuning tests at Cray Research between Cray and
4341, got sustained 4341 channel throughput using only modest amount
of 4341 processor (something like 500 times improvement in bytes moved
per instruction executed).
New Almaden bldg was heavily provisioned with IBM (twisted pair)
wiring presuming 16mbit T/R ... but found 10mbit Ethernet had lower
latency and higher aggregate LAN throughput (than 16mbit T/R). Also
$69 10mbit Ethernet cards had higher card throughput than $800 PS2
(microchannel) 16mbit token-ring cards.
1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL with standardize some
serial stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes
fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in
1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec
transfer). Then IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it
is already obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec.
Then some IBM POK engineers becomes involved with FCS and define a
heavy-weight protocol that radically reduces throughput eventually
released as "FICON". Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196
"Peak I/O" getting 2M IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the
same time a native FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting
over million IOPS (two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON
running over FCS). Note IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors
that do actual I/O) CPU be kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no
CKD DASD have been made for decades (just simulated with industry
standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
AWD engineer that had done much of the work for RS/6000 "SLA" (sort of
enhanced version of mainframe ESCON, but faster and full-duplex, more
like aggregate >40mbytes/sec) ... problem wasn't compatible or
interoperable with anything else. Pending availability of "FCS"
support, con one of the super high performance router vendors (16 fast
Ethernet, FDDI, T1 & T3, supercomputer and IBM mainframe channel
options) into adding SLA support. Engineer then wanted to do a 800mbit
SLA but talk him into joining the FCS standards committee instead
(part of objective was RS/6000 as high-performance TCP/IP server
... leveraging the existing SLA interface to external super
high-performance router). Get some installed in the new Almaden
research bldg
801/risc, iliad, romp, rios, pc/rt, rs/6000, power, power/pc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#801
RFC1044 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044
FCS &/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
SQL Server
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: SQL Server
Date: 29 Aug, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I transferred out to IBM SJR on the west coast the 2nd half of 70s and
worked with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on the original SQL/Relational,
System/R. Fall of 1980, Jim Gray leaves for Tandem (palming off some
amount of stuff on me). Opposition from the next great DBMS, EAGLE
product possibly accounted for difficulty shipping RDBMS. While the
company was preoccupied with EAGLE, was able to do tech transfer to
Endicott for SQL/DS product. Then when EAGLE imploded, there was
request for how fast could System/R be ported to "MVS", which was
eventually released as "DB2", originally for "decision support" only.
HA/6000 was approved 1988, originally for NYTimes to move their
newspaper system ("ATEX") from DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I rename it
HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix.
Spent some amount of time with Epstein (at Sybase). Epstein had left
the UCB Relational Ingres for Britain-Lee as Chief Scientist ... which
was doing fast DBMS disk controller (offloading much of DBMS
processing to the controller). One of their biggest customers was
large government agency that was also a long-time CP67 (and then
VM370) customer. When Epstein leaves for Teradata, Britain-Lee was
trying to hire Epstein's replacement from the System/R group and the
person that agreed to go, tried to strong-arm me into going with
him. Note Epstein later leaves Teradata to found Sybase (would license
Sybase to Microsoft for SQL Server).
IBM Toronto lab was working on "Shelby" RDBMS for OS2 (but had few
production features, portability, cluster scaleup, etc that were
needed for HA/CMP) ... eventually renamed DB2 also.
Early Jan1992 had meeting with Oracle CEO, where AWD Hester tells
Ellison that we would have 16-system (RS/6000) clusters by mid92 and
128-system clusters by ye92. Late, Jan1992 was told that cluster
scaleup was being moved to Kingston (for announce as SP, IBM
Supercomputer, technical/scientific only) and we weren't allowed to
work on anything with more than four systems in cluster (we leave IBM
a few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld
news ... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 benchmark (number of program iterations
compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
trivia: Jim left Tandem (& DEC) and eventually shows up as head of
m'soft San Francisco research lab ... he then cons me into
interviewing in Redmond for chief security architect ... but we
couldn't agree on what needed to be done.
System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
a few old "SQL Server" posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#42 Systems Network Architecture
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#29 IBM Recruiting
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016f.html#2 IBM DASD RAS discussion
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013o.html#44 the suckage of MS-DOS, was Re: 'Free Unix!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010g.html#33 SQL Server replacement
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000e.html#49 How did Oracle get started?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Punch Cards
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Punch Cards
Date: 01 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I was taking a 2hr intro to fortran/computers, student keypunch room
had something like 15-20 026s and a 407 setup to print card decks. At
the end of the semester was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360
assembler for 360/30. The univ was getting 360/67 replacing 709/1401
for tss/360, 360/30 temporarily replaced 1401 pending arrival of
360/67. Univ. shutdown datacenter on weekends and I had whole place
dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made monday classes difficult). I
was given pile of hardware and software manuals and got to design and
implement my own monitor, device drivers, interrupt handlers, error
recovery, storage management, etc. and after a few weeks had nearly
full tray of (2000) cards. Sometimes come in and production had
finished early and place was dark with everything shut off and
couldn't power up 360/30. Trial and error learned to put the
controllers in CE-mode, power on 360/30, power on controllers and then
take controllers out of CE-mode.
The 360/67 arrived within a year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 not coming to
production). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 (partial tray) to
carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS
directory) multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than 709 until I install Univ
Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at 20,000 cards/min
(333cards/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine, precursor to vm370)
CP/67 (3rd after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to
play with it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months
rewriting pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Source
was in OS/360 files which had to be modified, assembled, mark txt deck
and merge it into a tray of txt decks (that was CP67 executable). BPS
loader IPL the tray of TXT decks which then writes core image to disk,
for ipl'ing the system.
Bare machine test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU
534secs). After a few months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to
113secs. I then start rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic
adaptive resource manager/default fair share scheduling policy),
paging, adding ordered seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page
transfer channel programs (from FIFO and optimized for
transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging drum from 70-80 4k
transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270).
Six months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week
class in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the
class, it turns out that the people that were going to teach it had
resigned the Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 online
commercial spin-offs.
Before I graduate, I'm hired fulltime into small group in Boeing CFO
office to help with formation of Boeing Computer Services (consolidate
all dataprocessing into independent business unit). I think Renton,
largest datacenter in the world, 360/65s arriving faster than they
could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways around machine
room (did have lone 360/75, when doing classified work; black rope
around area, guards at corners, heavy black felt covering console
lights and visible 1403 printer areas).
Lots of politics between Renton director and CFO, who only had a
360/30 up at Boeing Field for payroll, although they enlarge the room
to install 360/67 for me to play with when I wasn't doing other
stuff. I had mid-level management badge so could park in lots closer
to the bldgs. 747-3 was flying skies of Seattle getting FAA flt
certification. Tours of mock-up of 747 cabin just south of Boeing
field would claim 747s carried so many passengers, they would never be
serviced with fewer than four jetways.
Both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement day, Boeing
submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest paid IBM
employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM shifts
to quota the following year.
some recent posts mentionin 709 1401 mpio fortran watfor cp/67
csc boeing cfo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#22 NSFNET
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#78 Early CSC (& CP67/CMS)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#73 IBM System/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#70 IBM Online Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#14 Bad Responsee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#4 IBM Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#98 IBM 360&370 Experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#91 CP/67 and VM/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#83 Touch Type, Typewriters, Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#82 IBM DASD, CKD, FBA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#78 IBM OS Debugging
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#67 Early Mainframe work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#59 IBM CP67 and VM370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#28 360 Channel
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#24 IBM 360, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#104 Early Mainframe Work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#74 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#57 IBM 360/30 and other 360s
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#112 Mainframe and Cloud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#99 IBM Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#15 MVT/HASP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#115 IBM VNET/RSCS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#64 IBM Vintage Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#55 Univ, 360/67, OS/360, Boeing, Boyd
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#91 IBM Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#17 60s Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#110 360/65 and 360/67
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#88 SHARE User Group Meeting October 1968 Film Restoration, IBM 360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#69 The joy of FORTH (not)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#20 IBM 360/30, 360/65, 360/67 Work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#103 IBM 360/40, 360/50, 360/65, 360/67, 360/75
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#76 Some work before IBM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#15 360&370 Unix (and other history)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#97 IBM 360 Announce 7Apr1964
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#63 Computers and Boyd
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#60 Vintage Selectric
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#44 Mainframe Career
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#64 Computing Career
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#34 IBM 360/67
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#106 DASD, Channel and I/O long winded trivia
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#88 545tech sq, 3rd, 4th, & 5th flrs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#32 IBM 370/195
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#82 Dataprocessing Career
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#73 Dataprocessing 48hr shift
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#31 IBM OS/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022e.html#95 Enhanced Production Operating Systems II
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#12 Programming Skills
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
MIT CTSS/7094, MULTICS, UNIX, Virtual Machines
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: MIT CTSS/7094, MULTICS, UNIX, Virtual Machines
Date: 02 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094 went to the 5th flr to do MULTICS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
Due to its many novel and valuable ideas, Multics has had a
significant influence on computer science despite its faults.[7] Its
most lasting effect on the computer industry was to inspire the
creation of Unix, which carried forward many Multics features, but was
able to run on less expensive hardware. Unix was developed at Bell to
allow their Multics team to continue their research using smaller
machines, first a PDP-7 and ultimately the PDP-11.
... snip ...
Others went to the IBM Cambridge Scientific Center on the 4th flr and
did virtual machines (wanted 360/50 to modify with virtual memory but
all the extra were going to FAA ATC, so had to settle for 360/40 to
modify and did CP40/CMS, which morphs into CP67/CMS when 360/67
standard with virtual memory became available, precursor to
VM370/CMS).
CTSS RUNOFF was rewritten for CMS as SCRIPT. Then GML was invented at
CSC in 1969 and GML tag processing was added to SCRIPT (decade later
morphs into SGML, and after another decade morphs into HTML at CERN)
MIT CTSS /7094 TYPSET, RUNOFF
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TYPSET_and_RUNOFF
The origin of IBM's SCRIPT software began in 1968 when IBM contracted
Stuart Madnick of MIT to write a simple document preparation tool[7]
for CP/67,[8] which he modelled on MIT's CTSS RUNOFF.[9]
... snip ...
CTSS/7094 email
https://www.multicians.org/thvv/anhc-34-1-anec.html
History of Electronic Mail
https://www.multicians.org/thvv/mail-history.html
IBM CP/CMS had electronic mail as early as 1966, and was widely used
within IBM in the 1970s. Eventually this facility evolved into the
PROFS product (more like spinoff) in the 1980s.
... snip ...
CSC co-worker responsible for the CP67-based wide-area network (morphs
into the internal corporate network, larger than arpanet/internet from
the beginning until sometime mid/late 80s about time forced to convert
to SNA/VTAM) ... comment by one of the 1969 GML inventors:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
Edson was responsible for CP67 wide-area network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
... snip ...
Technology also used for the corporate sponsored Univ. BITNET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BITNET
IBM 4300 sold in same mid-range market as VAX and in about the same
numbers for single or small unit orders. Big difference starting in
early 80s was large corporations ordering hundreds of 4300s at a time
for distributing out in departmental areas (inside IBM conference
rooms became scarce so many converted to VM/4300 rooms). Old archive
post with a decade of VAX orders sliced and diced by model, year,
US/non-US:
https://web.archive.org/web/20260305143949/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#0
Late 70s, I transferred out to SJR on the west coast, worked with Jim
Gray and Vera Watson on original SQL/Relational, System/R and also got
to wander around datacenters in silicon valley, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. At the
time, they were running 7x24, prescheduled, stand-alone testing and
mentioned that they had recently tried "MVS", but it had 15min MTBF
(in that environment). I offer to rewrite the I/O supervisor to make
it bullet proof and never fail, allowing any amount of concurrent,
on-demand testing, greatly improving productivity. Bldg15 then gets
1st engineering 3033 (outside POK processor engineering). Then summer
of 1978, bldg15 gets engineering 4341 (year before customer
ship). Jan1979, branch office hears about it and cons me into doing a
(CDC6600) Fortran benchmark for national lab looking at getting 70 for
compute farm (sort of the leading edge of the coming cluster
supercomputing tsunami).
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
GML, SGML, HTML posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
bitnet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
original SQL/relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Internet Lore
Refed: **, - **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Internet Lore
Date: 02 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Early 80s, I got "HSDT", T1 and faster computer links (terrestrial and
satellite) and battles with the communication group (60s had 2701 that
supported T1 links, 70s issues with VTAM capped controllers at
56kbits). Funding was predicated on being able to show some IBM
content, was able to find FSD S/1 T1 Zirpel cards (for gov. agency
2701s that were failing).
Also working with NSF director and was suppose to get $20M to
interconnect the NSF supercomputer centers. NSF gives grant to UC for
Berkeley Supercomputer Center and I'm asked to give them presentations
on the interconnect. However, UC Regents plan for next new bldg was
for UCSD and it becomes the San Diego Supercomputer Center instead,
run by General Atomics (NSF didn't have control). Then congress cuts
the budget, some other things happened and eventually there was RFP
released (in part based on what we already had running). NSF 28Mar1986
Preliminary Announcement:
https://web.archive.org/web/20260311074443/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet.
1988, Nick Donofrio approves HA/6000, initially for NYTimes to move
their newspaper system (ATEX) off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000, I rename
it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing (technical/scientific) cluster scale-up with
national labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR/UCAR, etc) and commercial cluster
scale-up with RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with
VAXCluster support in same source base with UNIX. Also migrate LLNL
UNICOS "LINCS"
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f5fc/36f760a62a39e1b780b556d5817841d40fac.pdf
and NCAR "Mesa Archive" spin-off, to HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD executive
Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters by mid92
and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on HA/CMP
work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for federal
supercomputers. By end of Jan, we are told that cluster scale-up is
being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM Supercomputer (SP,
technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed to work with
anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a few months
later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news ... IBM
establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
After leaving IBM was brought into small client/server startup. Two
former Oracle people (that had been in the Ellison/Hester meeting)
were there responsible for something called "commerce server" and they
wanted to be able to do payment transactions. The startup had also
invented some technology called SSL they wanted to use, the result is
now sometimes called e-commerce. I was responsible for everything
between webservers and payment networks (trivia: payment network
trouble desks had requirement that 1st level problem determination be
done within 5mins, webservers was more like 3hrs and NTF). I then did
a talk on "Why Internet Wasn't Business Critical Dataprocessing"
(based on documentation, software, processes I had do for financial
transactions); IETF RFC Editor Postel sponsored my talk at USC/ISI.
One of the CSC members was responsible for Science Center CP67-based
wide-area network; later morphs into the IBM internal network (larger
than arpanet/internet from beginning until sometime mid/late 80s when
it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM) and technology also used for the
corporate sponsored UNIV "BITNET".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BITNET
From one of the CSC co-inventers of GML (precursor to SGML & HTML) in
1969:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
...
Edson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
Edson and I transfer out to SJR on the west coast in 1977.
Growth of ARPANET appeared to be inhibited by requiring IMPs (at
Jan1983 cutover something like 100 IMPs and 255 hosts). Growth of
corporate internal network was inhibited by requirement that all links
have encryptors and gov. resistance, especially when crossed national
boundaries (1983, passed 1000 nodes). Archive post with world-wide
corporate locations that added one or more nodes during 1983:
https://web.archive.org/web/20251204205713/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006k.html#8
First webserver in US was on the SLAC (IBM) VM370
https://ahro.slac.stanford.edu/wwwslac-exhibit
https://ahro.slac.stanford.edu/wwwslac-exhibit/early-web-chronology-and-documents-1991-1994
SJR was 1st to put up (non-IBM) gateway to CSNET in Oct1982:
Date: 30 Dec 1982 14:45:34 EST (Thursday)
From: Nancy Mimno <mimno@Bbn-Unix>
Subject: Notice of TCP/IP Transition on ARPANET
To: csnet-liaisons at Udel-Relay
Cc: mimno at Bbn-Unix
Via: Bbn-Unix; 30 Dec 82 16:07-EST
Via: Udel-Relay; 30 Dec 82 13:15-PDT
Via: Rand-Relay; 30 Dec 82 16:30-EST
ARPANET Transition 1 January 1983
Possible Service Disruption
Dear Liaison,
As many of you may be aware, the ARPANET has been going through the
major transition of shifting the host-host level protocol from NCP
(Network Control Protocol/Program) to TCP-IP (Transmission Control
Protocol - Internet Protocol). These two host-host level protocols are
completely different and are incompatible. This transition has been
planned and carried out over the past several years, proceeding from
initial test implementations through parallel operation over the last
year, and culminating in a cutover to TCP-IP only 1 January 1983. DCA
and DARPA have provided substantial support for TCP-IP development
throughout this period and are committed to the cutover date.
The CSNET team has been doing all it can to facilitate its part in
this transition. The change to TCP-IP is complete for all the CSNET
host facilities that use the ARPANET: the CSNET relays at Delaware and
Rand, the CSNET Service Host and Name Server at Wisconsin, the CSNET
CIC at BBN, and the X.25 development system at Purdue. Some of these
systems have been using TCP-IP for quite a while, and therefore we
expect few problems. (Please note that we say "few", not "NO
problems"!) Mail between Phonenet sites should not be affected by the
ARPANET transition. However, mail between Phonenet sites and ARPANET
sites (other than the CSNET facilities noted above) may be disrupted.
The transition requires a major change in each of the more than 250
hosts on the ARPANET; as might be expected, not all hosts will be
ready on 1 January 1983. For CSNET, this means that disruption of mail
communication will likely result between Phonenet users and some
ARPANET users. Mail to/from some ARPANET hosts may be delayed; some
host mail service may be unreliable; some hosts may be completely
unreachable. Furthermore, for some ARPANET hosts this disruption may
last a long time, until their TCP-IP implementations are up and
working smoothly. While we cannot control the actions of ARPANET
hosts, please let us know if we can assist with problems, particularly
by clearing up any confusion. As always, we are <cic@csnet-sh> or
(617)497-2777.
Please pass this information on to your users.
Respectfully yours,
Nancy Mimno
CSNET CIC Liaison
---
Date: 02/02/83 23:49:45
To: CSNET mailing list
Subject: CSNET headers, CSNET status
You may have noticed that since ARPANET switched to TCP/IP and the new
version of software on top of it, message headers have become
ridiculously long. Some of it is because of tracing information that
has been added to facilitate error isolation and "authentication", and
some of it I think is a bug (the relay adds a 'From' and a 'Date'
header although there already are headers with that information in the
message). This usually doesn't bother people on the ARPANET because
they have smart mail reading programs that understand the headers and
only display the relevant ones. I have proposed a mail reader/sender
program that understands about ARPANET headers (RFC822) as a summer
project, so maybe we will sometime enjoy the same priviledge.
The file CSNET STATUS1 on the CSNET disk (see instructions below for
how to access it) contains some clarification of the problems that
have been experienced with the TCP/IP conversion. Here is a summary:
- Nodes that don't yet talk TCP (but the old NCP) can be accessed
through the UDel-Relay. So if you think you have problems reaching
a node because of this, append @Udel-Relay to the ARPANET
- You can find out about the status of hosts (e.g., if they run TCP or
not) by sending ANY MESSAGE to Status@UDel-Relay (capitalization is
NOT significant).
- If your messages are undeliverable, you get a notice after two days,
and your messages get returned after 4 days.
- Avoid using any of the fancy address forms allowed by the new header
format (RFC822).
- The TCP transition was a lot more trouble than the ARPANET people
had anticipated.
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
Ecommerce gateway posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway
BITNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
GML, SGML, HTML posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Cloud Computing
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Cloud Computing
Date: 03 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Time-Sharing_System
people went to the 5th flr and MULTICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
others went to the 4th flr and IBM Cambridge Science Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Scientific_Center
CSC wanted 360/50 to modify with virtual memory, but all the spare
360/50s were going to FAA ATC, so had to settle for 360/40 to modify
and did (virtual machine) CP40/CMS, which morphs into CP67/CMS when
360/67 standard with virtual memory becomes available.
As undergraduate at univ, I was hired fulltime responsible for OS/360
for 360/67 (running as 360/65, tss/360 not coming to production)
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd
after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with
it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine
test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler, (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270).
Six months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week
class in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the
class, it turns out that the people that were going to teach it had
resigned the Friday before, to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial
online spin-offs.
CSC and CSC commercial online spin-offs do a lot of CP67 automation
work in the 60s, being able to operate offshift and weekends
unattended.
Before graduation, I was hired into small group in Boeing CFO office
to help with the formation Boeing Computer Services (consolidate all
dataprocessing into independent business unit). I think Renton
datacenter largest in the world. Both Boeing and IBMers tell story
about the day IBM System/360 was announced (7Apr1964), Boeing walks in
with an order making the marketing rep, highest paid IBM employee that
year (days of straight commission, following year, IBM changes to
"quota").
Current cloud operations can have a dozen or more megadatacenters
around world, each with half million or more server blades with
enormous automation. Each megadatacenter operating with 70-80 staff.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
cloud megadatacenter posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#megadatacenter
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Cloud Computing
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Cloud Computing
Date: 04 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#34 Cloud Computing
When I graduated, I join CSC (instead of staying with Boeing CFO) and
one of my hobbies was enhanced production operating systems for
internal datacenters. One of the first (and long time) internal
customers was the online branch office sales&marketing support HONE
systems; initially several CP67 datacenters around the US. I move to
enhanced VM370 and HONE is migrated to VM370 and all the US HONE
datacenters are consolidated in Palo Alto and all the VM370 systems
are tied together into "single-system image", loosely-coupled, shared
DASD complex with load balancing across the whole operation (when
FACEBOOK 1st moves into silicon valley it is into a new bldg built
next door to the former consolidated US HONE datacenter) and country
HONE systems were sprouting up all over the world.
Large cloud operations providing online, on-demand services will have
frequently significantly provisioned for peak demand ten times avg
which can result it frequent, large idle resources. Early last decade
it was possible to use credit card at cloud megadatacenters to spin-up
large supercomputer systems (that would rank in top 40 in the world)
during low cloud demand.
High overlap between cloud megadatacenters and supercomputer
technologies.
Trivia: Second half 70s, I transferred out to SJR on the west coast,
worked with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on original SQL/Relational,
System/R and also got to wander around datacenters in silicon valley,
including disk bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the
street. At the time, they were running 7x24, prescheduled, stand-alone
testing and mentioned that they had recently tried "MVS", but it had
15min MTBF (in that environment). I offer to rewrite the I/O
supervisor to make it bullet proof and never fail, allowing any amount
of concurrent, on-demand testing, greatly improving productivity.
Bldg15 then gets 1st engineering 3033 (outside POK processor
engineering). Then summer of 1978, bldg15 gets engineering 4341 (year
before customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears about it and cons
me into doing a (CDC6600) Fortran benchmark for national lab looking
at getting 70 VM/4341s for compute farm (sort of the leading edge of
the coming cluster supercomputing tsunami).
Decade later, 1988 HA/6000 is approved, originally for NYTimes to move
their newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000 (running
project out at IBM Los Gatos lab). I rename it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) with VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix. I was planning on using FCS for
HA/CMP and ported LLNL's UNICOS LINCS and NCAR's filesystem (spun off
as Mesa Archival) to HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
original SQL/relational RDBMS, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
cloud megadatacenter posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#megadatacenter
Getting to get to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
VM/370
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: VM/370
Date: 06 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
In 1974, CERN had presented a comparison of MVS/TSO with VM370/CMS at
SHARE. The presentation was freely available outside IBM, but inside
IBM, copies were stamped "IBM Confidential - Restricted" (available on
need to know only). Some speculation it contributed to head of IBM POK
convincing corporate to kill VM370 product, shutdown the development
group and transfer all the people to POK to work on MVS/XA.
They were planning on not telling the people until the very last
moment (to minimize those that might escape into the Boston area). It
managed to leak early and several managed to escape (there was hunt to
find leak source, fortunately for me, nobody gave them up). This was
in DEC VAX/VMS infancy and joke was that head of IBM POK was major
contributor to VMS. As mentioned several times, Endicott managed to
save the VM370 product mission, but had to recreate a development
group from scratch.
Co-worker at CSC was responsible for the CP67-based scientific center
"wide-area" network (morphs into RSCS/VNET and the IBM internal
network, larger than ARPANET/Internet from the beginning until
sometime mid/late 80s; about the same time as internal network was
forced to convert to SNA/VTAM). Technology also used for the corporate
sponsored univ. BITNET.
Account by one of the CSC inventors of GML in 1969 (a decade later,
GML morphs into SGML, and after another decade morphs into HTML at
CERN):
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
Edson was responsible for CP67 wide-area network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
... snip ....
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
To allow MVS into the corporate network, a HASP/JES2 emulated driver
was done for RSCS/VNET. However HASP/JES2 was very fragile. The
original HASP network code used to have "TUCC" in cols78-81. It used
spare entries in the 255 entry pseudo device table (usually around
160-180 and HASP/JES2 would trash traffic that didn't have origin or
destination entries in local table) however the internal network had
long based 255 nodes.
Later JES2 had habit of crashing MVS when processing traffic at
different JES2 release level. Lots of code was added to the RSCS/VNET
JES2 emulated driver to recognize traffic originating from JES2 at
different release level from the directly connected JES2 destination
(and rewrite the header info). In the 80s, JES2 was enhanced to handle
999 nodes, but the internal network had already passed 1000.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internetal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
BITNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
posts mention CERN MVS/TS0-VM370/CMS analysis
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#9 CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#4 IBM Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#2 IBM 370/195
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#47 IBM Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#38 IBM CMS Applications
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#103 IBM CSC, HONE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#6 VM370 Teddy Bear
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#104 Rapid Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#59 IBM Example Programs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#37 TYMSHARE, VMSHARE, ADVENTURE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#34 IBM Internal Apps, Retain, HONE, CCDN, ITPS, Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#18 Some VM370 History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#6 SLAC and CERN
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#0 Interactive Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#90 IBM, Unix, editors
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#16 Grace Hopper (& Ann Hardy)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#69 Fred P. Brooks, 1931-2022
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#56 Stanford SLAC (and BAYBUNCH)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#60 VM/370 Turns 50 2Aug2022
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010q.html#34 VMSHARE Archives
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Lynn Conway
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Lynn Conway
Date: 09 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
wasn't aware, until other prior references here on facebook
Lynn Conway, 1938-2024: The Computer Architect Who Helped to
Revolutionize Digital IC Design
https://www.eejournal.com/article/lynn-conway-1938-2024-the-computer-architect-who-helped-to-revolutionize-digital-ic-design/
Lynn Conway
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Conway
In Memoriam: Lynn Conway (1938-2024)
https://computerhistory.org/blog/in-memoriam-lynn-conway-1938-2024/
... I had transferred out to San Jose Research in 1977 and in early
80s, the Los Gatos lab also let me have part of a wing out there with
the VLSI group (and I never encountered any reference) ... but ACS had
been killed in 1969 (before I graduated and joined IBM, folklore was
executives felt it would advance the state-of-art too fast and loose
control of the market) and Amdahl left IBM:
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html
trivia: shortly after joining IBM at the Cambridge Scientific Center,
the 370/195 group cons me into helping with hyperthreading the
machine. 195 had pipelining and out of order execution, but
conditional branches drained the pipeline and most codes only ran at
half rated speed. Two instruction streams (??) could keep execution
units busy. Then it was canceled when decision was made to add virtual
memory to all 370s, and it was decided it would be too hard to
retrofit virtual memory to 195.
Hyperthreading 195 wouldn't have worked very well, it needed MVT 2-CPU
multiprocessor support which had very high overhead and wouldn't
achieve anything close to two times throughput.
... then there is this (having dealt a lot with TYMSHARE): Ann Hardy
https://medium.com/chmcore/someone-elses-computer-the-prehistory-of-cloud-computing-bca25645f89
Ann Hardy is a crucial figure in the story of Tymshare and
time-sharing. She began programming in the 1950s, developing software
for the IBM Stretch supercomputer. Frustrated at the lack of
opportunity and pay inequality for women at IBM -- at one point she
discovered she was paid less than half of what the lowest-paid man
reporting to her was paid -- Hardy left to study at the University of
California, Berkeley, and then joined the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory in 1962. At the lab, one of her projects involved an early
and surprisingly successful time-sharing operating system.
Ann Hardy at Computer History Museum
https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102717167
Ann rose up to become Vice President of the Integrated Systems
Division at Tymshare, from 1976 to 1984, which did online airline
reservations, home banking, and other applications. When Tymshare was
acquired by McDonnell-Douglas in 1984, Ann's position as a female VP
became untenable, and was eased out of the company by being encouraged
to spin out Gnosis, a secure, capabilities-based operating system
developed at Tymshare. Ann founded Key Logic, with funding from Gene
Amdahl, which produced KeyKOS, based on Gnosis, for IBM and Amdahl
mainframes. After closing Key Logic, Ann became a consultant, leading
to her cofounding Agorics with members of Ted Nelson's Xanadu project
... snip ...
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
past posts mentioning Lynn Conway
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021d.html#35 April 7, 1964: IBM Bets Big on System/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#57 Unsung innovators: 10 people who shaped the computer industry
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003j.html#18 why doesn't processor reordering instructions affect most
a few past posts mentioning Ann Hardy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#56 Tymshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#75 Prodigy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#11 TYMSHARE, Engelbart, Ann Hardy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#1 TYMSHARE Dialup
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#78 Other Silicon Valley
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#47 E-commerce
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#25 Tymshare & Ann Hardy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#62 IBM Jargon
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#12 Tymshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#9 Tymshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#37 Online Forums and Information
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#16 Grace Hopper (& Ann Hardy)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#97 Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023b.html#35 When Computer Coding Was a 'Woman's' Job
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Reliability, Availability, Serviceability
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Reliability, Availability, Serviceability
Date: 11 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I got coned into helping with a 16-CPU 370 multiprocessor effort and
we talk the 3033 processor engineers into working on it in their spare
time (a lot more interesting than remapping 168 logic to 20% faster
chips). Everybody thought it was great until somebody tells the head
of POK that it could be decades before POK's favorite son operating
system ("MVS") has (effective) 16-CPU support (POK doesn't ship 16-CPU
system until after turn of century; IBM documents at the time was that
MVS 2-CPU support only got 1.2-1.5 throughput of single processor
operation). Then some of us were invited to never visit POK again and
the 3033 processor engineers were directed, heads down and no
distractions (once 3033 is out the door, the 3033 processor engineers
start on trout/3090).
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to SJR on
the west coast and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on the
original SQL/Relational implementation, System/R (some resistance from
the STL next great DBMS "EAGLE"). Was able to do tech transfer to
Endicott ("under the radar" while company was preoccupied by "EAGLE")
for SQL/DS. Then when "EAGLE" imploded was asked how fast could it be
ported to MVS, eventually released as DB2, originally for "decision
support" *ONLY*.
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test, across the street. At the
time they were doing pre-scheduled, around the clock stand-alone
testing. They mentioned that recently had tried MVS, but it had 15min
MTBF (in that environment). I offered to rewrite I/O Supervisor to
make it bullet-proof and never fail, allowing any amount of
concurrent, on-demand testing, greatly improving productivity. I then
write an internal I/O Reliability Enhancement research report and
happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS
organization on my head.
Fall 1980 Jim Gray leaves for Tandem, palming off some amount of stuff
on me. At Tandem, Jim does studies of service uptime, finding the
hardware was starting to get more reliable and downtime was starting
to shift to things like environmental (power, floods, earthquakes,
etc), people mistakes, etc.
1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL standardize some serial
stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes fibre-channel
standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in 1980, initially
1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec transfer). Then
IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it is already
obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK engineers becomes
involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol that radically
reduces throughput eventually released as "FICON".
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
Also 1988 HA/6000 is approved, originally for NYTimes to move their
newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I rename it
HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix (I do distributed lock manager
with VAXCluster semantics to ease the RDBMS ports).
The IBM Toronto lab was doing a "portable" RDBMS ("SHELBY")
implementation for OS2 ... but it was quite simple (including no
cluster support).
IBM S/88 (relogo'ed Stratus) Product Administrator started taking us
around to their customers and also had me write a section for the
corporate continuous availability strategy document (it gets pulled
when both AS400/Rochester and mainframe/POK complain they couldn't
meet requirements). Had coined disaster survivability and
geographic survivability (as counter to disaster/recovery) when out
marketing HA/CMP.
One of the first HA/CMP customer installs was new Indian Reservation
Casino in Connecticut, was suppose to have week of testing before
opening ... but after 24hrs, they decided to open the doors (based on
projected revenue; at the time was largest in the US, still one of the
largest in the country)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxwoods_Resort_Casino#Debt_default
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 benchmark (number of program iterations
compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
The executive we had reported to goes over to head up Somerset/AIM
(Apple, IBM, Motorola) to do single chip 801, uses Motorola 88K
cache&bus enabling multiprocessor configurations.
In the 70s, my (future) wife had been in the Gburg JES group and one
of the catchers for ASP/JES3 and co-author of JESUS (all the features
of JES2&JES3 that the respective customers couldn't live w/o). She is
then con'ed into going to POK to be in charge of loosely-coupled
architecture (Peer-Coupled Shared Data). She didn't remain long, 1)
periodic battles with communication group trying to force her into
using SNA/VTAM for loosely-coupled operation and 2) little uptake
(until much later with SYSPLEX and Parallel SYSPLEX) except for IMS
"hot-standby" (she has story asking Vern who he would ask permissions
to do "hot-standby" and he says nobody, he would just tell them when
it was all done).
https://www.vcwatts.org/ibm_story.html
Before and after leaving IBM, the person at NYFED responsible for
FEDWIRE liked us to stop by and talk technology. He attributed FEDWIRE
100% (IMS hot-standby) availability for over a decade to
1) automated operator and 2) three redundant hot-standby IMS
systems at two physically separated locations.
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
original sql/relational System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
HASP/JES2, ASP/JES3, and/or NJI/NJE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
Peer-Coupled Shared Data architecture posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#shareddata
some posts mentioning IMS hot-standby & FEDWIRE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#44 IBM Loosely-coupled and Hot Standby
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#105 Financial/ATM Processing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#72 Vintage RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#20 Telum & z16
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#19 A brief overview of IBM's new 7 nm Telum mainframe CPU
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021c.html#39 WA State frets about Boeing brain drain, but it's already happening
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#72 IMS Stories
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#6 NASA unplugs their last mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012.html#67 Has anyone successfully migrated off mainframes?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011n.html#3 Banks Face Ongoing Cyber Threats
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009r.html#20 70 Years of ATM Innovation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008p.html#5 Privacy, Identity theft, account fraud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008o.html#76 Blinkenlights
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2026 14:12:05 -1000
Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> writes:
trivia: old archived post with decade of VAX/VMS numbers ... VM/4341s
sold in approx. same numbers in single or small unit numbers ... big
difference were the large orders for hundreds of VM/4341 at a time.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#0
Sad to say, garlic.com seems to have broken your link here.
https://web.archive.org/web/20260310072508/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#0
works for now. Your post archive links are extremely valuable, and I
hope you can get your archive back on the live web — and maybe license
it under a Creative Commons license so that it's clearly legal for
people to archive.
... PCs & PC browser seem to work ... it seems to be mostly cellphone
and tablet for which it has disappeared.
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2026 14:13:35 -1000
Jeroen Belleman <jeroen@nospam.please> writes:
Where did Lynn's article come from?
the CERN/MVS/VM370 comparison reference came from being there
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#36
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2026 14:47:44 -1000
Jeroen Belleman <jeroen@nospam.please> writes:
When I started at CERN in 1981, the principal computer
system was an IBM 360. We used WYLBUR for the editing
environment, with exec files for simple things and batch
processing with JCL for the more serious work.
It was clumsy, but I didn't know any better at the time.
trivia: WYLBUR original came from stanford's virtual memory
system done for 360/67 ... Univ of Michigan had done MTS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Terminal_System
and Stanford had done ORVYL
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORVYL_and_WYLBUR
... later WYLBUR was ported to MVS
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people had gone to 5th flr to do
multics. Others went to the IBM Scientific Center on the 4th flr and did
virtual machines (CP40/CMS morphs into CP67/CMS before morphing
into VM370/CMS). CMS SCRIPT (redone CTSS RUNOFF) was done for CP67/CMS in
1968. Then some CSC co-workers invented GML in 1969 and GML tag
processing was added to SCRIPT. After a decade, GML morphs into ISO
standard SGML and after another decade morphs into HTML at CERN.
Also account by one of the GML inventors ... original hired to promote
CP67-based scientific center wide-area network
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for the
project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my knowledge
of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the staffs of the
various scientific centers to make use of the CP-67-based Wide Area
Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
CSC wide-area network morphs into the internal corporate network (larger
than arpanet/internet from the beginning until sometime mid/late 80s
... about the time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM). Technology was
also used for the corporate sponsored univ BITNET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BITNET
Edson (responsible for science center wide area entwork)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which paved
the way to the Internet as we know it today.
...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
Ed and I transfer out to SJR on the west coast in 1977 ... and I work
with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on original SQL/relational, System/R. Was
able to do technology transfer ("under the radar while company was
pre-occupied with next great new DBMS "EAGLE") to Endicott for SQL/DS.
Then when "EAGLE" implodes, there was request for how fast could
System/R be ported to MVS, eventually released as DB2 (originally for
decision support *ONLY*).
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
GML, SGML, HTML posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
internal network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
original SQL/Relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
Also TYMSHARE provides the IBM Mainframe user group, "SHARE" with its
VM370/CMS-based online computer conferencing system for free in AUG1976.
I cut a deal with TYMSHARE to get a monthly tape dump of all VMSHARE
files for putting up on internal network and systems (biggest problem
were the lawyers over exposing internal employees to unfiltered customer
information). archives here:
http://vm.marist.edu/~vmshare
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers, alt.sys.pdp8
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:12:56 -1000
Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> writes:
I've never programmed the PDP-8, but, as I understand it, its 7-bit
address field in the 12-bit instruction format effectively divides the
4096-word address space into 128-word "pages". An 8th bit specifies
which page the address field is interpreted relative to: either a
6502-like zero page, or the current page. So, in effect, you have two
5-bit "base registers": one hardwired to 00000, and the other one that's
the high 5 bits of the program counter. (Later PDP-8s extended the
address bus to the left and needed additional registers to select which
12-bit memory space you were running in.)
OS/360 compilers generated TXT decks that had RLD (relocation directory)
unresolved addresses for other programs that were being loaded in one
large group (their "ESD" entry, the ID of program being referenced and
displacement within the program). The "loader" would resolve the "fixed"
desired addresses (from combination of ESD and displacement) before execution.
CP67/CMS adopted OS/360 compilers (and later VM370/CMS the OS/370
compilers).
By comparison TSS/360 kept an external map for each virtual address
space .... where its programs were loaded. Issue was initially virtual
address space was 16 1mbyte virtual address segments. Somebody might 1st
load the fortran compiler into its segment one and somebody else might
have first loaded something else into segment one and then also wanted
to load the ("same") fortran compiler image into its virtual address
space.
The OS/360 paradigm wouldn't support it ... it needed either
1) a different copy of the fortran compiler image loaded, if it was to
run at different address or
2) had a predefined location for every application in the system (in
order to have virtual address space to have a single shared application
image). With only 16 shared segments, would only be able to have 16
locations for predefined "shared image" application copies.
position-independent code
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#adcon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:41:47 -1000
James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> writes:
It was half a century ago that I handled physical TXT card decks.
All my programs were standalone: Slap a "six-card loader" at the front of
the TXT deck, and IPL.
The source code for my programs always started with
USING *,0
Did that suppress any RLDs? Don't remember. The six-card loader ignored
RLDs anyway. Actually -- never one to overlook a pointless micro-
optimization -- I "optimized" down to a three-card loader, good enough if
the TXT deck had no REP (hexadecimal patch) cards.
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#42 position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
I had taken two credit hr intro to Fortran/Computers. At the end of
semester was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360 assembler for 360/30
(64kbyte memory and 2311s). Univ was getting 360/67 for tss/360
replacing 709/1401 (709 tape->tape, 1401 unit record frontend) and got
360/30 temporarily replacing 1401 pending arrival of 360/67.
The univ. shutdown the datacenter on weekends and I would have the place
dedicated. They gave a bunch of hardware and software manuals and I got
to design and implement my own monitor, device drivers, interrupt
handlers, storage management, error recovery, etc ... and within a few
weeks I had a 2000 card assembler program. I didn't know about rep
cards, so learned to read TXT deck cards, duplicate cards, and
multi-punch hex patches.
Univ. 360/67 arrived within year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for OS/360 (768kbte memory and 2314s; TSS/360 not
coming to production, so ran as 360/65). 709 did student fortran in less
than second. 360/67 (as 360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I
install HASP cutting time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2
to carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and
(PDS directory) multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than 709 until I install Univ Waterloo
WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min (333
statements/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine, precursor to vm370)
CP/67 (3rd after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to
play with it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months
rewriting pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Source was
in OS/360 files which had to be modified, assembled, mark txt deck and
merge it into a tray of txt decks (that was CP67 executable). BPS loader
IPL the tray of TXT decks which then writes core image to disk, for
ipl'ing the system.
Bare machine test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU
534secs). After a few months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to
113secs. I then start rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic
adaptive resource manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging,
adding ordered seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel
programs (from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301
paging drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of
270). Six months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one
week class in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the
class, it turns out that the people that were going to teach it had
resigned the Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 online
commercial spin-offs (one offered Mathematica RAMIS, when RAMIS was also
offered to TYMSHARE, they did Nomad, then some former Mathematica do
FOCUS at Information Builders)
Before I graduate, I'm hired fulltime into small group in Boeing CFO
office to help with formation of Boeing Computer Services (consolidate
all dataprocessing into independent business unit). I think Renton,
largest datacenter in the world, 360/65s arriving faster than they could
be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways around machine room
(did have lone 360/75, when doing classified work; black rope around
area, guards at corners, heavy black felt covering console lights and
visible 1403 printer areas). Lots of politics between Renton director
and CFO, who only had a 360/30 up at Boeing Field for payroll, although
they enlarge the room to install 360/67 for me to play with when I
wasn't doing other stuff. I had mid-level management badge so could park
in lots closer to the bldgs.
747-3 was flying skies of Seattle getting FAA flt certification. Tours
of mock-up of 747 cabin just south of Boeing field would claim 747s
carried so many passengers, they would never be serviced with fewer than
four jetways. Both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement
day, Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest
paid IBM employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM
shifts to quota the following year.
At Boeing I modified CP67 to support portions as pageable
kernel. Problem was adding more CSECTs (dividing pageable kernel into 4k
segments). Problem was I ran into BPS loader had 255 csect limit ...
and I was constantly doing hacks to keep the pageable kernel within 255
limit.
When I graduated, I joined CSC (instead of staying with Boeing CFO) and
one of my hobbies was enhanced production operating systems for internal
datacenters (one of the first was the branch office online
sales&marketing support HONE was one of the 1st & long time customers).
CSC had several card drawer cabinets up on the 9th flr attic ... and
prowling through them found source for BPS loader, and modified it to
double the maximem csects ... greatly simplifying pageable kernel
(wasn't released to customers, but picked up for VM370 follow-on).
Co-worker was responsible for CP67-based scientific centers wide-area
network. He had three "PUNCH" statements at front of the network
assembler source ... that punched hex for a 3card loader. This morphs
into the internal corporate network (larger than arpanet/internet from
the beginning until sometime mid/late 80s, about the time it was forced
to convert to SNA/VTAM).
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094 had gone to the 5th flr to do MULTICS and
others went to the scientific center on the 4th flr and done virtual
machines, networking, invented GML 1969 (morphs into SGML a decade
later, after another decade morphs into HTML at CERN), etc
Looking at what they were doing for MULTICS on the 5th flr, I created
page-mapped filesystem for CP67/CMS ... want to be able to just map
virtual memory addresses to pages on disk (w/o having to preload them
for the loader could modify the addresses) and support location
independent R/O shared (executable) files ... which I later migrate to
VM370/CMS.
For VM370R3, there is a very small subset released as DCSS, extending
shared segment to more than kernel supported with more than just the IPL
command.
IBM CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal CP67L, CSC/VM, SJR/VM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#cscvm
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
paged-mapped filesystem
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#mmap
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:06:05 -1000
Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> writes:
This unlikely to be related to which browser you're using, but in case
it is, I'm using Firefox 128.3.1esr for Linux.
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#39 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#40 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#41 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
firefox/nightly158 w/fedora44 ... it gives me
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/ and https://mycloud.garlic.com/~lynn
... but neither worked with tablet or cellphone.
just retried with cellphone firefox and mycloud.garlic.com worked but
not www.garlic.com. I've had discussions with garlic tech guy and he
says he had been working on getting something fixed (after recent site
revamp).
just double checked wayback machine (archive.org) which had
www.garlic.com/~lynn up until about may2026 but nothing since ... and
nothing at all for mycloud.garlic.com.
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:11:58 -1000
Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com> writes:
I wonder why there were so many CRJE systems with almost identical features:
• WYLBUR (from Stanford)
• WITS (from Waterloo)
• CRJE (IBM's official option for MVT and MVS)
... any that I have forgotten?
Of course, there was also TSO, but it was a dog, performance wise, so
none of the education places I knew would use it. I expect that the
IBM develoment sites used it to develop MVS code?
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#39 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#40 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#41 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#41 history of ASCII and IBM ratfucking, and the VAX (was Re: CMS,
CP/67 had arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and auto-terminal
ident, capable switching terminal type scanner type for each
port. Univ. also had TTY33&35 and I add ASCII support integrated with
auto-terminal type. I then want to have single dial-in number (hunt
group) for all terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM had hard-wired line
speed ... so we start a clone terminal controller. Build a IBM channel
interface board for Interdata/3 programmed to emulate IBM controller
with the addition for auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for
channel interface and cluster of Interdata/3s for port
interfaces. Interdata (and later Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone
controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business. Other trivia, when tty/ascii port scanner for
360/67, it came in "Heathkit" box.
Before leaving for Boeing. I modified HASP for MVT18, with CRJE
implementation, including editor that implemented CMS edit syntax
(environments were so different that couldn't reuse any code).
clone controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
HASP/JES2, ASP/JES3, NJI/NJE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Networking
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Networking
Date: 15 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
co-worker at the ibm cambridge scientific center was responsible for
the CP67-based scientific center wide-area network. one of the 1969
inventors of GML (after a decade morphs into SGML, after another
decade morphs into HTML at CERN) originally hired to promote the
network
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
morphs into the IBM corporate internal network (larger than
arpanet/internet from the beginning until sometime mid/late 80s
... about the time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM), technology
also used for the corporate sponsored univ BITNET (EARN in Europe)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BITNET
Edson was responsible for CP67 wide-area network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
science center posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
BITNET (& EARN) posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
some specific posts this year
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#33 Internet Lore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#29 HSDT
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#21 CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#13 Remember when discussions were worth reading?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#9 IBM Mainframe Demise
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#107 Network History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#91 IBM CEOs and IBM Downfall
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#87 ARPANET and Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#81 Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#64 More IBM Downturn and Downfall
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#37 IBM Internal Network and BITNET
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#36 IBM RS/6000 HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#28 How We Put It Together
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#27 IBM Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#26 IBM CICS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#41 Ethernet and IBM Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#32 IBM SNA
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM 370 Virtual Memory
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM 370 Virtual Memory
Date: 15 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Early last decade I was asked to track down executive decision to add
virtual memory to all 370s ... and found staff to the
executive. Basically MVT storage management was so bad, regions had to
be specified four times larger than used and typical 1mbyte 370/165
would only run four regions concurrently, insufficient to keep system
busy and justified. Going to 16mbyte virtual memory allowed concurrent
regions to be increased by factor of four times (capped at 15 because
of 4bit storage protect keys), with little or no paging.
I would drop in on Ludlow periodically who was doing the initial
implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS (sort of like running MVT in CP/67
16mbyte virtual macine) on 360/67 (until engineering 370 appeared with
virtual memory). He had a little bit of code for the 16mbyte virtual
address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was channel
programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and channels
required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for integrating
into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing virtual with
real addresses).
Initial virtual memory CP67->VM370, DOS->DOS/VS, MFT->VS1,
MVT->VS2/SVS morphing into VS2/MVS ... aka MVS gave each region its
own 16mbyte virtual address space (for protection in lieu of storage
protect key caping regions at 15 concurrent).
Downside of VS2/MVS was MVT APIs were heavily pointer passing and so
needed to map an 8mbyte image of the MVS kernel into every address
space (leaving 8mbyes). Then every subsystem went to their own 16mbyte
virtual address space and for regions passing info to/from subsystem
calls, mapped a one mbyte "Common Segment Area" (CSA) into every
virtual address space, leaving 7mbytes. Common area requirement
somewhat proportional to number of concurrent regions and subsystems
... and by 3033 common area had exploded to 5-6mbytes as Common System
Area (still "CSA", "leaving 3-2mbytes and threatening to become 8mbyte
CSA, leaving zero) .... part of the desperate need getting to MVS/XA.
"Future System" was spawned after start of 370 virtual memory effort,
was completely different from 370 and was to completely replace 370
(lack of new 370 products during FS is credited with giving the clone
370 makers, their market foothold). When FS implodes there is mad rush
to get stuff back into the 370 product pipelines, including kicking
off the quick&dirty 3033&3081 in parallel.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
CERN had done a 1974 SHARE presentation of analysis comparing
VM370/CMS with MVS/TSO, was freely available ... except inside IBM. It
was stamped "IBM Confidential - Restricted" (available on "need to
know" only). Likely part of the motivation for head of POK getting
corporate to kill the VM370 product, shutdown the development group
and transfer all the people to POK for MVS/XA. Endicott eventually
managed to acquire the VM370 product responsibility for the mid-range,
but had to recreate a development group from scratch. They weren't
planning on telling the VM370 group about shutdown and move to
minimize the number that might escape into the Boston area. It managed
to leak early and several managed to escape (it was in early infancy
of DEC VAX/VMS and joke was that head of POK was major contributor to
VMS). There was witch hunt for the leaker, fortunately for me, nobody
gave them up.
trivia: prior to graduation and joining IBM, I was hired fulltime into
small group in the Boeing CFO office to help with the formation of
Boeing Computer Services (consolidate all dataprocessing in an
independent business unit). I think Renton datacenter possibly largest
in world. IBMers and Boeing told story about S/360 announcement day,
Boeing walks into marketing rep's office and gives him order making
him the highest paid IBM employee that year (straight commission,
following year IBM deploys "quota"). When I graduate, I join IBM
science center (instead of staying with Boeing CFO).
Boeing Huntsville had ordered a 2-CPU 360/67 for TSS/360 with lots of
graphic 2250s for CAD/CAM, however TSS/360 never really came to
production. Boeing then run it as two 360/65 MVT13 systems. It ran
into the MVT storage management problems early on ... and done some
really simple mods to MVT13 to run in virtual memory mode as partial
work around.
more trivia: 23Jun1969 unbundling announce started to charge for
(application) software (but managed to make the case that kernel
software was still free). Then with the rise of clone 370 makers
(during FS) and then the FS implosion, it was decided to start
charging for kernel (system) software. Initially it would be kernel
add-ons planning on evolving to charging for all kernel software in
the 80s (followed by the OCO-wars). When I left Boeing CFO and joined
IBM scientific center, one of my hobbies was enhanced production
operating systems for internal datacenters (branch office online
sales&marketing support HONE was one of my 1st and long-time
customers). A bunch of my internal enhancements was selected to be the
initial guinea pig for kernel software charging. Before release, a
corporate specialist (steeped in MVS) evaluated and found no manual
tuning knobs. He said he wouldn't sign-off because everybody knew that
manual tuning knobs was the state of the art. I created a set of
manual tuning knobs packaged as "DMKSRM" (to ridicule MVS) and the
dynamic adaptive implementation was packaged as "DMKSTP" (after TV
commercial ... "DMK" was the code prefix for VM370 kernel). The joke
was that the dynamic adaptive DMKSTP features had more "degrees of
freedom" and could offset any DMKSRM manual setting.
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared-memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
IBM 23jun1969 unbundling posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#unbundle
dynamic adaptive resource management, "wheeler" scheduler posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#fairshare
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM 370 Virtual Memory
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM 370 Virtual Memory
Date: 16 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#47 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
After graduating and joining IBM Cambridge Scientific Center, besides
hobby of enhanced production operating systems for internal
datacenters, I would also get to continue going to SHARE and drop in
on various customers ... the director of one of the largest true blue
commercial financial datacenters liked me to drop by and talk
technology. At some point the branch manager horribly offended the
customer. In retaliation, they order an Amdahl machine (lone Amdahl in
a vast see of blue). This was during "Future System" and Amdahl was
primarily selling to technical/scientific/university ... and this
would be 1st commercial. I was asked to go onsite for a year
(apparently to help obfuscate the reason for the order). I talked it
over with the customer and was told they would like me onsite, but it
would make no difference in the Amdahl order ... and I told IBM I
declined the offer. I was then told that the branch manager was good
sailing buddy of IBM CEO and if I refused, I could forget a career,
promotions, raises.
Amdahl had won the battle to make ACS, 360 compatible ... then he left
IBM after ACS/360 was killed (folklore IBM was concerned that it would
advance state-of-the-art too fast, and IBM would loose control of the
market).
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html
In the morph of CP67->VM370, lots of features were dropped or
simplified, including multiprocessor support. I then add a bunch of
stuff back into VM370R2 for my internal CSC/VM, including kernel
re-org needed for multiprocessor support (but not the actual
multiprocessor support) and HONE moves to CSC/VM and consolidates all
it US HONE datacenters in Palo Alto with "single system image",
loosely-coupled, shared DASD with load balancing support across the
complex of 370/168s (trivia: when FACEBOOK 1st moves into Silicon
Valley, it is new bldg built next door to the former US HONE
consolidated datacenter). Then for a VM370R3-based CSC/VM, I add in
multiprocessor support, initially for US HONE, so they can add 2nd
processor to all the 168s (getting twice the throughput of single 168
CPU systems).
After FS implosion (and head of POK convincing corporate to kill
VM370), Endicott cons me into help with ECPS for 370 138/148
... migrate highest executed 6kbytes of VM370 kernel to microcode (low
& mid-range 370 microcode avg 10 native instructions for every 370
instruction) and get 10:1 speed-up. Old archived post with the initial
analysis show top 6k bytes accounted for 79.55% of VM370 execution.
https://web.archive.org/web/20260416141952/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/94.html#21
Endicott tries to get corporate to agree to installing VM370 on every
138/148 shipped, but corporate vetoes it (Endicott had done VS1/VM
handshaking, where VS1 under VM370 on 138/148 ECPS machines, runs
faster than VS1 on "bare" hardware).
I also get talked into helping with a 16-CPU 370 and we con the 3033
processor engineers into working on it in their spare time (a lot more
interesting than remapping 168 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody
thought it was great until somebody tells head of POK that it could be
decades before POK's favorite son operating system ("MVS") had
(effective) 16-CPU support (POK doesn't ship 16-CPU systems until
after the turn of the century). MVS documentation at the time had MVS
2-CPU support only getting 1.2-1.5 throughput of single CPU. Head of
POK then invites some of us to never visit POK again and tells 3033
processor engineers, "heads down and no distractions" (once 3033 was
out the door, they start on trout/3090).
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to SJR on
the west coast, worked with Jim Gray and Vera Watson on original
SQL/Relational, System/R and also got to wander around datacenters in
silicon valley, including disk bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product
test across the street. At the time, they were running 7x24,
prescheduled, stand-alone testing and mentioned that they had recently
tried "MVS", but it had 15min MTBF (in that environment, requiring
manual re-ipl). I offer to rewrite the I/O supervisor to make it
bullet proof and never fail, allowing any amount of concurrent,
on-demand testing, greatly improving productivity. Bldg15 then gets
1st engineering 3033 (outside POK processor engineering). Then summer
of 1978, bldg15 gets engineering 4341 (year before customer
ship). Jan1979, branch office hears about it and cons me into doing a
(CDC6600) Fortran benchmark for national lab looking at getting 70
VM/4341s for compute farm (sort of the leading edge of the coming
cluster supercomputing tsunami).
IBM's 3081 project was not planed to have single CPU systems, all
would be multiprocessor. The first was 2-CPU 3081D ... but its
aggregate MIPS rate was less than single CPU Amdahl. IBM then doubles
the 3081 processor cache sizes, bringing 2-CPU 3081K MIPS up to about
the same as Amdahl 1-CPU (although MVS 2-CPU throughput was more like
.6-.75 of Amdahl 1-CPU, even with same aggregate MIPS ... because of
MVS inefficient multiprocessor support).
I also get permission to give presentations on how Endicott "ECPS" was
done, at IBM user group meetings ... including monthly Stanford SLAC
sponsored "BAYBUNCH". After the meetings, Amdahl people would grill me
for more details on ECPS. They say they were currently working on
implementing "MACROCODE" hypervisor ("multiple domain") ... including
allowing running MVS/XA and MVS concurrently on the same system. I was
told, "MACROCODE" was 370-like instructions running in microcode-mode,
originally developed to quickly respond to a series of 3033-microcode
features required by MVS to run (note 3090 doesn't respond to
"multiple domain" with LPAR-PR/SM until nearly a decade later).
CSC/VM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-couplded, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
360, 370, etc microcode posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360mcode
original SQL/relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Home Terminal
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Home Terminal
Date: 16 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
I took 2hr intro to fortran/computers, at the end of the semester was
hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360 assembler for 360/30. The univ was
getting 360/67 replacing 709/1401 for tss/360, 360/30 temporarily
replaced 1401 pending arrival of 360/67 (univ shutdown datacenter on
weekends and I had it dedicated, given lots of hardware&software
manuals and got to design and implement my own monitor, device
drivers, interrupt handlers, error recovery, storage management, etc).
The 360/67 arrived within a year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 not coming to
production). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 (partial tray) to
carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS
directory) multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than 709 until I install Univ
Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min
(333statements/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then IBM CSC came out to install (virtual machine, precursor to
vm370) CP/67 (3rd after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly
get to play with it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few
months rewriting pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual
machine. Source was in OS/360 files which had to be modified,
assembled, mark txt deck and merge it into a tray of txt decks (that
was CP67 executable). BPS loader IPL the tray of TXT decks which then
writes core image to disk, for ipl'ing the system.
Bare machine test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU
534secs). After a few months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to
113secs. I then start rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler , (dynamic
adaptive resource manager/default fair share scheduling policy),
paging, adding ordered seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page
transfer channel programs (from FIFO and optimized for
transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging drum from 70-80 4k
transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six months after univ
initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class in LA. I arrive
on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it turns out that
the people that were going to teach it had resigned the Friday before
to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 online commercial spin-offs.
CP/67 had arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and
auto-terminal ident, capable switching terminal type scanner type for
each port. Univ. also had TTY33s&35s and I add ASCII support
integrated with auto-terminal type (TTY/ASCII port scanner for IBM
controller arrived in HEATHKIT box). A lot of my changes, including
TTY support, picked up and shipped by CSC. I then want to have single
dial-in number (hunt group) for all terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM
had hard-wired line speed ... so we start a clone terminal
controller. Build a IBM channel interface board for Interdata/3
programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition for
auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface and
cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) IBM
clone controller business
Before I graduate, I'm hired fulltime into small group in Boeing CFO
office to help with formation of Boeing Computer Services (consolidate
all dataprocessing into independent business unit). I think Renton,
largest datacenter in the world, 360/65s arriving faster than they
could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways around machine
room. Lots of politics between Renton director and CFO, who only had a
360/30 up at Boeing Field for payroll, although they enlarge the room
to install 360/67 for me to play with (360/67 personal computer) when
I wasn't doing other stuff. Both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360
announcement day, Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing
rep, highest paid IBM employee that year. Sales were still straight
commission; IBM shifts to quota the following year.
When I graduate, I join IBM Cambridge Science Center (instead of
staying with Boeing CFO) and eventually got a home 2741
(mar1970). trivia: some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people had gone to 5th
flr for Multics and others went to IBM CSC on the 4th flr.
HASP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
IBM Clone terminal controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Military and Defense Contractors Cyberdumb
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Military and Defense Contractors Cyberdumb
Date: 19 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
U.S. lawmakers investigate F-35 parts, including stealth canopy,
diverted to Hong Kong during shipment from Australia to United States
https://defence-industry.eu/u-s-lawmakers-investigate-f-35-parts-including-stealth-canopy-diverted-to-hong-kong-during-shipment-from-australia-to-united-states/
Assumption, much of Chinese latest fighters result from being able to
dance through our networks
https://migflug.com/afterburner/sixth-generation-fighter-programs-explained/
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/06/chinas-new-j-36-6th-generation-stealth-fighter-officially-just-broke-cover/
https://www.slashgear.com/1950354/most-advanced-chinese-fighter-jets/
https://aerocorner.com/blog/the-best-chinese-fighter-jets/
military and defense contractors cyber dumb for decade or three
The American Military Sucks at Cybersecurity; A new report from US
military watchdogs outlines hundreds of cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7xy5ky/the-american-military-sucks-at-cybersecurity
A list of the U.S. weapons designs and technologies compromised by
hackers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/a-list-of-the-us-weapons-designs-and-technologies-compromised-by-hackers/2013/05/27/a95b2b12-c483-11e2-9fe2-6ee52d0eb7c1_story.html
REPORT: Chinese Hackers Stole Plans For Dozens Of Critical US Weapons
Systems
http://www.businessinsider.com/china-hacked-us-military-weapons-systems-2013-5
Confidential report lists U.S. weapons system designs compromised by
Chinese cyberspies
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/confidential-report-lists-us-weapons-system-designs-compromised-by-chinese-cyberspies/2013/05/27/a42c3e1c-c2dd-11e2
NSA Details Chinese Cyber Theft of F-35, Military Secrets
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/nsa-details-chinese-cyber-theft-of-f-35-military-secrets/
Chinese Hackers Stole Boeing, Lockheed Military Plane Secrets: Feds
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/chinese-hackers-stole-boeing-lockheed-military-plane-secrets-feds-n153951
Let's Face It--It's the Cyber Era and We're Cyber Dumb
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/lets-face-it-its-the-cyber-era-and-were-cyber-dumb-30a00a8d29ad
Report: China gained U.S. weapons secrets using cyber espionage
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/world/asia/china-cyberespionage/
'Hack the Air Force' bug hunting challenge uncovers 120 flaws in
websites and services
https://www.zdnet.com/article/hack-the-air-force-bug-hunting-challenge-uncovers-120-flaws-in-websites-and-services/
FBI: Chinese hacker accessed gold mine of data on F-22, F-35 and 32
U.S. military projects
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/16/fbi-chinese-hacker-accessed-gold-mine-data-f-22-f-/
Software to Power F-35 Running as Much as 14 Months Late
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-29/software-to-power-f-35-running-as-much-as-14-months-late.html
NY Times: Time to Reassess Costly F-35 Program
https://web.archive.org/web/20180117101341/http://www.pogo.org/blog/2014/07/ny-times-time-to-reassess-costly-f-35-program.html
Chinese and Russian Radars On Track To See Through U.S. Stealth
http://news.usni.org/2014/07/29/chinese-russian-radars-track-see-u-s-stealth
Joint Strike Fighter
https://www.ausairpower.net/jsf.html
Assessing Joint Strike Fighter Defence Penetration Capabilities
https://ausairpower.net/APA-2009-01.html
some posts mentioning "cyberdumb"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#2 The Bunker: What the Leak Really Reveals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#90 Navy confirms video and photo of F-35 that crashed in South China Sea are real
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019d.html#42 Defense contractors aren't securing sensitive information, watchdog finds
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019b.html#69 Contractors Are Giving Away America's Military Edge
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#27 The American Military Sucks at Cybersecurity; A new report from US military watchdogs outlines hundreds of cybersecurity vulnerabilities
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#22 The American Military Sucks at Cybersecurity; A new report from US military watchdogs outlines hundreds of cybersecurity vulnerabilities
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#100 US Navy Contractors Hacked by China "More Than A Handful Of Times"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018d.html#52 Chinese Government Hackers Have Successfully Stolen Massive Amounts Of Highly Sensitive Data On U.S. Submarine Warfare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018c.html#60 11 crazy up-close photos of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet soaring through the air
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018c.html#26 DoD watchdog: Air Force failed to effectively manage F-22 modernization
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018b.html#112 How China Pushes the Limits on Military Technology Transfer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018b.html#86 Lawmakers to Military: Don't Buy Another 'Money Pit' Like F-35
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018.html#69 The Next New Military Specialty Should Be Software Developers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017j.html#44 Security Breach and Spilled Secrets Have Shaken the N.S.A. to Its Core
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017i.html#56 China's mega fortress in Djibouti could be model for its bases in Pakistan
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017i.html#51 Russian Hackers Stole NSA Data on U.S. Cyber Defense
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017g.html#78 This Afghan War Plan By The Guy Who Founded Blackwater Should Scare The Hell Out Of You
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017e.html#77 Time to sack the chief of computing in the NHS?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017e.html#73 More Cyberdumb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017e.html#50 A flaw in the design; The Internet's founders saw its promise but didn't foresee users attacking one another
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017c.html#47 WikiLeaks CIA Dump: Washington's Data Security Is a Mess
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017c.html#34 CBS News: WikiLeaks claims to release thousands of CIA documents of computer activity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017c.html#15 China's claim it has 'quantum' radar may leave $17 billion F-35 naked
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016h.html#67 "I used a real computer at home...and so will you" (Popular Science May 1967)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016h.html#28 China's spies gain valuable US defense technology: report
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016h.html#0 Snowden
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016f.html#104 How to Win the Cyberwar Against Russia
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#95 Computers anyone?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#91 Computers anyone?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#20 DEC and The Americans
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#19 Does Cybercrime Really Cost $1 Trillion?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#4 Cyberdumb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015f.html#42 No, the F-35 Can't Fight at Long Range, Either
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015f.html#34 The joy of simplicity?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015f.html#21 Credit card fraud solution coming to America...finally
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015f.html#20 Credit card fraud solution coming to America...finally
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015.html#11 NYT on Sony hacking
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014j.html#45 Is coding the new literacy?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014j.html#43 Let's Face It--It's the Cyber Era and We're Cyber Dumb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#65 New Military Gear Doesn't Have to Cost a Fortune
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#34 UN to Five Eyes nations: Your mass surveillance is breaking the law
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#28 How Comp-Sci went from passing fad to must have major
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#23 How Comp-Sci went from passing fad to must have major
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#22 How Comp-Sci went from passing fad to must have major
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#20 US No Longer Tech Leader in Military War Gear
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#12 Let's Face It--It's the Cyber Era and We're Cyber Dumb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014e.html#0 Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014d.html#47 Stolen F-35 Secrets Now Showing Up in China's Stealth Fighter
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014d.html#3 Let's Face It--It's the Cyber Era and We're Cyber Dumb
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM 3278
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM 3278
Date: 19 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Original channel attach 3272 & 3277 terminal had hardware response of
.086sec response. 1980 started showing studies improved productivity
with quarter sec response. 3278 moved a lot of electronics back into
3274 reducing 3278 manufacturing costs and increasing hardware
response (because of increased coax protocol chatter) to .3-.5sec
response (depending on amount of data). Letters complaining to 3278
product administer got response that 3278 wasn't intended for
interactive computing but data entry.
1980, I had numerous of my internal CSC/VM (& then SJR/VM) systems
with .11sec system response (.086+.11 aggregate .196sec response,
within quarter sec response requirement). MVS users rarely noticed
3277/3278 difference since their system response was rarely even one
sec.
IBM/PC 3277 emulation card would have 4-5 times the upload/download
throughput of a 3278 emulation card.
1980, STL was bursting at the seams and 300 from IMS group (and 3270s)
were being moved to offsite bldg. They had tried "remote 3270" but
found human factors totally unacceptable. I get con'ed into doing
channel-extender support so channel attached 3270 controllers can be
placed at offsite bldg (with no perceptible difference in human
factors).
STL had configured their 370 systems with 3270 controllers spread
across channels with 3330 disk I/O. Unattended consequences of
channel-extender was that it reduced channel busy (for same amount of
3270 I/O) with resulting system throughput increased 10-15%. There was
some consideration that all systems with channel-attached 3270
controllers should be configured with channel-extenders (even for
those with terminals inside STL).
Later 1988, IBM branch asks if I can help LLNL (national lab) with
standardization of some serial stuff they were working with ... which
quickly becomes fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I
had done in 1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate
200mbyte/sec, and non-blocking 64-port switch). Then IBM POK mainframe
releases some serial (when it was already obsolete) as ESCON,
initially 10mbyte/sec. Then some POK engineers become involved with
"FCS" and define a heavy-weight protocol that drastically cuts native
throughput, eventually ships as FICON.
Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M
IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native
FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS
(two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note
IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be
kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for
decades (just simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
internal CP/67l, CSC/VM, SJR/VM system posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#cscvm
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
FCS &/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
posts mentioning 3272/3277 response compared to 3274/3278 response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#11 IBM Terminal Support
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#100 IBM 360&370 Experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#9 IBM Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#47 IBM 3270 Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#47 IBM Datacenters
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#127 3270 Controllers and Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#75 IBM Mainframe Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#12 3270 Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#19 IBM Millicode
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#31 HONE, Performance Predictor, and Configurators
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#68 IBM Mainframe market was Re: Approximate reciprocals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#123 System Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#25 ARM Cortex A53 64 bit
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016.html#15 Dilbert ... oh, you must work for IBM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM CSC, HONE
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM CSC, HONE
Date: 21 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#103 IBM CSC, HONE
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people went to the 5th flr to do MULTICS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
Others went to the IBM Cambridge Scientific Center on the 4th flr and
did virtual machines (wanted 360/50 to modify with virtual memory but
all the extra were going to FAA ATC, so had to settle for 360/40 to
modify and did CP40/CMS, which morphs into CP67/CMS when 360/67
standard with virtual memory became available, precursor to
VM370/CMS).
CTSS/7094 email
https://www.multicians.org/thvv/anhc-34-1-anec.html
History of Electronic Mail
https://www.multicians.org/thvv/mail-history.html
IBM CP/CMS had electronic mail as early as 1966, and was widely used
within IBM in the 1970s. Eventually this facility evolved into the
PROFS product (more like spinoff) in the 1980s.
... snip ...
... as mentioned, PROFS group was gathering up (mostly 70s) internal
apps for packaging with menu paradigm for the less technology
proficient.
1JAN1983 was when arpanet IMPs converted to internet TCP/IP ... at the
time they had approx. 100 IMP nodes and 255 connected hosts ... when
the IBM internal network was rapidly approaching 1000 ... old archived
post with list of IBM locations adding one or more new nodes during
1983
https://web.archive.org/web/20251204205713/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006k.html#8
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
desk paper weight 1000th node
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Usenet history
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Usenet history
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:16:38 -1000
Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
Anybody remember CoSy, from the 1980s? From the University of Guelph?
BYTE magazine were using it for their online forums.
Aug1976, TYMSHARE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tymshare
start offering their VM370/CMS-based computer conferencing system free
to the IBM mainframe users group, SHARE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHARE_(computing)
archives here:
http://vm.marist.edu/~vmshare
I had cut a deal with TYMSHARE to get monthly tape dump of all VMSHARE
files for putting up on IBM internal systems and network. Later when MD
bought TYMSHARE, the SHARE organization had to come up with a way of
rehosting the service.
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Usenet history
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Usenet history
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:15:31 -1000
Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:
Aug1976, TYMSHARE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tymshare
start offering their VM370/CMS-based computer conferencing system free
to the IBM mainframe users group, SHARE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHARE_(computing)
archives here:
http://vm.marist.edu/~vmshare
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#53 Usenet History
TYMSHARE beginnings:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tymshare#Beginnings
Other TYMSHARE:
Ann Hardy
https://medium.com/chmcore/someone-elses-computer-the-prehistory-of-cloud-computing-bca25645f89
Ann Hardy is a crucial figure in the story of Tymshare and
time-sharing. She began programming in the 1950s, developing software
for the IBM Stretch supercomputer. Frustrated at the lack of opportunity
and pay inequality for women at IBM -- at one point she discovered she
was paid less than half of what the lowest-paid man reporting to her was
paid -- Hardy left to study at the University of California, Berkeley,
and then joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1962. At
the lab, one of her projects involved an early and surprisingly
successful time-sharing operating system.
Ann Hardy at Computer History Museum
https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102717167
Ann rose up to become Vice President of the Integrated Systems Division
at Tymshare, from 1976 to 1984, which did online airline reservations,
home banking, and other applications. When Tymshare was acquired by
McDonnell-Douglas in 1984, Ann's position as a female VP became
untenable, and was eased out of the company by being encouraged to spin
out Gnosis, a secure, capabilities-based operating system developed at
Tymshare. Ann founded Key Logic, with funding from Gene Amdahl, which
produced KeyKOS, based on Gnosis, for IBM and Amdahl mainframes. After
closing Key Logic, Ann became a consultant, leading to her cofounding
Agorics with members of Ted Nelson's Xanadu project
... snip ...
... trivia: 1984, I was brought in to do the evaluation of Gnosis as
part of the spin-off
GNOSIS: A Prototype Operating System for the 1990's
http://cap-lore.com/CapTheory/upenn/Gnosis/Gnosis.html
commercial CP67/VM370 online service posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#online
archived posts mentioning gnosis
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#37 Lynn Conway
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#56 Tymshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#75 Prodigy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#11 TYMSHARE, Engelbart, Ann Hardy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#1 TYMSHARE Dialup
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#78 Other Silicon Valley
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#77 Other Silicon Valley
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#47 E-commerce
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#25 Tymshare & Ann Hardy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#9 Tymshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#37 Online Forums and Information
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#16 Grace Hopper (& Ann Hardy)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#97 Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023b.html#35 When Computer Coding Was a 'Woman's' Job
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#60 Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#92 TYMSHARE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022e.html#70 IBM Chairman John Opel
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#98 Virtual Machine SIE instruction
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#92 Cobol and Jean Sammet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#45 Transaction Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021j.html#71 book review: Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021h.html#100 CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021h.html#98 CMSBACK, ADSM, TSM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021g.html#19 Big Blue's big email blues signal terminal decline - unless it learns to migrate itself
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019d.html#27 Someone Else's Computer: The Prehistory of Cloud Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019d.html#25 Rust in peace: Memory bugs in C and C++ code cause security issues so Microsoft is considering alternatives once again
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019c.html#33 IBM Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#77 Douglas Engelbart, the forgotten hero of modern computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018e.html#95 The (broken) economics of OSS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018.html#24 1963 Timesharing: A Solution to Computer Bottlenecks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017j.html#41 TYMSHARE @ CHM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017e.html#61 Typesetting
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#76 Mainframe operating systems?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#41 What are mainframes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017c.html#60 [EXTERNAL] ComputerWorld Says: Cobol plays major role in U.S. government breaches
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017b.html#59 The ICL 2900
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017.html#100 Trump to sign cyber security order
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017.html#28 {wtf} Tymshare SuperBasic Source Code
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016e.html#110 Tymshare sold to McDonnell Douglas
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016e.html#107 some computer and online history
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016d.html#12 What Would Be Your Ultimate Computer?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016.html#29 1976 vs. 2016?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015g.html#43 [Poll] Computing favorities
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015f.html#82 Miniskirts and mainframes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014i.html#53 transactions, was There Is Still Hope
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014h.html#40 Named Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014e.html#53 The mainframe turns 50, or, why the IBM System/360 launch was the dawn of enterprise IT
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014d.html#44 [CM] Ten recollections about the early WWW and Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014d.html#39 [CM] Ten recollections about the early WWW and Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014b.html#84 CPU time
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013n.html#13 Bounded pointers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013n.html#6 ACA (Obamacare) website problems--article
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013m.html#59 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013m.html#58 'Free Unix!': The world-changing proclamation made 30yearsagotoday
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#57 Doug Englebart
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#6 The Subroutine Call
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#33 Delay between idea and implementation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#55 Arthur C. Clarke Predicts the Internet, 1974
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#80 Still not convinced about the superiority of mainframe security vs distributed?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012p.html#38 There can be no System Security without System Integrity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#7 Blades versus z was Re: Turn Off Another Light - Univ. of Tennessee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#57 Blades versus z was Re: Turn Off Another Light - Univ. of Tennessee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#57 1132 printer history
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#59 Operating System, what is it?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#53 Operating System, what is it?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#43 Virtual address Memory Protection Unit
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#40 GNOSIS & KeyKOS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#39 Just a quick link to a video by the National Research Council of Canada made in 1971 on computer technology for filmmaking
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011l.html#55 Any candidates for best acronyms?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011l.html#42 i432 on Bitsavers?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011i.html#37 Happy 100th Birthday, IBM!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011e.html#35 junking CKD; was "Social Security Confronts IT Obsolescence"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011d.html#71 Multiple Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011c.html#2 Other early NSFNET backbone
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#31 Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010q.html#63 VMSHARE Archives
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010j.html#75 What is the protocal for GMT offset in SMTP (e-mail) header
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010g.html#53 Far and near pointers on the 80286 and later
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010g.html#9 Far and near pointers on the 80286 and later
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#84 Adventure - Or Colossal Cave Adventure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009f.html#28 Opinion: The top 10 operating system stinkers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009b.html#4 Possibility of malicious CPUs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008s.html#3 New machine code
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#14 Two views of Microkernels (Re: Kernels
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#23 Doug Engelbart's "Mother of All Demos"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#7 was: 1975 movie "Three Days of the Condor" tech stuff
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#12 Kernels
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#50 How does ATTACH pass address of ECB to child?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#24 folklore indeed
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007s.html#17 Oddly good news week: Google announces a Caps library for Javascript
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#25 LAX IT failure: leaps of faith don't work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007k.html#26 user level TCP implementation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006y.html#16 "The Elements of Programming Style"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006y.html#11 Multiple mappings
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#42 vmshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006s.html#7 Very slow booting and running and brain-dead OS's?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006p.html#13 What part of z/OS is the OS?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006m.html#34 PDP-1
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006k.html#37 PDP-1
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005s.html#12 Flat Query
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005k.html#30 Public disclosure of discovered vulnerabilities
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005h.html#13 Today's mainframe--anything to new?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005d.html#50 Secure design
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005d.html#43 Secure design
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005c.html#67 intel's Vanderpool and virtualization in general
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005b.html#6 [Lit.] Buffer overruns
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005.html#7 How do you say "gnus"?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004o.html#33 Integer types for 128-bit addressing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004n.html#41 Multi-processor timing issue
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004m.html#49 EAL5
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004m.html#29 Shipwrecks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004e.html#27 NSF interest in Multics security
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004c.html#4 OS Partitioning and security
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003m.html#54 Thoughts on Utility Computing?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003l.html#26 Secure OS Thoughts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003l.html#22 Secure OS Thoughts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003l.html#19 Secure OS Thoughts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003k.html#50 Slashdot: O'Reilly On The Importance Of The Mainframe Heritage
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003j.html#20 A Dark Day
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003h.html#41 Segments, capabilities, buffer overrun attacks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003g.html#18 Multiple layers of virtual address translation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002j.html#75 30th b'day
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002i.html#63 Hercules and System/390 - do we need it?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002h.html#43 IBM doing anything for 50th Anniv?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002g.html#4 markup vs wysiwyg (was: Re: learning how to use a computer)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#59 Blade architectures
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#10 TSS/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001g.html#35 Did AT&T offer Unix to Digital Equipment in the 70s?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001g.html#33 Did AT&T offer Unix to Digital Equipment in the 70s?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001b.html#73 7090 vs. 7094 etc.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000g.html#22 No more innovation? Get serious
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000f.html#69 TSS ancient history, was X86 ultimate CISC? designs)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm27.htm#63 Oddly good news week: Google announces a Caps library for Javascript
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm24.htm#16 Apple to help Microsoft with "security neutrality"?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm23.htm#54 Status of SRP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm21.htm#25 Broken SSL domain name trust model
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm17.htm#31 Payment system and security conference
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm16.htm#8 example: secure computing kernel needed
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM HASP
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM HASP
Date: 23 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Early last decade, I was asked to track down executive making decision
to add virtual memory to all 370s. Part of email exchange with
somebody that was staff to the executive
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011d.html#73
... from email exchange:
HASP (Houston Automatic Spooling Priority System) was developed for
the Houston Manned Space Center by Tom Simpson, Bob Crabtree and a
couple of others who used their experience with the Moonlight (DCS)
system. It overcame some of the horrendous design decisions that
crippled MFT (many of these were fixed in MFT II). It was released as
a type 3 program (I still have one of the source tapes, long since
changed to chocolate) and turned the OS/360 program around. At the
same time the West Region used their experience with Moonlight to
create ASP. We used the BSC-B release when I was at Ohio State in
1969. Prior to that the RJE package was awful, although they all were
due to the STR protocol. Lynn's workaround was one of the usable RJE
packages - aaaaaa's team never did get it, and produced some real
stones.
... snip ...
In 70s, Crabtree ran the gburg JES group. My future wife was one of
the ASP/JES3 catchers, she was then convinced to go to POK,
responsible for loosely-coupled architecture, and did Peer-Coupled
Shared Data architecture. She didn't remain long, 1) periodic
battles with communication group trying to force her into using
SNA/VTAM for loosely-coupled operation and 2) little uptake (until
much later with sysplex & parallel sysplex), except for IMS
hot-standby. She has story asking Vern who he would ask to get
permission to do hot-standby and he replied, nobody, he would just
tell them when it was all done.
https://www.vcwatts.org/ibm_story.html
Co-worker at the science center was responsible for the CP67-based
wide-area network that morphs into the internal corporate network
(larger than the arpanet/internet from beginning until sometime
mid/late 80s, about the time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM). A
emulated JES2 network driver was done for RSCS/VNET, but MVS/JES2
nodes had to be carefully kept at boundary edges. The original HASP
network code use to have "TUCC" in cols 68-71 and used spare entries
in the pseudo-device 255-entry table (usually around 160-180)
.... however the internal network had long passed 255 nodes (and JES2
would trash traffic where origin or destination wasn't in its table)
... just one of the operational issues with MVS/JES2 (another problem
was traffic between two MVS/JES2 at different release levels could
crash the receiving system ... whole body of VNET/RSCS emulated JES2
drivers grew up attempting to reformat JES2 traffic to match the
receiving JES2 ... to keep MVS from crashing).
HASP/JES2, ASP/JES3, NJI/NJE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
Peer-Coupled Shared Data architecture posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#shareddata
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Channel and HA/CMP
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Channel and HA/CMP
Date: 26 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL standardize some serial
stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes fibre-channel
standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in 1980, initially
1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec transfer). Then
IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it is already
obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK engineers become
involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol that radically
reduces throughput eventually released as "FICON". Latest public
benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M IOPS using 104
FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native FCS is announced
for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS (two such FCS
higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note IBM docs has
SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be kept to 70%
... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for decades (just
simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
Not long after Z196 "Peak I/O", industry press had articles that
server component vendors were shipping half their product directly to
large cloud operators (which claimed they assembled their own systems
for 1/3rd the cost of brand name systems) ... and shortly later, IBM
sells off its server blade business. At the time, IBM E5-2600 base
list price was $1815.
Also 1988, HA/6000 was approved, initially for NYTIMES to move their
newspaper system off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I then rename it
HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix (I do distributed lock manager
with VAXCluster semantics to ease the RDBMS ports).
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 industry benchmarks (number of program
iterations compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
IBM ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
IBM RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
The executive we had reported to, goes over to head up Somerset/AIM
(Apple, IBM, Motorola) to do single chip 801, uses Motorola 88K
cache&bus enabling multiprocessor configurations.
In the mid-90s, the i86 chip makers then do hardware layer that
translates i86 instructions into RISC micro-ops for actual execution,
largely negating the performance difference with RISC platforms. 1999
industry benchmarks:
IBM PowerPC 440: 1,000MIPS
Intel Pentium3 2,054MIPS
Dec2000 (IBM mainframe) benchmark:
IBM z900: 16CPU, 2.5BIPS, 156MIPS/CPU
2010 benchmarks:
IBM max-configured Z196, 80 cores: 50BIPS, 625MIPS/core
Intel E5-2600 server blade, 16 cores: 500BIPS, 31.25BIPS/core
After cluster scaleup transferred for announce as IBM supercomputer
("SP") and leaving IBM ... was brought in as consultant to small
client/server startup. Two former Oracle people (that had worked with
HA/CMP and were in the Jan92 Ellison/Hester meeting) were there
responsible for something called "commerce server" and wanted to do
payment transactions. The startup had done some technology they called
"SSL" they wanted to use, its use is now sometimes called
"e-commerce". I was responsible for everything between webservers and
payment networks. I then do talk: "Why Internet Isn't Business
Critical Dataprocessing" (based on processes, documentation and
software I had to do for e-commerce) that (Internet, IETF) RFC
standards editor Postel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Postel
sponsored at ISI/USC.
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
megadatacenter posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#megadatacenter
original SQL/relational, System/R
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
E-commerce and payment gateway posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway
a few recent posts mentioning Postel and Internet Business Critical
Dataprocessing:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#33 Internet Lore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#79 Netscape
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#34 IBM RS/6000 HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#27 IBM Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#14 Webservers and Browsers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#125 IBM Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#122 HA/CMP, HTTPS, SSL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#120 Business Critical Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#92 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#79 IBM 8100, SNA, OSI, TCP/IP, Amadeus
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#54 IBM Workstations
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#38 Amazon Explains How Its AWS Outage Took Down the Web
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#35 Linux Clusters
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#23 IBM Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#111 ARPANET, NSFNET, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#98 IBM Supercomputer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#93 IBM VM370 And Pascal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#90 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#42 IBM OS/2 & M'soft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#38 Mosaic
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#97 Open Networking with OSI
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#41 AIM, Apple, IBM, Motorola
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#32 Forget About Cloud Computing. On-Premises Is All the Rage Again
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#0 Financial Engineering
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#36 IBM ATM Protocol?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#80 The New Internet Thing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#27 IBM Unbundling, Software Source and Priced
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#25 Taligent
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#20 The New Internet Thing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#16 ARPANET And Science Center Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#97 Mainframe Integrity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#50 Architectural implications of locate mode I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#82 Inventing The Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#62 HTTP over TCP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#106 OSI: The Internet That Wasn't
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#73 Vintage IBM, RISC, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#70 HSDT, HA/CMP, NSFNET, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#33 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#71 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#38 RS/6000 Mainframe
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM A74, Mainframe Workstation
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM A74, Mainframe Workstation
Date: 28 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Date: 3 May 1985, 10:46:56 EDT
To: wheeler
Lynn,
I work for xxxxx and am involved with the software for the A74/370
workstation. xxxxx sent me a copy of a note you sent her concerning
the paging support for CP/370 on the A74. I'll fill you in on what has
been happening.
xxxxx has committed to give a demonstration of the workstation to DSD
executives on June 3. We talked to xxxxx about a month ago and he
committed (presumably with your help for paging) to do the
modifications for CP/370 to support the demo. xxxxx's people are
working with xxxxx to do CP/88. We are doing PC/GA support and are
debugging the hardware. All this is to come together on May 20 here in
Poughkeepsie for testing. Because of the tight schedule, the hardware
will not be ready until then and only two boxes will be available. In
short, we will not have a box to send to San Jose before the software
is needed.
DAT on the A74 is a full 370 implementation complete with control regs
and segment tables for 16M virtual storage. For more details, you can
contact xxxxx. I can supply more details about the software. Basically
we will only need a single user local CMS session for the demo.
Now the big question. Does this look like it is possible to do in time
for the demo? We will, of course, provide all the support we can. I
haven't talked to xxxxx since last week, so I don't know where he
stands (he is somewhere on the West Coast this week). I'll contact him
as soon as I can and ask him to get in touch with you.
... snip ... top of post, old email index
Some years before, Endicott sent me prototype of XT/370 to validate,
besides some performance enhancements, I also did various benchmarks
showing CMS had gotten somewhat bloated. They then blamed me for
slipping 1st customer ship by six months, while they upgraded the 370
memory from 384k to 512k.
Date: 88/06/22 18:51:005
To: Distribution
A74 Users:
I am happy to announce that the A74/370 processor has finally been
approved for special bid orders as the "IBM 7437 VM/SP Technical
Workstation". This approval was deliverd by Ed Kfoury, President of
SPD on Wednesday, June 8th.
Those of you who are familiar with the earlier version of the A74/370
should note that the special bid version of the unit has the following
features:
o Attachment to PS/2 Models 60, 70, and 80
o 16-bit interface to the PS/2
o 16 MB real memory with ECC
o All S/370 I/O instructions are supported
o Full VM/SP Release 5
o PER
o VM Assist
o Hardware Time of Day Clock
o Writable Control Store
o PS/2 5080 Adapter (optional)
o MYTE 3270 Emulation and Host Attach (DFT, SNA, Bisync)
o 5 to 7 times faster Transparent File Access to Host Minidisks
o CE support for field repair
The performance of the 7437 processor itself has not changed, but the
increased speed of the PS/2 and VM Assist microcode combine to deliver
better overall system throughput. When coupled with an optional 5080
adapter for the PS/2, the workstation offers exceptional processing
capability for engineering applications like CADES, CATIA, CADAM, CBDS
and GPG. Please contact Gary Smith (GSMITH at PLKSB) for more
information.
I would like to thank all of you who have helped in one way or another
to make this product available to our customers. This is an exciting
time for IBM as it shows that we are serious about our 370
customers. We now provide them with a common architecture solution for
their workstation and mainframe requirements.
... snip ... top of post, old email index
past posts mentioning A74 mainframe workstation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#66 IBM 370 Workstation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#52 IBM 370 Workstation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#93 PC370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#79 Vintage Mainframe XT/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#77 IBM Mainframe market was Re: Approximate reciprocals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#65 IBM Mainframe market was Re: Approximate reciprocals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019c.html#48 IBM NUMBERS BIPOLAR'S DAYS WITH G5 CMOS MAINFRAMES
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#12 IBM mainframe today
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018d.html#19 68k, where it went wrong
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017c.html#7 SC/MP (1977 microprocessor) architecture
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015e.html#18 June 1985 email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015d.html#71 30 yr old email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015d.html#35 Remember 3277?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015d.html#8 30 yr old email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014.html#33 Warnings for the U.S. military about innovation and the information age: The Pentagon looks like a minicomputer firm
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014.html#26 Warnings for the U.S. military about innovation and the information age: The Pentagon looks like a minicomputer firm
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013o.html#8 'Free Unix!': The world-changing proclamation made30yearsagotoday
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013l.html#31 model numbers; was re: World's worst programming environment?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013l.html#30 model numbers; was re: World's worst programming environment?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013h.html#18 "Highway Patrol" back on TV
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012p.html#8 AMC proposes 1980s computer TV series Halt & Catch Fire
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#77 zEC12, and previous generations, "why?" type question - GPU computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011m.html#64 JCL CROSS-REFERENCE Utilities (OT for Paul, Rick, and Shmuel)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011h.html#27 At least two decades back, some gurus predicted that mainframes would disappear in future and it still has not happened
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011c.html#6 Other early NSFNET backbone
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010m.html#21 Mainframe Hall of Fame (MHOF)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010f.html#8 What was the historical price of a P/390?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#36 Processes' memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#15 Processes' memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010.html#2 Happy DEC-10 Day
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008r.html#38 "True" story of the birth of the IBM PC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#41 z/VM usability
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007g.html#76 The Perfect Computer - 36 bits?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007c.html#14 How many 36-bit Unix ports in the old days?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004m.html#10 Whatever happened to IBM's VM PC software?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004m.html#8 Whatever happened to IBM's VM PC software?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004m.html#7 Whatever happened to IBM's VM PC software?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003m.html#15 IEFBR14 Problems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003h.html#40 IBM system 370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003f.html#56 ECPS:VM DISPx instructions
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002l.html#27 End of Moore's law and how it can influence job market
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002d.html#4 IBM Mainframe at home
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001i.html#51 DARPA was: Short Watson Biography
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001i.html#19 Very CISC Instuctions (Was: why the machine word size ...)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000e.html#56 Why not an IBM zSeries workstation?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000e.html#55 Why not an IBM zSeries workstation?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM SQL/Relational
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM SQL/Relational
Date: 28 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
trivia: after FS implodes,
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
I was asked to help with a 16-CPU 370 multiprocessor and we con the
3033 processor engineers into helping in their spare time (a lot more
interesting than remapping 168-3 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody
thought it was great until somebody tells head of POK that it could be
decades before POK's favorite son operating system ("MVS") had
(effective) 16-CPU support (POK doesn't ship 16-CPU system until after
turn of the century). The head of POK then invites some of us to never
visit POK again and directs 3033 processor engineers, "heads down and
no distractions".
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to San
Jose Research and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Watson
on original SQL/Relational, System/R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System_R
There was resistance from STL (now SVL), IMS, and the next great DBMS
effort, "EAGLE". Was able to do tech transfer to Endicott ("under the
radar" while company was preoccupied with "EAGLE") for SQL/DS. After
"EAGLE" implodes, there is a request for how fast can System/R be
ported to MVS, which is eventually released as DB2, originally for
decision support only. When Jim left SJR for Tandem in fall 1980, he
palmed off stuff on me (including asking that I consult for STL IMS).
My (future) wife had been in the Gburg JES group (and catcher for
ASP/JES3) and co-author of JESUS (all the features of JES2&JES3 that
the respective customers couldn't live w/o). She was then con'ed into
going to POK to be responsible for loosely-coupled architecture (where
she did Peer-Coupled Shared Data). She didn't remain long; 1)
periodic battles with the communication group trying to force her into
using SNA/VTAM for loosely-coupled operation and 2) little uptake
(until much later with SYSPLEX and Parallel SYSPLEX), except for IMS
hot-standby. She has story asking Vern who he would ask permission to
do hot-standby, he says nobody, he would just tell them when it was
all done
https://www.vcwatts.org/ibm_story.html
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. They had
been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone testing and mentioned that
recently they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that
environment). I offer to rewrite I/O Supervisor, making it bullet
proof and never fail allowing any amount of ondemand, concurrent
testing (greatly improving productivity). I then do an internal
research I/O Reliability Enhancement and happen to mention MVS 15min
MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS organization on my head.
1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL standardize some serial
stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes fibre-channel
standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in 1980, initially
1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec transfer). Then
IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it is already
obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK engineers become
involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol that radically
reduces throughput eventually released as "FICON". Latest public
benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M IOPS using 104
FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native FCS is announced
for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS (two such FCS
higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note IBM docs has
SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be kept to 70%
... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for decades (just
simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
Not long after Z196 "Peak I/O", industry press had articles that
server component vendors were shipping half their product directly to
large cloud operators (which claimed they assembled their own systems
for 1/3rd the cost of brand name systems) ... and shortly later, IBM
sells off its server blade business. At the time, IBM E5-2600 base
list price was $1815.
Also 1988, HA/6000 was approved, initially for NYTIMES to move their
newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I then rename
it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix (I do distributed lock manager
with VAXCluster semantics to ease the RDBMS ports, both Oracle and
Ingres had lots of improvement suggestions over native
VAXCluster). IBM Toronto was in the process of doing "portable" RDBMS
("SHELBY"), originally for PS2 ... but it was far from having the
necessary features required by HA/CMP.
IBM S/88 (relogo'ed Stratus) Product Administrator started taking us
around to their customers and also had me write a section for the
corporate continuous availability strategy document (it gets
pulled when both AS400/Rochester and mainframe/POK complain they
couldn't meet requirements). Had coined disaster survivability
and geographic survivability (as counter to disaster/recovery)
when out marketing HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 industry benchmarks (number of program
iterations compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
IBM ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
IBM RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
The executive we had reported to, goes over to head up Somerset/AIM
(Apple, IBM, Motorola) to do single chip 801, uses Motorola 88K
cache&bus enabling multiprocessor configurations.
In the mid-90s, the i86 chip makers then do hardware layer that
translates i86 instructions into RISC micro-ops for actual execution,
largely negating the performance difference with RISC platforms. 1999
industry benchmarks:
IBM PowerPC 440: 1,000MIPS
Intel Pentium3: 2,054MIPS
Dec2000 (IBM mainframe) benchmark:
IBM z900 16CPU: 2.5BIPS, 156MIPS/CPU
2010 benchmarks:
IBM max-configured Z196, 80 cores: 50BIPS, 625MIPS/core
Intel E5-2600 server blade, 16 cores: 500BIPS, 31.25BIPS/core
Unrelated to consulting with STL IMS group, 1980, STL (now SVL) was
bursting at the seams and 300 people (and 3270s) from IMS group were
being relocated to offsite bldg with dataprocessing service back to
STL datacenter. They had tried "remote 3270" but found human factors
were total unacceptable. STL then cons me into implementing
channel-extender support allowing channel attached 3270 controllers to
be placed in the offsite bldg with no perceivable difference in human
factors. From unintended consequences, STL had been spreading 3270
controllers across channels with 3330 disks and found that when the
3270 controllers were connected by channel-extenders, system
throughput increased 10-15% (channel-extenders had much lower real
channel busy, resulting in higher 3330 throughput, for same amount
3270 activity)
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
original SQL/relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
HASP/JES2, ASP/JES3, NJE/NJI posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
Peer-Coupled Shared Data architecture
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#shareddata
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
801/risc, iliad, romp, rios, pc/rt, rs/6000, power, power/pc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#801
FCS fibre-channel standard and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
Date: 28 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Early last decade, I was asked to track down executive decision to add
virtual memory to all 370s and found staff member that had reported to
executive making decision. Archived post with pieces of the email
exchange
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011d.html#73
Basically MVT storage management was so bad that region sizes had to
be specified four times larger than used, limited standard 1mbyte,
370/165 to four concurrent running regions, insufficient to keep
system busy and justified. Running MVT in 16mbyte virtual address
space (similar to running MVT in a 360/67, CP/67 16mbyte virtual
machine) allowed number of concurrent regions to be increased by
factor of four times (capped at 15 concurrent regions because of 4bit
storage protect key) with little or no paging.
Ludlow was doing the initial implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS on 360/67
(until engineering 370 appeared with virtual memory) and I would drop
by periodically. He had a little bit of code for the 16mbyte virtual
address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was channel
programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and channels
required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for integrating
into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing virtual with
real addresses).
Then the 370/165 group was complaining that if they had to implement
the full 370 virtual memory architecture, it would slip 370 virtual
memory announce by six months ... and decision was made to regress to
the 370/165 subset. All other systems that had done full architecture
had to reset to the 370/165 subset (and software written for full
architecture had to be redone).
To handle increasing system sizes, they need to move past the 15
region cap by 4bit storage protect key and there is VS2/MVS
follow-on. VS2/MVS gave each region a separate 16mbyte virtual address
space (to keep regions protected from other regions). However, OS/360
was heavily pointer passing API ... and so a 8mbyte image of the MVS
kernel was mapped into each virtual address space (leaving 8mbyte)
Then because each subsystem were given its own 16mbyte virtual address
space, the Common Segment Area (1mbyte CSA) was mapped into every
16mbyte virtual address (for passing region->subsystem calling
parameters), leaving 7mbytes. Then CSA space requirement was somewhat
proportional to number of concurrent regions and subsystems, and by
3033 the CSA (now Common System Area) had exploded to 5-6mbytes
(leaving regions 2-3mbytes), but threatening to become 8mbytes
(leaving zero) .... part of the mad rush to try and get to 370/XA and
MVS/XA.
Before I graduated, I had been hired fulltime into small group in
Boeing CFO office to help with formation of Boeing Computer Services
(consolidate all dataprocessing into independent business unit). I
think Renton, largest datacenter in the world, 360/65s arriving faster
than they could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways
around machine room (references to Boeing getting 360/65s like other
companies acquired keypunches). Lots of politics between Renton
director and CFO, who only had a 360/30 up at Boeing Field for
payroll, although they enlarge the room to install 360/67 for me to
play with (360/67 personal computer) when I wasn't doing other
stuff. Both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement day,
Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest paid
IBM employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM
shifts to quota the following year.
Boeing Huntsville had ordered a 2-CPU 360/67 for TSS/360 with lots of
graphic 2250s for CAD/CAM, however TSS/360 never really came to
production. Huntsville ran it as two 360/65 MVT13 systems. It ran into
the MVT storage management problems early on ... and done some really
simple mods to MVT13 to run in virtual memory mode as partial work
around (precursor to S/370 virtual memory).
Wnen I graduated, I joined IBM Cambridge Science Center (instead of
staying with Boeing CFO) ... and early on was asked to help 370/195
group "hyperthread" the machine. 195 had pipeline and out-of-order
execution, but conditional branches drained the pipeline and most code
ran at half throughput. Amdahl had previously won the battle to make
the ACS machine, 360 compatible. When ACS/360 was killed, he leaves
IBM (folklore that ACS/360 was killed because it could advance the
state of the art too fast and IBM would loose control of the
market). Hyperthread is mentioned in this article about end of ACS/360
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html
It was then decided that adding virtual memory to 370/195 wasn't
practical and new 195 efforts were canceled. "Hyperthreading" 370/195
would run two I-streams (simulating 2-CPU multiprocessor operation)
and two I-streams, each running at half throughput might keep all the
195 execution units fully busy. However fighting MVT (& later MVS)
high-overhead, 2-CPU multiprocessor system support (might not been
able to sufficiently nullify that high-overhead and achieve full
throughput).
Cambridge Scientific Center posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
Date: 29 Sep, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#59 IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people went to the 5th flr to do
MULTICS. Others went to the IBM Cambridge Science Center on the 4th
flr and did virtual machines. They wanted 360/50 to modify with
virtual memory, but all the extra 360/50s were going to FAA ATC, so
had to settle for 360/40 to modify w/virtual memory and did CP40/CMS,
which morphs into CP67/CMS when 360/67 standard with virtual memory
becomes available. Also did science center wide-area network (that
morphs into corporate internal network, larger than arpanet/internet
from beginning until sometime mid/late 80s about the time forced to
change to SNA/VTAM; technology also used for the corporate sponsored
univ BITNET), invented GML 1969 (later morphs into SGML and HTML),
lots of performance tools, etc.
After graduating and joining CSC, one of my hobbies was enhanced
production operating systems ("CP67L") for internal datacenters
(including branch office online sales&marketing support HONE
systems, was one of the first, and long time customer). With the
decision to add virtual memory to all 370s, there was also decision to
do CP67->VM370 and some of the CSC people went to the 3rd flr,
taking over the IBM Boston Programming Center for the VM370
development group.
CSC (in conjunctions with Endicott and 370/145) developed set of
updates for CP67L that provided (simulated) VM370 virtual
machines ("CP67H"). Then there were a set of CP67 updates that ran
on 370 virtual memory architecture ("CP67I"). At CSC, because there
were profs, staff, and students from Boston area institutions using
the CSC systems, CSC would run "CP67H" in a 360/67 virtual
machine (to minimize unannounced 370 virtual memory leaking). At
CSC:
CP67L ran on real 360/67
... CP67H ran in a CP67L 360/67 virtual machine
....... CP67I ran in a CP67H 370 virtual machine
CP67I was in general use (in simulated 370 virtual machine), a
year before the 1st engineering 370 (with virtual memory) was
operational ... in fact, IPL'ing CP67I on the first 370/145 with
virtual memory architecture, was test case.
As part of CP67L, CP67H, CP67I effort, the CMS Update execs were
improved to support multi-level update operation (later multi-level
update support was added to various editors). Three engineers come out
from San Jose and add 2305&3330 support to CP67I, creating CP67SJ
which was widely use on internal machines, even after VM370 was
available.
Mid-80s, Melinda
https://www.leeandmelindavarian.com/Melinda#VMHist
asked if I could send her the original exec multi-level update
implementation. I had large archive dating back to the 60s on triple
redundant tapes in the IBM Almaden Research tape library. It was
fortunate since within a few weeks, Almaden had an operation problem
mounting random tapes as scratch and I lost nearly dozen tapes,
including triple redundant CSC tape archive.
In the morph of CP67->VM370, a lot of stuff was simplified and/or
dropped (including multiprocessor support). 1974, I start adding a lot
of stuff back into VM370R2-base for my internal CSC/VM (including
kernel re-org for SMP, but not the actual SMP support). Then with
VM370R3-base, I add multiprocessor support into CSC/VM, initially for
HONE so they could upgrade all their 168 systems to 2-CPU (getting
twice throughput of 1-CPU systems). HONE trivia: All the US HONE
datacenters had been consolidated in Palo Alto ... when FACEBOOK 1st
moved into silicon valley, it was into a new bldg built next door to
the former consolidate US HONE datacenter.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
recent archived posts mentioning CP67L, CP67H, CP67I, CP67SJ, HONE,
SMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#48 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#13 IBM CP67 Multi-leavel Update
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#91 IBM VM370 And Pascal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#121 Clone 370 System Makers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#120 Microcode and Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#108 IBM 370 Virtual Storage
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#80 CP67 And Source Update
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#29 IBM 370 Virtual memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#22 370 virtual memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#12 Programming Skills
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021g.html#34 IBM Fan-fold cards
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Harvest time!
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Harvest time!
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:43:19 -1000
Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
IBM went much, much further. Remember, they pioneered the concept of
"FUD" ("Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt") to scare customers off rivals'
products, as notoriously happened with CDC. They didn't have product
superiority, but they had marketing superiority. Their products were
clunky, expensive and inflexible, as well as being outdated in many
ways, but they still dominated the market (at least for mainframes)
because "nobody got fired for buying IBM".
Amdahl won the battle to make ACS, 360 compatible ... and he left when
it was killed (folklore that they were afraid ACS/360 would advance
the state of art too fast and IBM woould loose control of the market).
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html
above list most aggregate MIPS was 360/65 at 23%, univac 1108 2nd at
14% and CDC 6600 3rd at 10%
About the same time, I was undergraduate and hired fulltime into small
group in Boeing CFO office to help with the formation of Boeing
Computer Service (consolidate all dataprocessing into independent
business unit). I think Renton datacenter largest in the world.
360/65s arriving faster than they could be installed (boxes constantly
staged in hallways around the machine room) ... comments that Boeing
was ordering 360/65s like other companies ordered keypunch
machines. Both IBM and Boeing told story that day 360 was announced
(7Apr1964), Boeing walks in with order making the IBM marketing rep
highest paid IBM employee that year (still straight commission,
following year IBM moves to quota). When I graduate, I join the IBM
Cambridge Scientific Center (instead of staying with Boeing CFO).
In 1st part of 70s, IBM has "Future System" project. During "FS",
internal politics was killing off 370 efforts and the lack of new 370s
is credited with giving the clone 370 makers (including Amdahl) their
market foothold (and marketing "FUD", Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt; really
came to forefront). When FS finally implodes there is mad rush to get
stuff back into the 370 product pipelines ... including kicking off
the quick and dirty 3033 and 3081 efforts in parallel
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and
*MAKE NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that
thereafter, IBM lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the
heavy investment of face by the top management, F/S took years to
kill, although its wrong headedness was obvious from the very
outset. "For the first time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became
politically dangerous," recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
trivia: 3081 was going to only be multiprocessor systems. The 1st
3081D ship was 2-CPU that had less aggregate MIPs than the Amdahl
single processor. IBM doubles the 3081 processor caches for 3081K,
bringing aggregate MIPS up to about the same as Amdahl 1-CPU. However,
IBM's favorite son batch operating system ("MVS") documentation had
its 2-CPU only getting 1.2-1.5 times throughput of one CPU (because of
inefficient multiprocessor support), as a result a MVS 3081K (with
approx same aggregate MIPs) only had .6-.75 throughput as a MVS 1-CPU
Amdahl.
trivia2: also after FS implodes, I got asked to help with 16-CPU 370
and we con the 3033 processor engineers into working on it in their
spare time (a lot more interesting than remapping 168 logic to 20%
faster chips). Everybody thought it was great until somebody tells the
head of POK (IBM high-end processors) that it could be decades before
IBM's favorite son batch operating system ("MVS") had (effective)
16-CPU support (IBM doesn't ship 16-CPU system until after turn of the
century) and some of us were told to never visit POK again (and the
3033 processor engineers were told, "heads down and no distractions").
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP, loosely-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Ethernet and IBM Token-Ring
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Ethernet and IBM Token-Ring
Date: 02 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
IBM AWD was allowed to do their own cards for PC/RT (16bit AT bus),
including 4mbit token-ring card. For the RS/6000, AWD was told they
couldn't do their own microchannel cards but had to use the (heavily
performance kneecapped) PS2 microchannel cards (PC/RT 4mbit token-ring
cards had higher throughput than the PS2 microchannel 16mbit
token-ring cards).
New Almaden research was heavily provisioned with CAT wiring assuming
16mbit T/R ... but found 10mbit Ethernet had lower LAN latency and
higher aggregate LAN throughput, also $69 10mbit Ethernet cards
(tested with AMD Lance ethernet chip) had higher card throughput than
the $800 PS2 microchannel 16mbit T/R cards.
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Time-Sharing_System
people went to the 5th flr and MULTICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
others went to the 4th flr and IBM Cambridge Science Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Scientific_Center
co-worker at CSC (Hendricks) was responsible for the CP67-based
science center wide-area network, morphs into the internal corporate
network, larger than arpanet/iinternet from beginning until sometime
mid/late 80s (about the time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM),
technology also used for the corporate sponsored univ. BITNET.
mention by one of CSC members responsible for 1969 GML invention
(decade later morphs into SGML, after another decade morphs into HTML
at CERN).
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
...
Edson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
we transferred to San Jose Research on the west coast, 2nd half of 70s
and early 80s I got HSDT project, T1 and faster computer links
(terrestrial and satellite) and battles with the communication group
(60s had 2701 that supported T1 links, 70s issues with VTAM capped
controllers at 56kbits).
Also working with NSF director and was suppose to get $20M to
interconnect the NSF supercomputer centers. NSF was giving a grant to
UC for Berkeley Supercomputer Center and I was asked to give UCB
presentations on the interconnect. However the UC Regents had UCSD
getting the next new bldg and it becomes the San Diego Supercomputer
Center instead (NSF had no control). Then congress cuts the budget,
some other things happened and eventually there was RFP released (in
part based on what we already had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary
Announcement
https://web.archive.org/web/20260311074443/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet.
At the time of the great arpanet conversion to internetworking on
1jan1983, there were approx. 100 IMPs and 255 connected hosts when the
internal network was about to passing 1000 world-wide. Archived post
with a list of world-wide locations that added one or more nodes
during 1983.
https://web.archive.org/web/20251204205713/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006k.html#8
Mid-80s, communication group was fighting release of mainframe TCP/IP
support. When they lost, they claimed it had to be released through
them since they had corporate control of everything crossed datacenter
walls. What shipped got aggregate 44kbytes/sec using nearly whole 3090
processor. I then do RFC1044 support and in some tuning tests at Cray
Research between Cray and 4341, got sustained 4341 channel throughput
using only modest amount of 4341 CPU (something like 500 times
improvement in bytes moved per instruction executed).
Late 80s, a senior disk engineer got a talk scheduled at an internal,
annual, world-wide communication group conference supposedly on 3174
performance ... but he opened his talk with the statement that the
communication group was going to be responsible for the demise of the
disk division. The disk division was seeing a drop in disk sales with
data fleeing mainframe data centers to platforms that were more
distributed computing friendly. The disk division had come up with a
number of solutions, but they were constantly being vetoed by the
communication group (with their corporate responsibility for
everything that crossed datacenter walls). The disk division software
executive partial countermeasure was investing in distributed
computing startups that would use IBM disks (he would periodically ask
us to drop by his investments to see if we could offer any help).
1992, communication group datacenter stranglehold wasn't just disks,
and IBM has one of the largest losses in history of US companies and
was being reorganized into the 13 "baby blues" in preparation for
breaking up the company (take-off on "baby bells" breakup a decade
earlier)
https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977353-1,00.html
we had already left IBM but get a call from the bowels of Armonk
asking if we could help with the breakup of the company. Before we get
started, the board brings in the former president of Amex as CEO to
try and save the company, who (somewhat) reverses the breakup
(although it wasn't long before the disk division is gone)
https://web.archive.org/web/20181019074906/http://www.ibmemployee.com/RetirementHeist.shtml
801/risc, iliad, romp, rios, pc/rt, rs/6000, power, power/pc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#801
IBM CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
GML, SGML, HTML, etc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
BITNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
RFC1044 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044
communication group stanglehold & demise of disk divsion posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal
IBM downturn/downfall/breakup posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ibmdownfall
past posts mentioning UC Regents and San Diego Supercomputer Center
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#33 Internet Lore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#26 MVS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#22 NSFNET
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#17 NSF Supercomputer and Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022e.html#104 John Boyd and IBM Wild Ducks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#56 Lick Observatory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021g.html#61 IBM HSDT & HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#47 Astronomy topic drift
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#33 Cluster Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017g.html#51 Stopping the Internet of noise
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014.html#8 We're About to Lose Net Neutrality -- And the Internet as We Know It
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Harvest time!
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Harvest time!
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 2026 16:16:07 -1000
James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> writes:
This confuses me. The 370/168 -- dominant until the 3033 in the late 1970's
-- had 80 nsec "cycle time", and logic gate delays
were about 2 nsec minimum even without considering line delays or anything
more complicated than OR or NOR. Even the mini-"cycles" on the 370/135
were 55 nsec IIRC. What are these super-short "cycle times" repeated
throughout that document?
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#61 Harvest time!
165 370 microcode finished 370 instruction on avg. of one every 2.1
machine cycle.
168 improved 370 microcode so it finished 370 instruction on avg of one
every 1.6 machine cycle.
3033 started out remapping 168 logic to 20% faster chips and then
improving 370 microcode so it finished 370 instruction on avg of one
every machine cycle
for the 303x "channel director" they took 158 engine with just
the integrated channel microcode.
a 3031 was two 158 engines, one with just the 370 microcode and
the other with just the integrated channel microcode..
a 3032 was 168 reworked to use 303x channel director (158 engine
with just the integrated channel microcode).
a "3033" could have up to three 303x channel directors (overall 3033
was about 50% faster than 168-3, combination of 20% faster chips and
more optimizing of 370 microcode) but 303x channel director was slower
on parts of channel program execution (i.e. 168 extermal channels had
faster hardware than the channel director 158 engine)
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Distributed
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Distributed
Date: 03 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Time-Sharing_System
people went to the 5th flr and MULTICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
others went to the 4th flr and IBM Cambridge Science Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Scientific_Center
co-worker at CSC (Hendricks) was responsible for the CP67-based
science center wide-area network, morphs into the internal corporate
network, larger than arpanet/iinternet from beginning until sometime
mid/late 80s (about the time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM),
technology also used for the corporate sponsored univ. BITNET.
mention by one of CSC members responsible for 1969 GML invention
(decade later morphs into SGML, after another decade morphs into HTML
at CERN).
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
...
Edson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson_Hendricks
In June 1975, MIT Professor Jerry Saltzer accompanied Hendricks to
DARPA, where Hendricks described his innovations to the principal
scientist, Dr. Vinton Cerf. Later that year in September 15-19 of 75,
Cerf and Hendricks were the only two delegates from the United States,
to attend a workshop on Data Communications at the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg Austria where
again, Hendricks spoke publicly about his innovative design which
paved the way to the Internet as we know it today.
...
SJMerc article about Edson (he passed aug2020) and "IBM'S MISSED
OPPORTUNITY WITH THE INTERNET" (gone behind paywall but lives free at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000124004147/http://www1.sjmercury.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg092499.htm
Also from wayback machine, some additional (IBM missed internet)
references from Ed's website
https://web.archive.org/web/20000115185349/http://www.edh.net/bungle.htm
we transferred to San Jose Research on the west coast, 2nd half of 70s
and early 80s I got HSDT project, T1 and faster computer links
(terrestrial and satellite) and battles with the communication group
(60s had 2701 that supported T1 links, 70s issues with VTAM capped
controllers at 56kbits).
Also working with NSF director and was suppose to get $20M to
interconnect the NSF supercomputer centers. NSF was giving a grant to
UC for Berkeley Supercomputer Center and I was asked to give UCB
presentations on the interconnect. However the UC Regents had UCSD
getting the next new bldg and it becomes the San Diego Supercomputer
Center instead (NSF had no control). Then congress cuts the budget,
some other things happened and eventually there was RFP released (in
part based on what we already had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary
Announcement
https://web.archive.org/web/20260311074443/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet.
At the time of the great arpanet conversion to internetworking on
1jan1983, there were approx. 100 IMPs and 255 connected hosts when the
internal network was about to passing 1000 world-wide. Archived post
with a list of world-wide locations that added one or more nodes
during 1983.
https://web.archive.org/web/20251204205713/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006k.html#8
Mid-80s, communication group was fighting release of mainframe TCP/IP
support. When they lost, they claimed it had to be released through
them since they had corporate control of everything crossed datacenter
walls. What shipped got aggregate 44kbytes/sec using nearly whole 3090
processor. I then do RFC1044 support and in some tuning tests at Cray
Research between Cray and 4341, got sustained 4341 channel throughput
using only modest amount of 4341 CPU (something like 500 times
improvement in bytes moved per instruction executed).
Late 80s, a senior disk engineer got a talk scheduled at an internal,
annual, world-wide communication group conference supposedly on 3174
performance ... but he opened his talk with the statement that the
communication group was going to be responsible for the demise of the
disk division. The disk division was seeing a drop in disk sales with
data fleeing mainframe data centers to platforms that were more
distributed computing friendly. The disk division had come up with a
number of solutions, but they were constantly being vetoed by the
communication group (with their corporate responsibility for
everything that crossed datacenter walls). The disk division software
executive partial countermeasure was investing in distributed
computing startups that would use IBM disks (he would periodically ask
us to drop by his investments to see if we could offer any help).
1992, communication group datacenter stranglehold wasn't just disks,
and IBM has one of the largest losses in history of US companies and
was being reorganized into the 13 "baby blues" in preparation for
breaking up the company (take-off on "baby bells" breakup a decade
earlier)
https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977353-1,00.html
we had already left IBM but get a call from the bowels of Armonk
asking if we could help with the breakup of the company. Before we get
started, the board brings in the former president of Amex as CEO to
try and save the company, who (somewhat) reverses the breakup
(although it wasn't long before the disk division is gone)
https://web.archive.org/web/20181019074906/http://www.ibmemployee.com/RetirementHeist.shtml
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
BITNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet
GML, SGML, HTML, etc posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
RFC1044 posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044
communication group stanglehold & demise of disk divsion posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal
IBM downturn/downfall/breakup posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ibmdownfall
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Distributed
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Distributed
Date: 03 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#64 Distributed
Amdahl had won the battle to make ACS, 360 compatible. Then when
ACS/360 was canceled (folklore: company afraid it would advance the
state of art too fast and IBM would loose control of the market),
Amdahl leaves IBM.
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html
Much of IBM marketing reputation occurred during the "Future System"
days ... after virtual memory was initially added to 370. Future
System was completely different from 370 and was going to completely
replace it (internal politics was killing off 370 efforts and claim is
lack of new 370 during the period is responsible for giving clone 370
makers, like Amdahl, their market foothold, dirth of new IBM
competitive 370 really gave rise to FUD, Fear, Uncertainty,
Doubt). When FS finally implodes, there is mad rush to get stuff back
into the 370 product pipelines, including kicking off quick&dirty
3033&3081 efforts in parallel.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and *MAKE
NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that thereafter, IBM
lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the heavy investment
of face by the top management, F/S took years to kill, although its
wrong headedness was obvious from the very outset. "For the first
time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became politically dangerous,"
recalls a former top executive
... snip ..
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Distributed
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Distributed
Date: 04 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#64 Distributed
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#65 Distributed
There was 20-some IBMers formed in silicon valley to do software for
ACORN ... and every couple weeks would reconfirm with Boca that they
had no intention to do software for ACORN. Then they change their mind
and said that to do software for ACORN, people would have to move to
Boca (and our group dissolved); only one person took them up on the
offer, but came back after several months
Opel's obit ...
https://www.pcworld.com/article/243311/former_ibm_ceo_john_opel_dies.html
According to the New York Times, it was Opel who met with Bill Gates,
CEO of the then-small software firm Microsoft, to discuss the
possibility of using Microsoft PC-DOS OS for IBM's
about-to-be-released PC. Opel set up the meeting at the request of
Gates' mother, Mary Maxwell Gates. The two had both served on the
National United Way's executive committee.
... snip ...
... before ms/dos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS
there was Seattle computer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Computer_Products
before Seattle computer, there was CP/M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP/M
before developing CP/M, Kildall worked on IBM CP/67 (precursor to
VM/370) at NPG (over the hill in Monterey)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Postgraduate_School
30yrs of PC market ("IBM" PCs increasingly dominated by "clones")
https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/
some posts mentioning ACORN, ms-dos, cp/m, opel, gates
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#42 IBM/PC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#14 50 years ago, CP/M started the microcomputer revolution
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#112 43 years ago, Microsoft bought 86-DOS and started its journey to dominate the PC market
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#75 The Rise and Fall of the 'IBM Way'. What the tech pioneer can, and can't, teach us
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#100 CSC, HONE, 23Jun69 Unbundling, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#26 Some IBM/PC History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#6 IBM Downfall
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#99 Online Computer Conferencing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#30 IBM Change
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM DASD
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM DASD
Date: 05 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to San
Jose Research and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Watson
on original SQL/Relational, System/R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System_R
There was resistance from STL (now SVL), IMS, and the next great DBMS
effort, "EAGLE". Was able to do tech transfer to Endicott ("under the
radar" while company was preoccupied with "EAGLE") for SQL/DS. After
"EAGLE" implodes, there is a request for how fast can System/R be
ported to MVS, which is eventually released as DB2, originally for
decision support only. When Jim left SJR for Tandem in fall 1980, he
palmed off stuff on me (including asking that I consult for STL IMS).
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. They had
been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone testing and mentioned that
recently they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that
environment). I offer to rewrite I/O Supervisor, making it bullet
proof and never fail allowing any amount of ondemand, concurrent
testing (greatly improving productivity). I then do an internal
research I/O Reliability Enhancement and happen to mention MVS 15min
MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS organization on my head.
Bldg15 then gets 1st engineering 3033 (outside 3033 processor
engineering in POK). Testing was only taking percent or two of
processor so we scrounge up 3830 controller and 3033 string setting up
our own private online service. Summer 1978, bldg15 gets engineering
4341 (year before 1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears
about and cons me into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for national
lab looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm (sort of leading
edge of the coming cluster supercomputing).
I get into some battles over 3880 controller. It has a very slow
verticle microcode processor and does lots of things slower than 3830
horizontal microprocessor (except for special hardware 3mbyte data
path). 3880 engineers are trying to compensate by presenting
end-of-operation interrupt early ... the 1st problem was then finding
"unit check" condition overlapped with final cleanup ... and I pointed
out that their "unsolicited" unit check interrupt was violation of
channel architecture (they escalate with conference call with POK
channel engineers). Downside was DASD engineering wanted me to always
sit in on conference calls with the channel engineers.
The 3880 early interrupts were moved to later in the sequence (after
any possible unit checks) ... tested out easily with MVS which had
nearly 10,000 instruction path from interrupt to redriving any queued
I/O (one of the eventual justifications for SAPs). However, my SJR/VM
(VM370) system did interrupt to redrive in closer to 500 instructions
... so when one weekend somebody replaced our bldg 15 3033 3830 with
3880, immediately started seeing horrible performance ... lots of
redrive SIOFs, CC1/SM+BUSY ... then had to wait for CUE interrupt and
real redrive.
Original 3380 had 20 track spacings between each data track. This was
cut in half, doubling number of tracks (cylinders), then cut again,
for triple number of tracks. Supposedly 3380 was still CKD, but the
records/track formulas required record lengths be rounded up to
multiple of fixed cell size. Father of 801/RISC then wanted me to help
with "wide" disk head, head followed servo tracks on each side of 16
data track set, that it read/write in parallel. Mainframe problem was
still 3mbyte/sec channels and this would have been 48mbyte/sec. Then
1988, branch office asked if I could help LLNL standardize some serial
stuff they were working with, which quickly became fibre-channel
standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in 1980), initial
1gbit/sec transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec (later POK
announces ESCON, 10mbyte/sec when it was already obsolete).
Late 80s, a senior disk engineer got a talk scheduled at an internal,
annual, world-wide communication group conference supposedly on 3174
performance ... but he opened his talk with the statement that the
communication group was going to be responsible for the demise of the
disk division. The disk division was seeing a drop in disk sales with
data fleeing mainframe data centers to platforms that were more
distributed computing friendly. The disk division had come up with a
number of solutions, but they were constantly being vetoed by the
communication group (with their corporate responsibility for
everything that crossed datacenter walls). The disk division software
executive partial countermeasure was investing in distributed
computing startups that would use IBM disks (he would periodically ask
us to drop in on his investments to see if we could offer any help).
1992, communication group datacenter stranglehold wasn't just disks,
and IBM has one of the largest losses in history of US companies and
was being reorganized into the 13 "baby blues" in preparation for
breaking up the company (take-off on "baby bells" breakup a decade
earlier)
https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977353-1,00.html
we had already left IBM but get a call from the bowels of Armonk
asking if we could help with the breakup of the company. Before we get
started, the board brings in the former president of Amex as CEO to
try and save the company, who (somewhat) reverses the breakup
(although it wasn't long before the disk division is gone)
Original SQL/Relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play DASD engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
fibre-channel and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
demise of disk division posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal
IBM downturn/downfall/breakup posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ibmdownfall
posts mentioning 16track parallel "wide-head"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#34 IBM, NSC, HSDT, HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#29 IBM Thin Film Disk Head
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#112 System Throughput and Availability II
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#25 IBM 3880, 3380, Data-streaming
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#80 IBM Bus&TAG Cables
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#18 Thin-film Disk Heads
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#57 FCS, ESCON, FICON
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#54 Creative Ways To Say How Old You Are
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#3 IBM CKD DASD
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#5 IBM (Empty) Suits
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#22 Disk Capacity and Channel Performance
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#96 Mainframe Integrity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#72 IBM "Winchester" Disk
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#20 IBM Millicode
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#110 IBM 360 Announce 7Apr1964
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#97 Shared Memory Feature
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#84 Vintage DASD
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#70 Vintage RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#67 Vintage IBM 3380s
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#25 EBCDIC "Commputer Goof"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#104 DASD, Channel and I/O long winded trivia
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#86 IBM San Jose
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022f.html#61 200TB SSDs could come soon thanks to Micron's new chip
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#70 IBM 3380 disks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021f.html#44 IBM Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021.html#56 IBM Quota
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019b.html#75 IBM downturn
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019b.html#52 S/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#58 Bureaucracy and Agile
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#33 IBM Disks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018d.html#17 3390 teardown
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018d.html#12 3390 teardown
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018b.html#111 Didn't we have this some time ago on some SLED disks? Multi-actuator
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017i.html#19 How to spot a dodgy company - never trust a high achiever
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017g.html#95 Hard Drives Started Out as Massive Machines That Were Rented by the Month
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017g.html#80 Running unsupported is dangerous was Re: AW: Re: LE strikes again
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#88 Paging subsystems in the era of bigass memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#71 Software as a Replacement of Hardware
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#60 Optimizing the Hard Disk Directly
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017d.html#54 GREAT presentation on the history of the mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014h.html#9 Demonstrating Moore's law
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#103 Hard Disk Drive Construction
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011.html#60 Speed of Old Hard Disks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011.html#57 Speed of Old Hard Disks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009k.html#75 Disksize history question
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM 370 Virtual Memory
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM 370 Virtual Memory
Date: 05 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
trivia: Took a two credit hr intro to fortran/computers. student
keypunch room had 15-20 026 keypunch and 407 that could feed deck in
and get printed output (did play with 407 plug board). End of
semester, I was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360 assembler for
360/30. Univ. was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and
got 360/30 temporarily replacing 1401 pending arrival of
360/67. Univ. shutdown datacenter on weekends and I would have place
dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made monday classes hard).
I was given pile of hardware and software manuals and got to design
and implement my own monitor, interrupt handlers, device drivers,
storage management, error recovery, etc ... and within a few weeks had
2000 card assembler program (stand alone monitor, booted with BPS
loader). I then added assembler option to assemble either stand-alone
or OS/360 with open/close, get/put, etc options. Sometimes when I came
in sat. morning, production had finished early and everything was
powered off and every once and awhile 360/30 wouldn't power
up. Manuals and trial and error, found that if I put every controller
in CE-mode, power on 360/30, individually power on controllers and
return to normal mode, things would all be working. I have some vague
memory of IBM SE doing PCP6 SYSGEN during the period.
Within year of taking intro course, 360/67 arrived and I was hired
fulltime responsible for OS/360 (tss/360 not coming to
production). 709 ran student fortran in less than second. Initially
OS/360 ran them in over a minute. I install HASP for MFT9.5 and cut
time in half. I then redo MFT11 stage2 sysgen, carefully positioning
datasets and pds members to optimize arm seek and multi-track search,
cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs. 360/67 os/360 student jobs never
got better than 709 until I install Univ of Waterloo WATFOR; 360/65
(mode) os/360 clocked WATFOR at 20,000 statements/min (333
statements/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements/job.
Then CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after
CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with it
during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine
test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270).
Six months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week
class in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the
class, it turns out that the people that were going to teach it had
resigned the Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial
online spin-offs. CSC was also picking up much of my changes and
shipping in releases.
CP/67 had arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and
auto-terminal ident, capable switching terminal type scanner for each
port. Univ. also had TTY33&35 and I add ASCII support integrated
with auto-terminal type (the ASCII port scanner that arrived to
upgrade the IBM telecommunication controller arrived in Heathkit
box). I then want to have single dial-in number (hunt group) for all
terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM had hard-wired line speed ... so we
start a clone terminal controller. Build a IBM channel interface board
for Interdata/3 programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition
for auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface
and cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) 360
clone controller business
after having left IBM in 1992, turn of century was in financial
outsourcing datacenter that had descendant of our clone controller
that handled nearly all merchant dial-up credit card point-of-sale
terminals east of Mississippi.
Before graduating, I was hired into small group in Boeing CFO office
to help with creating Boeing Computer Services (consolidate all
dataprocessing into independent business unit). I think Renton
datacenter largest in the world, 360/65s arriving faster than they
could be installed (comments about Boeing getting 360/65s like other
companies got keypunches). Lots of politics between Renton director
and CFO, who only has a 360/30 up at Boeing field for payroll
(although they enlarge machine room for 360/67 that I could play with
when I wasn't doing other stuff, sort of my personal computer). Both
Boeing and IBMers tell story about the day IBM System/360 was
announced (7Apr1964), Boeing walks in with an order making the
marketing rep, highest paid IBM employee that year (days of straight
commission, following year, IBM changes to "quota").
Note: Boeing Huntsville had ordered 2-CPU 360/67 for TSS/360 with a
lot of 2250s for CAD/CAM. TSS/360 hadn't come to production, so they
ran it as two MVT13 360/65 systems. Then they ran into the MVT storage
management problems and made some simple virtual memory modifications
to MVT13 (as partial countermeasure, predating VS2/SVS).
When I graduate, I join IBM Cambridge Scientific Center (instead of
staying with Boeing CFO). One of my hobbies after joining CSC was
enhanced production operating systems for internal datacenters and the
branch office online sales&marketing support HONE systems was one
of the first (and long time) customer.
Early last decade, I was asked to track down executive decision to add
virtual memory to all 370s and found staff member that had reported to
executive making decision. Basically MVT storage management was so bad
that region sizes had to be specified four times larger than used,
limited standard 1mbyte, 370/165 to four concurrent running regions,
insufficient to keep system busy and justified. Running MVT in 16mbyte
virtual address space (similar to running MVT in a 360/67, CP/67
16mbyte virtual machine) allowed number of concurrent regions
to be increased by factor of four times (capped at 15 concurrent
regions because of 4bit storage protect key) with little or no
paging. Ludlow was doing the initial implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS
on 360/67 (until engineering 370 appeared with virtual memory) and I
would drop by periodically. He had a little bit of code for the
16mbyte virtual address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was
channel programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and
channels required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for
integrating into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing
virtual with real addresses).
With decision to add virtual memory to all 370s, some of the CSC
members went to the 3rd flr taking over the IBM Boston Programming
Center (had been responsible for CPS) for the VM370 development
group. Initial CP67->VM370 simplified and/or dropped a lot of stuff.
Some of the rest of us at CSC (in conjunction with Endicott and
370/145) developed set of updates for CP67L that provided (simulated)
virtual memory 370 virtual machines ("CP67H"). Then there were a set
of CP67 updates that ran on 370 virtual memory architecture
("CP67I"). At CSC, because there were profs, staff, and students from
Boston area institutions using the CSC systems, CSC would run "CP67H"
in a 360/67 virtual machine (to minimize unannounced 370 virtual
memory leaking). At CSC:
CP67L ran on real 360/67
... CP67H ran in a CP67L 360/67 virtual machine
....... CP67I ran in a CP67H 370 virtual machine
CP67I was in general use (in simulated 370 virtual machine), a year
before the 1st engineering 370 (with virtual memory) was operational
... in fact, IPL'ing CP67I on the first 370/145 with virtual memory
architecture, was test case. Then some engineers came out from San
Jose and added 3330 & 2305 drivers to CP67I for CP67SJ which was in
general use internally for quite some time after VM370 was available.
As part of CP67L, CP67H, CP67I effort, the CMS Update execs were
improved to support multi-level update operation (later multi-level
update support was added to various editors).
Mid-80s, Melinda
https://www.leeandmelindavarian.com/Melinda#VMHist
asked if I could send her the original exec multi-level update
implementation. I had large archive dating back to the 60s on triple
redundant tapes in the IBM Almaden Research tape library. It was
fortunate since within a few weeks, Almaden had an operation problem
mounting random tapes as scratch and I lost nearly dozen tapes,
including triple redundant CSC tape archive.
https://www.leeandmelindavarian.com/Melinda/neuvm.pdf
from above, Les Comeau has written:
Since the early time-sharing experiments used base and limit registers
for relocation, they had to roll in and roll out entire programs when
switching users....Virtual memory, with its paging technique, was
expected to reduce significantly the time spent waiting for an
exchange of user programs.
What was most significant was that the commitment to virtual memory
was backed with no successful experience. A system of that period that
had implemented virtual memory was the Ferranti Atlas computer, and
that was known not to be working well. What was frightening is that
nobody who was setting this virtual memory direction at IBM knew why
Atlas didn't work.35
... snip ...
Atlas reference (gone 403?, but lives free at wayback):
https://web.archive.org/web/20121118232455/http://www.ics.uci.edu/~bic/courses/JaverOS/ch8.pdf
Paging can be credited to the designers of the ATLAS computer, who
employed an associative memory for the address mapping [Kilburn, et
al., 1962]. For the ATLAS computer, |w| = 9 (resulting in 512 words
per page), |p| = 11 (resulting in 2024 pages), and f = 5 (resulting in
32 page frames). Thus a 220-word virtual memory was provided for a
214- word machine. But the original ATLAS operating system employed
paging solely as a means of implementing a large virtual memory;
multiprogramming of user processes was not attempted initially, and
thus no process id's had to be recorded in the associative memory. The
search for a match was performed only on the page number p.
... snip ...
... referencing ATLAS used paging for large virtual memory ... but not
multiprogramming (multiple concurrent address spaces). Cambridge had
modified 360/40 with virtual memory and associative lookup that
included both process-id and page number.
https://www.leeandmelindavarian.com/Melinda/JimMarch/CP40_The_Origin_of_VM370.pdf
Back to 70s, for VM370R2-based CSC/VM, I started moving a lot of stuff
from my internal CP67L (including kernel re-org needed for
multiprocessor support, but not multiprocessor support itself). This
was used by US HONE datacenters that were being consolidated in Palo
Alto (trivia: when FACEBOOK 1st moves into silicon valley, it was into
new bldg built next door to the former consolidated US HONE
datacenter). Then for a VM370R3-based CSC/VM, I move a bunch more
stuff, including multiprocessor support, initially for HONE so they
can add 2nd processor to all their 168 systems (getting twice
throughput of 1-CPU system.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
clone controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
CP67L, CP67H, CP67I, CP67SJ, CSC/VM, SJR/VM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#cscvm
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiproceessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
posts mentioning multi-level update from archive for melinda
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#60 IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#13 IBM CP67 Multi-leavel Update
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#19 IBM VM/CMS Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#103 CP67 & VM370 Source Maintenance
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#28 Copyright Software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017i.html#76 git, z/OS and COBOL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014e.html#28 System/360 celebration set for ten cities; 1964 pricing for oneweek
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011f.html#80 TSO Profile NUM and PACK
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#39 1971PerformanceStudies - Typical OS/MFT 40/50/65s analysed
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009s.html#17 old email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#79 Existence of early 360 software ( was Re: Continous Systems Modelling Package)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#42 vmshare
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005i.html#30 Status of Software Reuse?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003e.html#66 History of project maintenance tools -- what and when?
posts mentioning ATLAS virtul memory, Comeau, CP40, melinda
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#5 Dataprocessing Innovation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#90 Computer Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#95 Ferranti Atlas and Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#39 Tonight's tradeoff
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#25 Ferranti Atlas
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#44 360/85
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022h.html#21 370 virtual memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017j.html#71 A Computer That Never Was: the IBM 7095
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#38 S/360 architecture, was PDP-10 system calls
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011e.html#4 Multiple Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007r.html#64 CSA 'above the bar'
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007r.html#51 Translation of IBM Basic Assembler to C?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006i.html#30 virtual memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005o.html#4 Robert Creasy, RIP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001h.html#10 VM: checking some myths.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000f.html#78 TSS ancient history, was X86 ultimate CISC? designs)
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
VM370/CMS & MVS Program Sizes
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: VM370/CMS & MVS Program Sizes
Date: 09 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
In the wake of "Future System" implosion mid-70s ... trivia: one of
the last nails in the FS coffin was IBM Houston Scientific Center
analysis if 370/195 applications were redone for FS machine made out
of the fastest hardware technology available, it would have throughput
of 370/145 (about 30 times slowdown)
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
the head of POK was convincing corporate to kill the vm370 product,
shutdown the development group and transfer all the people to POK for
MVS/XA. The development group had done a lot of work on significantly
improving the CMS OS/360 ("MVS"?) simulation (sheduled for upcoming
release) ... which had mostly still dated from the CP67/CMS days in
the 60s. With the shutdown/transfer, all of that (and lots of other
stuff) vanished. Endicott eventually managed to save the VM370 product
mission (but they had to recreate a development from scratch) ... for
the midrange (and they were more interested in CMS DOS/VS simulation).
Early 80s, the IBM Los Gatos lab was dealing with a large microcode
development tool that only ran on MVS ... they found that another
12kbytes of simulation (added to the existing CMS 64kbyte OS/360
simulation) got the microcode tool (and several other MVS
applications) running on CMS.
In the transition from VS2/SVS to VS2/MVS ... they replace giving each
region its own 4bit storage protect key (max 15 regions) with its own
16mbyte virtual address space. Then because OS/360 history was
extensive pointer passing APIs they add a 8mbyte image of the 8mbyte
MVS kernel to each address space leaving 8mbytes ... and because each
subsystem had been moved to its own address space, they add a 1mbyte
Common Segment Area for passing data to/from subsystems (leaving
7mbytes). However CSA space requirements was somewhat proportional to
number of regions & subsystems, CSA became Common System Area and by
3033 was running 5-6mbytes (leaving 2-3mbytes), threatening to become
8mbytes (leaving zero).
IBM Burlington had a 7mbyte Fortran VLSI chip tool running on special
168&3033 MVS systems where CSA was specially limited to 1mbyte
(leaving 7mbyte). However any enhancements or changes were constantly
fighting the 7mbyte brick wall. IBM Los Gatos offered Burlington the
additional CMS simulation code ... where the Fortran app could have
over 15mbyte (VM370/CMS). However, it would have been great loss of
face for the head of POK having got VM370 product killed off.
future system posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
past posts mentioning Burlington Fortran 7mbyte brick wall
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#44 STL Channel Extender
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#114 Comsat
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#30 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#27 HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#55 CMS OS/360 Simulation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#49 IBM 3033 Personal Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#19 Channel I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#67 Virtual Machine Debugging
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#63 Early Computer Use
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019.html#38 long-winded post thread, 3033, 3081, Future System
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
VM370/RSCS, MVS/JES2
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: VM370/RSCS, MVS/JES2
Date: 09 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Crabtree Gburg JES group used VM370/CMS source update (Crabtree was in
original Houston HASP group with Simpson) ... then had to convert to
MVS tools before shipping source maintenance.
The IBM Science Center wide-area network was done by co-worker in
Cambridge ... account by one of the CSC inventors of GML in 1969
(decade later morphs into SGML, after another decade morphs into HTML
at CERN).
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... aka CP67-based wide-area network (later VM370 RSCS/VNET) morphs
into the corporate internal network (larger then arpanet/internet from
beginning until sometime mid/late 80s about the time it was forced to
convert to SNA/VTAM), in 80s, technoloogy also used for the corporate
sponsored univ. BITNET.
The original HASP network code use to have "TUCC" in cols 68-71 and
network node definitions used spare entries (typically 160-180) in the
255 entry pseudo device table. In the early 70s, there was a RSCS/VNET
driver that simulated HASP protocol, allowing HASP/JES systems to
connect (they had to be careful regulated to edge boundary nodes since
the internal network was already well past 255 nodes (and NJE would
trash traffic where the origin and/or destination nodes weren't
defined in local table).
23jun1969 unbundling announce started to charge for (application)
software (made the case that kernel software was still free).
Independent efforts were made to ship JES2 NJE and VM370
RSCS/VNET. Head of POK was in the process of convincing corporate to
kill VM370, shutdown the development group and transfer all the people
to POK for MVS/XA ... and wouldn't agree to releasing RSCS/VNET
product. Charged for products had requirement that projected forecast
cover original development and ongoing support ... do projected
monthly price at low, middle, and high price points (in NJE case
monthly $300, $600, $1200; but none of the NJE price points had
projected revenue that met requirement). By comparison, RSCS/VNET at
$30/month easily met its total revenue requirement. JES group
eventually cut a deal with VM370 to announce a "joint, combined" JES2
NJE & VM370 RSCS product where both were $600/monthly (RSCS $600/month
being used to easily cover JES2 NJE).
Another JES2 NJE problem was intermixed job and network control in the
header and origin NJE header at one release could result in crashing
destination MVS at a different release. As result, a large body of
code evolved for the RSCS/VNET simulated JES2 NJE drivers that would
reformat headers for a directly connected JES2 destination (there is
infamous case of San Jose JES2 crashing MVS systems in Hursley (blamed
on Hursley RSCS that didn't have the latest reformating code).
posts mentioning hasp/jes2, asp/jes3, nje/nji
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
23jun1969 unbundling announce
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#unbundle
a few posts mentioning using RSCS revenue for JES2
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#37 IBM Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#20 IBM HASP & JES2 Networking
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#79 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#121 Programming By Committee
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Software and other stuff
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Software and other stuff
Date: 10 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
trivia: FS was completely different than 370 and planned to completely
replace 370; internal politics during FS was shutting down 370
efforts, the lack of new 370 during FS is credited with giving clone
370 makers their market foothold. I continued to work on 360&370 all
during FS, including periodically ridiculing what they were doing.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
one of the final nails in FS coffin was IBM Houston Scientific Center
analysis, if 370/195 applications were redone for FS machine made out
of the fastest technology available, it would have throughput of
370/145 (about 30 times slowdown)
After FS implodes, there was mad rush to get stuff back into the 370
product pipelines (including kicking off the quick&dirty 3033&3081 in
parallel). The head of POK was pushing corporate to kill the VM370
product, shutdown the development group and transfer all the people to
POK for MVS/XA. Endicott eventually managed to acquire the VM370
product mission (for the mid-range) but had to recreate a VM370
development from scratch.
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and *MAKE
NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that thereafter, IBM
lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the heavy investment
of face by the top management, F/S took years to kill, although its
wrong headedness was obvious from the very outset. "For the first
time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became politically dangerous,"
recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
I was asked to help with a 16-CPU 370 multiprocessor and we con the
3033 processor engineers into helping in their spare time (a lot more
interesting than remapping 168-3 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody
thought it was great until somebody tells head of POK that it could be
decades before POK's favorite son operating system ("MVS") had
(effective) 16-CPU support (MVS documentation had 2-CPU overhead
operation only got 1.2-1.5 times throughput of 1-CPU operation; POK
doesn't ship 16-CPU system until after turn of the century). The head
of POK then invites some of us to never visit POK again and directs
3033 processor engineers, "heads down and no distractions".
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to San
Jose Research and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Watson
on original SQL/Relational, System/R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System_R
There was resistance from STL (now SVL), IMS, and the next great DBMS
effort, "EAGLE". Was able to do tech transfer to Endicott ("under the
radar" while company was preoccupied with "EAGLE") for SQL/DS. After
"EAGLE" implodes, there is a request for how fast can System/R be
ported to MVS, which is eventually released as DB2, originally for
decision support only. When Jim left SJR for Tandem in fall 1980, he
palmed off stuff on me (including asking that I consult for STL IMS).
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. They had
been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone testing and mentioned that
recently they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that
environment). I offer to rewrite I/O Supervisor, making it bullet
proof and never fail allowing any amount of ondemand, concurrent
testing (greatly improving productivity). I then do an internal
research report "I/O Reliability Enhancement" and happen to mention
MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS organization on my
head.
Bldg15 gets the 1st engineering 3033 outside POK 3033 processor
engineering. Testing was only percent or two of CPU, so we scrounge up
a 3830 controller and 3330 string and setup our own private online
service. Summer 1978, bldg15 also gets engineering 4341 (year before
1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears about it and cons me
into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for national lab that was
looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm (sort of leading edge
of the coming cluster supercomputer tsunami).
1988, Nick Donofrio approves HA/6000, originally for NYTimes to move
their newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I then
rename it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix (I do distributed lock manager
with VAXCluster semantics to ease the RDBMS ports).
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
After cluster scale-up transferred for announce as IBM supercomputer
("SP") and leaving IBM ... was brought in as consultant to small
client/server startup. Two former Oracle people (that had worked with
HA/CMP and were in the Jan92 Ellison/Hester meeting) were there
responsible for something called "commerce server" and wanted to do
payment transactions. The startup had done some technology they called
"SSL" they wanted to use, its use is now sometimes called
"e-commerce". I was responsible for everything between webservers and
payment networks. I teach some TCP/IP for youngsters fresh out of
college and they tell me what I was asking was too complex. Some
simple things like DNS multiple A-records, even showing example code
from BSD4.3 Tahoe/Reno clients. I then make sarcastic comments that if
it wasn't in college classes, they couldn't do it.
I then do talk: "Why Internet Isn't Business Critical Dataprocessing"
(based on processes, documentation and software I had to do for
e-commerce) that (Internet, IETF) RFC standards editor Postel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Postel sponsored at ISI/USC.
Also 1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL standardize some
serial stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes
fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in
1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec
transfer). Then IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it
is already obsolete), "ESCON", initially 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM
POK engineers become involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight
protocol that radically reduces throughput eventually released as
"FICON".
Latest FICON public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O"
getting 2M IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time
a native FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over
million IOPS (two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running
over FCS). Note IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do
actual I/O) CPU be kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD
have been made for decades (just simulated with industry standard
fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to less than 1/10th the native FCS
announced in 2010).
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP. tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
System/R (RDBMS) posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk enginneer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
E-commerce Client/Server posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway
FCS and/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Mainframe, Cobol, Java
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Mainframe, Cobol, Java
Date: 11 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
trivia: after FS implodes,
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
I was asked to help with a 16-CPU 370 multiprocessor and we con the
3033 processor engineers into helping in their spare time (a lot more
interesting than remapping 168-3 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody
thought it was great until somebody tells head of POK that it could be
decades before POK's favorite son operating system ("MVS") had
(effective) 16-CPU support (POK doesn't ship 16-CPU system until after
turn of the century). The head of POK then invites some of us to never
visit POK again and directs 3033 processor engineers, "heads down and
no distractions".
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to San
Jose Research and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Watson
on original SQL/Relational, System/R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System_R
There was resistance from STL (now SVL), IMS, and the next great DBMS
effort, "EAGLE". Was able to do tech transfer to Endicott ("under the
radar" while company was preoccupied with "EAGLE") for SQL/DS. After
"EAGLE" implodes, there is a request for how fast can System/R be
ported to MVS, which is eventually released as DB2, originally for
decision support only. When Jim left SJR for Tandem in fall 1980, he
palmed off stuff on me (including asking that I consult for STL IMS).
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. They had
been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone testing and mentioned that
recently they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that
environment, requiring manual re-ipl). I offer to rewrite I/O
Supervisor, making it bullet proof and never fail allowing any amount
of ondemand, concurrent testing (greatly improving productivity). I
then do an internal research report "I/O Reliability Enhancement" and
happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS
organization on my head.
Bldg15 gets the 1st engineering 3033 outside POK 3033 processor
engineering. Testing was only percent or two of CPU, so we scrounge up
a 3830 controller and 3330 string and setup our own private online
service. Summer 1978, bldg15 also gets engineering 4341 (year before
1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears about it and cons me
into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for national lab that was
looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm (sort of leading edge
of the coming cluster supercomputer tsunami).
1988, HA/6000 was approved, initially for NYTimes to move their
newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I then rename
it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix (I do distributed lock manager
with VAXCluster semantics to ease the RDBMS ports, both Oracle and
Ingres had lots of improvement suggestions over native
VAXCluster). IBM Toronto was in the process of doing "portable" RDBMS
("SHELBY"), originally for PS2 ... but it was far from having the
necessary features required by HA/CMP (later, lots of cosmetic so it
could also be branded "DB2")
IBM S/88 (relogo'ed Stratus) Product Administrator started taking us
around to their customers and also had me write a section for the
corporate continuous availability strategy document (it gets pulled
when both AS400/Rochester and mainframe/POK complain they couldn't
meet requirements). Had coined disaster survivability and
geographic survivability (as counter to disaster/recovery) when out
marketing HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 industry benchmarks (number of program
iterations compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
IBM ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
IBM RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
The executive we had reported to, goes over to head up Somerset/AIM
(Apple, IBM, Motorola) to do single chip 801, uses Motorola 88K
cache&bus enabling multiprocessor configurations.
In the mid-90s, the i86 chip makers then do hardware layer that
translates i86 instructions into RISC micro-ops for actual execution,
largely negating the performance difference with RISC platforms. 1999
industry benchmarks:
IBM PowerPC 440: 1,000MIPS
Intel Pentium3: 2,054MIPS
Dec2000 (IBM mainframe) benchmark:
IBM z900 16CPU: 2.5BIPS, 156MIPS/CPU
Also 1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL standardize some
serial stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes
fibre-channel standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in
1980, initially 1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec
transfer). Then IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it
is already obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK
engineers become involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol
that radically reduces throughput eventually released as
"FICON". Latest public benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O"
getting 2M IOPS using 104 FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time
a native FCS is announced for E5-2600 server blades getting over
million IOPS (two such FCS higher throughput than 104 FICON running
over FCS). Note IBM docs has SAPs (system assist processors that do
actual I/O) CPU be kept to 70% ... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD
have been made for decades (just simulated with industry standard
fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
2010 benchmarks:
IBM max-configured Z196, 80 cores: 50BIPS, 625MIPS/core
Intel E5-2600 server blade, 16 cores: 500BIPS, 31.25BIPS/core
Few mainframe industry benchmarks since earlier this century, so have
to infer MIPS using IBM pubs that give throughput increase since
previous generation:
• z900, 16 processors 2.5BIPS (156MIPS/core), Dec2000
• z990, 32 cores, 9BIPS, (281MIPS/core), 2003
• z9, 54 cores, 18BIPS (333MIPS/core), July2005
• z10, 64 cores, 30BIPS (469MIPS/core), Feb2008
• z196, 80 cores, 50BIPS (625MIPS/core), Jul2010
• EC12, 101 cores, 75BIPS (743MIPS/core), Aug2012
• z13, 140 cores, 100BIPS (710MIPS/core), Jan2015
• z14, 170 cores, 150BIPS (862MIPS/core), Aug2017
• z15, 190 cores, 190BIPS (1000MIPS/core), Sep2019
• z16, 200 cores, 222BIPS (1111MIPS/core), Sep2022
• z17, 208 cores, 260BIPS (1250MIPS/core), Jun2025
>
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
FCS &/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Old Computers
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Old Computers
Date: 14 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
last decade, I was asked to track down executive decision to add
virtual memory to all 370s and found staff member that had reported to
executive making decision. Basically MVT storage management was so bad
that region sizes had to be specified four times larger than used,
limited standard 1mbyte, 370/165 to four concurrent running regions,
insufficient to keep system busy and justified. Running MVT in 16mbyte
virtual address space (similar to running MVT in a 360/67, CP/67
16mbyte virtual machine) allowed number of concurrent regions
to be increased by factor of four times (capped at 15 concurrent
regions because of 4bit storage protect key) with little or no
paging. Ludlow was doing the initial implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS
on 360/67 (until engineering 370 appeared with virtual memory) and I
would drop by periodically. He had a little bit of code for the
16mbyte virtual address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was
channel programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and
channels required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for
integrating into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing
virtual with real addresses).
To handle increasing system sizes, they need to move past the 15
region cap by 4bit storage protect key and there is VS2/MVS
follow-on. VS2/MVS gave each region a separate 16mbyte virtual address
space (to keep regions protected from other regions). However, OS/360
was heavily pointer passing API ... and so a 8mbyte image of the MVS
kernel was mapped into each virtual address space (leaving 8mbyte)
Then because each subsystem were given its own 16mbyte virtual address
space, the Common Segment Area (1mbyte CSA) was mapped into every
16mbyte virtual address (for passing region->subsystem calling
parameters), leaving 7mbytes. Then CSA space requirement was somewhat
proportional to number of concurrent regions and subsystems, and by
3033 the CSA (now Common System Area) had exploded to 5-6mbytes
(leaving regions 2-3mbytes), but threatening to become 8mbytes
(leaving zero) .... part of the mad rush to try and get to 370/XA and
MVS/XA.
Undergraduate, took two credit hour intro to fortran/computers.
Student keypunch room had 15-20 026 keypunch and 407 that could feed
deck in and get printed listing (did play with 407 plug board). End of
semester, I was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360 assembler for
360/30. Univ. was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and
got 360/30 temporarily replacing 1401 pending arrival of
360/67. Univ. shutdown datacenter on weekends and I would have place
dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made monday classes hard). I was
given pile of hardware and software manuals and got to design and
implement my own monitor, interrupt handlers, device drivers, storage
management, error recovery, etc ... and within a few weeks had 2000
card assembler program (stand alone monitor, booted with BPS
loader). I then added assembler option to assemble either stand-alone
or OS/360 with open/close, get/put, etc options. Sometimes when I came
in sat. morning, production had finished early and everything was
powered off and every once and awhile 360/30 wouldn't power
up. Manuals and trial and error, found that if I put every controller
in CE-mode, power on 360/30, individually power on controllers and
return to normal mode, things would all be working. I have some vague
memory of IBM SE doing PCP6 SYSGEN during the period.
The 360/67 arrived within a year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 not coming to
production). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 (partial tray) to
carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS
directory) multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than 709 until I install Univ
Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min
(333statements/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after
CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with it
during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine
test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six
months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class
in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it
turns out that the people that were going to teach it had resigned the
Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online
spin-offs.
CP/67 had arrived with 1052&2741 terminal support and
auto-terminal ident, capable switching terminal type scanner for each
port. Univ. also had TTY33&35 and I add ASCII support integrated
with auto-terminal type (the ASCII port scanner that arrived to
upgrade the IBM telecommunication controller came in Heathkit box). I
then want to have single dial-in number (hunt group) for all
terminals. Didn't quite work, IBM had hard-wired line speed ... so we
start a clone terminal controller. Build a IBM channel interface board
for Interdata/3 programmed to emulate IBM controller with the addition
for auto-baud. Then upgraded with Interdata/4 for channel interface
and cluster of Interdata/3s for port interfaces. Interdata (and later
Perkin-Elmer) sell them as clone controllers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin-Elmer#Computer_Systems_Division
... and four of us are written up responsible for (some part of) 360
clone controller business
Before graduate, I was hired fulltime into small group in the Boeing
CFO office to help with the formation of Boeing Computer Services
(consolidate all dataprocessing into an independent business unit). I
think Renton datacenter largest in the world, 360/65s arriving faster
than they could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways
around the machine room (jokes about Boeing getting 360/65s like other
companies acquired keypunches). Lots of politics between Renton
director and CFO, who only had a 360/30 for payroll up at Boeing field
(although they enlarge the room for a 360/67 for me to play with when
I wasn't doing other stuff, sort of my personal computer). Both
Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement day, Boeing
submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest paid IBM
employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM shifts
to quota the following year.
Note: Boeing Huntsville had ordered 2-CPU 360/67 for TSS/360 with a
lot of 2250s for CAD/CAM. TSS/360 hadn't come to production, so they
ran it as two MVT13 360/65 systems. Then they ran into the MVT storage
management problems and made some simple virtual memory modifications
to MVT13 (as partial countermeasure, predating VS2/SVS).
After graduating, I joined IBM CSC (instead of staying with Boeing
CFO; note some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people had gone to the 5th flr for
MULTICS, others went to the 4th flr for IBM Cambridge Scientific
Center and did virtual machines, internal network, lots of
online apps, including inventing GML in 1969 which morphs into SGML a
decade later and after another decade, HTML at CERN) and one of my
hobbies was enhanced production operating systems for internal
datacenters (one of the first and long time customer was the branch
office online sales&marketing support HONE systems). I'm also
asked to teach classes at gov. agencies in DC area and when IBM got
new CSO from gov. service, asked to spend some time with him on
computer security. In recent years, I'm reading a couple works about
Lansdale and one mentions an incident where the VP goes across the
river to give a talk in agency auditorium. That week I'm teaching a
class in the basement (some 30-40 people). In the middle of one
afternoon, half the class gets up and quietly leaves. Then one of the
people remaining tells me I can look at it in one of two ways, half
the class leaves to go upstairs to listen to the VP in the auditorium
and half the class stays to listen to me.
Overlapped with adding virtual memory to all 370s, is the "Future
System" effort, completely different than 370 and planned to replace
all 370s. Internal politics was starting to kill off 370 efforts and
the lack of new 370s is credited with giving the clone 370 makers
(like Amdahl) their market foothold.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
When FS finally implodes, there is mad rush to get stuff back into the
370 product pipelines, including kicking off quick&dirty
3033&3081 efforts in parallel. One of the final nails in the FS
coffin is analysis by the IBM Houston Scientific Center that if
370/195 applications were redone for a FS machine made out of the
fastest technology available, it would have throughput of 370/145
(about 30 times slowdown). All during FS, I had continued to work on
360&370 and periodically ridiculing FS.
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and *MAKE
NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that thereafter, IBM
lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the heavy investment
of face by the top management, F/S took years to kill, although its
wrong headedness was obvious from the very outset. "For the first
time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became politically dangerous,"
recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
Also after FS implodes I was asked to help with a 16-CPU 370
multiprocessor effort and we con the 3033 processor engineers into
helping in their spare time (a lot more interesting than remapping
168-3 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody thought it was great until
somebody tells head of POK that it could be decades before POK's
favorite son operating system ("MVS") had (effective) 16-CPU support
(MVS docs has multiprocessor support inefficient and 2-CPU system only
had 1.2-1.5 times the throughput of single CPU ... POK doesn't ship
16-CPU system until after turn of the century). The head of POK then
invites some of us to never visit POK again and directs 3033 processor
engineers, "heads down and no distractions".
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to San
Jose Research and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Watson
on original SQL/Relational, System/R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System_R
There was resistance from STL (now SVL), IMS, and the next great DBMS
effort, "EAGLE". Was able to do tech transfer to Endicott ("under the
radar" while company was preoccupied with "EAGLE") for SQL/DS. After
"EAGLE" implodes, there is a request for how fast can System/R be
ported to MVS, which is eventually released as DB2, originally for
decision support only. When Jim left SJR for Tandem in fall 1980, he
palmed off stuff on me (including asking that I consult for STL IMS).
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. They had
been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone testing and mentioned that
recently they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that
environment, requiring manual re-ipl). I offer to rewrite I/O
Supervisor, making it bullet proof and never fail allowing any amount
of ondemand, concurrent testing (greatly improving productivity). I
then do an internal research report "I/O Reliability Enhancement" and
happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS
organization on my head.
Bldg15 gets the 1st engineering 3033 outside POK 3033 processor
engineering (trivia: after 3033s started shipping, 3033 processor
engineers start on trout/3090). Testing was only percent or two of
CPU, so we scrounge up a 3830 controller and 3330 string and setup our
own private online service. Summer 1978, bldg15 also gets engineering
E5/4341 (year before 1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears
about it and cons me into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for
national lab that was looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm
(sort of leading edge of the coming cluster supercomputer
tsunami). Spring 1979, some USAFDC (in the Pentagon) wanted to come by
to talk to me about 20 VM/4341 systems, visit kept being delayed, by
the time they came by (six months later), it had grown from 20 to
210. VM/4341s also contributed to HONE systems sprouting up all over
the world.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared-memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
clone 370 controller posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
original SQL/relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
recent posts mentioning Boeing CFO, Renton & BCS,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#68 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#49 Home Terminal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#43 position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#31 Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#22 NSFNET
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#78 Early CSC (& CP67/CMS)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#73 IBM System/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#70 IBM Online Systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#4 IBM Virtual Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#98 IBM 360&370 Experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#95 CP67/CMS, CMS\APL, HONE, VM370/CMS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#91 CP/67 and VM/370
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#83 Touch Type, Typewriters, Terminals
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#82 IBM DASD, CKD, FBA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#78 IBM OS Debugging
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#67 Early Mainframe work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#28 360 Channel
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#24 IBM 360, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#104 Early Mainframe Work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#57 IBM 360/30 and other 360s
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#112 Mainframe and Cloud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#99 IBM Fortran
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#91 IBM VM370 And Pascal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#15 MVT/HASP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#115 IBM VNET/RSCS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#64 IBM Vintage Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#55 Univ, 360/67, OS/360, Boeing, Boyd
posts mentioning teaching class at agency Lansdale account of VP
giving talke
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#18 Some VM370 History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#60 Stanford SLAC (and BAYBUNCH)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022e.html#98 Enhanced Production Operating Systems II
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#30 COMPUTER HISTORY: REMEMBERING THE IBM SYSTEM/360 MAINFRAME, its Origin and Technology
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021j.html#37 IBM Confidential
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021d.html#84 Bizarre Career Events
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Old Computers
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Old Computers
Date: 15 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#73 Old Computers
Amdahl had won the battle to make ACS, 360 compatible. Then when
ACS/360 was canceled (folklore: executives afraid it would advance the
state of art too fast and IBM would loose control of the market),
Amdahl leaves IBM.
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html
Much of IBM "FUD" marketing reputation occurred during the "Future
System" days ... after virtual memory was initially added to
370. Future System was completely different from 370 and was going to
completely replace it (internal politics was killing off 370 efforts
and claim is lack of new 370 during the period is responsible for
giving clone 370 makers, like Amdahl, their market foothold). When FS
finally implodes, there is mad rush to get stuff back into the 370
product pipelines, including kicking off quick&dirty 3033&3081 efforts
in parallel.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
3081 was going to be multiprocessor *ONLY* and the 1st was 2-CPU 3081D
... however Amdahl's 1-CPU had more processing than 2-CPU 3081D. IBM
then doubles the processor cache sizes for the 3081K ... bringing its
aggregate MIPS to about the same as Amdahl's 1-CPU. However, Amdahl's
1-CPU still had higher MVS throughput than 3081K (because MVS
multiprocessor documentation 2-CPU only had 1.2-1-5 times throughput
of 1-CPU; aka 3081K 2-CPU MVS throughput was only about .6-.75
throughput of Amdahl 1-CPU, even with approx. same MIPS). IBM also got
worried that because ACP/TPF didn't have multiprocessor support, that
the whole ACP/TPF market moves to Amdahl. Eventually 3083 ships, a
3081 with one processor removed.
After graduation and joining IBM, I continued to attend user group
meetings (like SHARE) and visit customers. The director of one of the
largest financial industry datacenters liked me to come by and talk
technology. At some point, the IBM branch manager horribly offends the
customer and in retaliation, they order an Amdahl (single Amdahl in
vast sea of IBM blue). Up until then, Amdahl had been selling into
science/tech/university market and this would be the 1st for a true
blue commercial customer. IBM asks me to go onsite for 6-12months. I
talk it over with the customer and decide to decline IBM's offer. I
was then told that the branch manager was good sailing buddy with IBM
CEO and if I don't do it, I can forget raises, promotions, career.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared-memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
System Storage and Virtual Memory
Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: System Storage and Virtual Memory
Date: 16 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Undergraduate, took two credit hour intro to
fortran/computers. Student keypunch room had 15-20 026 keypunch and
407 that could feed deck in and get printed listing (did play with 407
plug board). End of semester, I was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360
assembler for 360/30. Univ. was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing
709/1401 and got 360/30 temporarily replacing 1401 pending arrival of
360/67. Univ. shutdown datacenter on weekends and I would have place
dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made monday classes hard). I was
given pile of hardware and software manuals and got to design and
implement my own monitor, interrupt handlers, device drivers, storage
management, error recovery, etc ... and within a few weeks had 2000
card assembler program (stand alone monitor, booted with BPS loader).
The 360/67 arrived within a year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 not coming to
production). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 (partial tray) to
carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS
directory) multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than 709 until I install Univ
Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min
(333statements/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after CSC
itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with it during
my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine test
ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six
months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class
in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it
turns out that the people that were going to teach it had resigned the
Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online
spin-offs
Then the univ. library gets an ONR grant to do an online catalog and
some of the money went for a 2321 datacell. And after IBM unbundling
announcement, library catalog was also selected as betatest for CICS
program product and CICS support was added to my tasks. As already
found, OS/360 features were extremely high overhead and CICS was
implemented to get all the OS/360 resources they could at startup and
do their own implementation (open files, optain large block of
storage, do their own task scheduling/dispatching, file access,
storage management, etc ... aka similar motivation as went into
WATFOR).
Before graduate, I was hired fulltime into small group in the Boeing
CFO office to help with the formation of Boeing Computer Services
(consolidate all dataprocessing into an independent business unit). I
think Renton datacenter largest in the world, 360/65s arriving faster
than they could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways
around the machine room (jokes about Boeing getting 360/65s like other
companies acquired keypunches). Lots of politics between Renton
director and CFO, who only had a 360/30 for payroll up at Boeing field
(although they enlarge the room for a 1mbyte 360/67 for me to play
with when I wasn't doing other stuff, sort of my personal computer).
While at Boeing I do the CP67 modifications to "page" low usage
portions of the CP67 kernel (helping customers with 360/67 with less
than 1mbyte storage). Note starting CP67 kernel install required BPS
loader to read the text decks, and then the storage image is written
to disk. BPS loader had a limit of 255 ESD entries and pageable kernel
mods drove CP67 over 255. I then had all sort of hacks to keep ESD
entries under 256.
Note: both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement day,
Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest paid
IBM employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM
shifts to quota the following year. Also Boeing Huntsville had ordered
2-CPU 360/67 for TSS/360 with a lot of 2250s for CAD/CAM. TSS/360
hadn't come to production, so they ran it as two MVT13 360/65
systems. Then they ran into the MVT storage management problems and
made some simple virtual memory modifications to MVT13 (as partial
countermeasure, predating VS2/SVS).
After graduating, I joined IBM CSC (instead of staying with Boeing
CFO; note some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Time-Sharing_System
people went to the 5th flr and MULTICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
others went to the 4th flr and IBM Cambridge Science Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Scientific_Center
and did virtual machines, internal network, lots of online apps,
including inventing GML in 1969 which morphs into SGML a decade later
and after another decade, HTML at CERN) and one of my hobbies was
enhanced production operating systems for internal datacenters (one of
the first and long time customer was the branch office online
sales&marketing support HONE systems). CSC had originally planned on
getting 360/50 to hardware modify for virtual memory, but all the
spare 360/50s were going to FAA ATC program and they had to settle for
a 360/40 to modify. They then do CP40/CMS which morphs into CP67/CMS
when 360/67 standard with virtual memory is available.
At Dec81 ACM SIGOPS meeting, Jim Gray asks me if I can help Tandem
co-worker get their Stanford Phd. It involved Global LRU page
replacements and the forces from the late 60s ACM local LRU are
lobbying to block giving Phd for anything involving Global LRU. I had
lots of data on my 60s undergraduate Global LRU work and later at CSC,
that run 768kbyte 360/67 (104 pageable pages after fixed requirement)
with 75-80 users. I also had lots of data from the IBM Grenoble
Science Center that had modified CP67 to conform to the 60s ACM local
LRU literature (1mbyte 360/67, 155 pageable pages after fixed
requirement). CSC with 75-80 users had better response and throughput
(104 pages) than Grenoble running 35 users (similar workloads and
155pages). IBM executives (also) prohibited me from responding for
nearly a year (19Oct1982).
Early last decade, I was asked to track down executive decision to add
virtual memory to all 370s and found staff member that had reported to
executive making decision. Basically MVT storage management was so bad
that region sizes had to be specified four times larger than used,
limited standard 1mbyte, 370/165 to four concurrent running regions,
insufficient to keep system busy and justified. Running MVT in 16mbyte
virtual address space (similar to running MVT in a 360/67, CP/67
16mbyte virtual machine) allowed number of concurrent regions to be
increased by factor of four times (capped at 15 concurrent regions
because of 4bit storage protect key) with little or no paging. Ludlow
was doing the initial implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS on 360/67 (until
engineering 370 appeared with virtual memory) and I would drop by
periodically. He had a little bit of code for the 16mbyte virtual
address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was channel
programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and channels
required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for integrating
into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing virtual with
real addresses).
With decision to add virtual memory to all 370s, some of the CSC
people go to the 3rd flr taking over the IBM Boston Programming group
for VM370 Development (simplify/drop lot of CP67 features in morph to
VM370). At the same time some of us in CSC have joint project with
Endicott to modify my CP67L to add 370 virtual machine support for
CP67H. Then CP67H was modified for CP67I to run on 370
architecture. CP67I was in regular use for a year before virtual
memory engineering 370 was operational (and in fact was test case for
the 1st machine). Then a couple San Jose engineers come out and add
3330&2305 device support to CP67I for CP67SJ, which was in regular use
internally long after VM370R1 was running.
I had got into battle with POK performance group over algorithm for
page replacement ... eventually they said it really didn't make any
difference since SVS was planned to never do more than 3-5 paging
operations per second. Then late 70s, somebody in POK got award for
finally correcting it in MVS (they realized they were selecting high
usage shared LINKPACK pages for replacement, before low useage
application data pages).
To handle increasing system sizes, they need to move past the 15
region cap by 4bit storage protect key and there is VS2/MVS
follow-on. VS2/MVS gave each region a separate 16mbyte virtual address
space (to keep regions protected from other regions). However, OS/360
was heavily pointer passing API ... and so a 8mbyte image of the MVS
kernel was mapped into each virtual address space (leaving 8mbyte)
Then because each subsystem were given its own 16mbyte virtual address
space, the Common Segment Area (1mbyte CSA) was mapped into every
16mbyte virtual address (for passing region->subsystem calling
parameters), leaving 7mbytes. Then CSA space requirement was somewhat
proportional to number of concurrent regions and subsystems, and by
3033 the CSA (now Common System Area) had exploded to 5-6mbytes
(leaving regions 2-3mbytes), but threatening to become 8mbytes
(leaving zero) .... part of the mad rush to try and get to 370/XA and
MVS/XA.
HASP/ASP, JES2/JES3, NJE/NJI posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp
CICS and/or BDAM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#cics
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
Page Replacement and Paging I/O posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#wsclock
CP67L, CP67H, CP67I, CP67SJ, CSC/VM, SJR/VM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#cscvm
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
System Storage and Virtual Memory
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: System Storage and Virtual Memory
Date: 16 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#75 System Storage and Virtual Memory
Overlapped with adding virtual memory to all 370s, is the "Future
System" effort, completely different than 370 and planned to replace
all 370s. Internal politics was starting to kill off 370 efforts and
the lack of new 370s is credited with giving the clone 370 makers
(like Amdahl) their market foothold.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
When FS finally implodes, there is mad rush to get stuff back into the
370 product pipelines, including kicking off quick&dirty 3033&3081
efforts in parallel. One of the final nails in the FS coffin is
analysis by the IBM Houston Scientific Center that if 370/195
applications were redone for a FS machine made out of the fastest
technology available, it would have throughput of 370/145 (about 30
times slowdown). All during FS, I had continued to work on 360&370 and
periodically ridiculing FS.
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and *MAKE
NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that thereafter, IBM
lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the heavy investment
of face by the top management, F/S took years to kill, although its
wrong headedness was obvious from the very outset. "For the first
time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became politically dangerous,"
recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
Also after FS implodes I was asked to help with a 16-CPU 370
multiprocessor effort and we con the 3033 processor engineers into
helping in their spare time (a lot more interesting than remapping
168-3 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody thought it was great until
somebody tells head of POK that it could be decades before POK's
favorite son operating system ("MVS") had (effective) 16-CPU support
(MVS docs has multiprocessor support inefficient and 2-CPU system only
had 1.2-1.5 times the throughput of single CPU ... POK doesn't ship
16-CPU system until after turn of the century). The head of POK then
invites some of us to never visit POK again and directs 3033 processor
engineers, "heads down and no distractions".
Note after FS imploded, head of POK was lobbying corporate to kill the
VM370 product, shutdown the development group and move all the people
to POK (for MVS/XA) ... Endicott eventually manages to acquire the
VM370 product responsibility for the mid-range, but had to recreate a
development group from scratch.
I had put multiprocessor support back into VM370R3-base CSC/VM,
originally for US HONE so they could add a 2nd processor to all their
168s (and was getting twice throughput of 1-CPU systems). Trivia US
HONE had consolidated all their datacenters in Palo Alto (when
FACEBOOK 1st moved into silicon valley, it was into a new bldg built
next door to the former US HONE consolidated datacenter).
Also by late 70s, MVS had gotten extremely bloated and then retrofit a
little of 370/XA to 3033 (like dual address space mode) and do a hack
to 370 page tables to allow addressing up to 64mbytes of real
storage. VM370 needing to address virtual pages (above the 16mbyte
line) had to move them below the line. They originally were going to
use IDALs to write them to disk and then read them back in below the
line. I give them a virtual memory hack allowing them to move them
below the line with MVCL.
After being invited to never visit POK again, I transfer out to San
Jose Research and worked with Jim Gray and Vera Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_(computer_scientist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Watson
on original SQL/Relational, System/R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System_R
There was resistance from STL (now SVL), IMS, and the next great DBMS
effort, "EAGLE". Was able to do tech transfer to Endicott ("under the
radar" while company was preoccupied with "EAGLE") for SQL/DS. After
"EAGLE" implodes, there is a request for how fast can System/R be
ported to MVS, which is eventually released as DB2, originally for
decision support only. When Jim left SJR for Tandem in fall 1980, he
palmed off stuff on me (including asking that I consult for STL IMS).
I also got to wander around silicon valley datacenters, including disk
bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test across the street. They had
been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone testing and mentioned that
recently they had tried MVS, but it had 15min MTBF (in that
environment, requiring manual re-ipl). I offer to rewrite I/O
Supervisor, making it bullet proof and never fail allowing any amount
of ondemand, concurrent testing (greatly improving productivity). I
then do an internal research report "I/O Reliability Enhancement" and
happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down the wrath of the MVS
organization on my head.
Bldg15 gets the 1st engineering 3033 outside POK 3033 processor
engineering (trivia: after 3033s started shipping, 3033 processor
engineers start on trout/3090). Testing was only percent or two of
CPU, so we scrounge up a 3830 controller and 3330 string and setup our
own private online service. Summer 1978, bldg15 also gets engineering
E5/4341 (year before 1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears
about it and cons me into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for
national lab that was looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm
(sort of leading edge of the coming cluster supercomputer
tsunami). Spring 1979, some USAFDC (in the Pentagon) wanted to come by
to talk to me about 20 VM/4341 systems, visit kept being delayed, by
the time they came by (six months later), it had grown from 20 to
210. VM/4341s also contributed to HONE system
My (internal) SJR/VM systems were getting .11sec interactive system
response. Channel attached 3272/3277 had .086sec hardware response
(.11+.086=.196sec response). For the new 3274/3278, they moved a lot
of the terminal electronics back into the 3274, cutting 3278
manufacturing cost (driving up coax protocol chatter and driving
hardware response to .3-.5sec, depending on amount of data). This was
about the time studies showing quarter second respond improve
productivity. I had jokes/ridicule for 3278 to see quarter sec. the
system would need a time machine to send responses back in time so
they could arrive within .25sec. Complaint letters to the 3278 product
administrator got responses that 3278 wasn't intended for interactive
computing, but data entry. MVS/TSO never would notice the 3278 issues
since it was a very rare system that even saw 1sec interactive
response.
Note: both MULTICS and TSS/360 had single-level-store (page mapped)
filesystems ... and was adopted for Future System. FS throughput
issues in part gave single-level-store bad reputation inside IBM.
When I 1st joined CSC, I looked at MULTICS and said I could do
page-mapped filesystem for CP67/CMS (and joked I learned what not to
do from TSS//360). With my morph of CP67L to CSC/VM, I also moved CMS
paged-mapped filesystem to VM370.
Standard CP67 and then VM370 only allowed "shared pages" available for
the "IPL" command. My paged mapped CMS filesystem included all sort of
shared page support using files in CMS. A very small subset of this
used for VM370R3 "DCSS" (w/o the cms filesystem support). After 3380,
modest filesystem workloads my paged mapped filesystem had about three
times throughput of standard CMS. Also it degraded much more
gracefully as workload and number of users increased. Part of this,
standard filesystem CMS, VM370 had separate I/O operations for each
user I/O. With paged-mapped filesystem, I could combine/optimize
multiple user filesystem operations into single physical I/Os.
Trivia: various articles this century have pointed out that cache miss
for recent systems, the real storage latency when measured in count of
processor cycles is about the same as 60s, 360 physical disk I/O
latency when measured in count of 60s system processor cycles (aka
memory is the new disks).
Future System posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared-memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
Original SQL/relational, System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
HONE system posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
Page-mapped CMS filesystem
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#mmap
Page I/O and/or Page replacement posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#wsclock
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
System Storage and Virtual Memory
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: System Storage and Virtual Memory
Date: 16 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#75 System Storage and Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#76 System Storage and Virtual Memory
1988, branch office asks if I could help LLNL standardize some serial
stuff they were working with, which quickly becomes fibre-channel
standard ("FCS", including some stuff I had done in 1980, initially
1gbit transfer, full-duplex, aggregate 200mbyte/sec transfer). Then
IBM POK mainframe releases their serial stuff (when it is already
obsolete), "ESCON", 10mbyte/sec. Then some IBM POK engineers become
involved with FCS and define a heavy-weight protocol that radically
reduces throughput eventually released as "FICON". Latest public
benchmark I've found is 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" getting 2M IOPS using 104
FICON (20K IOPS/FICON). About the same time a native FCS is announced
for E5-2600 server blades getting over million IOPS (two such FCS
higher throughput than 104 FICON running over FCS). Note IBM docs has
SAPs (system assist processors that do actual I/O) CPU be kept to 70%
... or 1.5M IOPS ... also no CKD DASD have been made for decades (just
simulated with industry standard fixed-block devices).
This "Evolution of the System z Channel" (SHARE 2011 presentation at
wayback machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20170829213251/https://share.confex.com/share/117/webprogram/Handout/Session9931/9934pdhj%20v0.pdf
talks about after 2010 z196 "Peak I/O" benchmark and "zHPF" that
increased throughput from 20K IOPS/FICON to 52K IOPS/FICON then to 92K
IOPS/FICON (aka from 1/50th to almost 1/10th the native FCS announced
in 2010).
Also 1988, HA/6000 was approved, initially for NYTimes to move their
newspaper system ("ATEX") off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I then rename
it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc) and commercial cluster scale-up with
RDBMS vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster
support in same source base with Unix (I do distributed lock manager
with VAXCluster semantics to ease the RDBMS ports, both Oracle and
Ingres had lots of improvement suggestions over native
VAXCluster). IBM Toronto was in the process of doing "portable" RDBMS
("SHELBY"), originally for PS2 ... but it was far from having the
necessary features required by HA/CMP (later, lots of cosmetic so it
could also be branded "DB2")
IBM S/88 (relogo'ed Stratus) Product Administrator started taking us
around to their customers and also had me write a section for the
corporate continuous availability strategy document (it gets pulled
when both AS400/Rochester and mainframe/POK complain they couldn't
meet requirements). Had coined disaster survivability and
geographic survivability (as counter to disaster/recovery) when out
marketing HA/CMP.
Early Jan92, there was HA/CMP meeting with Oracle CEO and IBM/AWD
executive Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters
by mid92 and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid-jan92, I update FSD on
HA/CMP work with national labs and FSD decides to go with HA/CMP for
federal supercomputers. By end of Jan92, we are told that cluster
scale-up is being transferred to Kingston for announce as IBM
Supercomputer (SP, technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we aren't allowed
to work with anything that has more than four systems (we leave IBM a
few months later). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
Some speculation that commercial HA/CMP would have eaten IBM mainframe
in commercial market ... 1993 industry benchmarks (number of program
iterations compared to industry MIPS reference platform):
• IBM ES/9000-982 : 8CPU 408MIPS, (51MIPS/CPU)
• IBM RS6000/990 (RIOS chipset) : 1-CPU: 126MIPS
The executive we had reported to, goes over to head up Somerset/AIM
(Apple, IBM, Motorola) to do single chip 801, uses Motorola 88K
cache&bus enabling multiprocessor configurations.
In the mid-90s, the i86 chip makers then do hardware layer that
translates i86 instructions into RISC micro-ops for actual execution,
largely negating the performance difference with RISC platforms. 1999
industry benchmarks:
• IBM PowerPC 440: 1,000MIPS
• Intel Pentium3: 2,054MIPS
Dec2000 (IBM mainframe) benchmark:
• IBM z900 16CPU: 2.5BIPS, 156MIPS/CPU
2010 benchmarks:
• IBM max-configured Z196, 80 cores: 50BIPS, 625MIPS/core
• Intel E5-2600 server blade, 16 cores: 500BIPS, 31.25BIPS/core
Few mainframe industry benchmarks since earlier this century, so have
to infer MIPS using IBM pubs that give throughput increase since
previous generation:
• z900, 16 processors 2.5BIPS (156MIPS/core), Dec2000
• z990, 32 cores, 9BIPS, (281MIPS/core), 2003
• z9, 54 cores, 18BIPS (333MIPS/core), July2005
• z10, 64 cores, 30BIPS (469MIPS/core), Feb2008
• z196, 80 cores, 50BIPS (625MIPS/core), Jul2010
• EC12, 101 cores, 75BIPS (743MIPS/core), Aug2012
• z13, 140 cores, 100BIPS (710MIPS/core), Jan2015
• z14, 170 cores, 150BIPS (862MIPS/core), Aug2017
• z15, 190 cores, 190BIPS (1000MIPS/core), Sep2019
• z16, 200 cores, 222BIPS (1111MIPS/core), Sep2022
• z17, 208 cores, 260BIPS (1250MIPS/core), Jun2025
on 768kbyte (104 pageable pages) 360/67, I would get 80 CMS users with
fast interactive system response and moderate CMS mix-mode
(interactive/compile/execute) workload. Decade later, 3081K had approx
30-40 times processing power & 30-40 times pageable pages... in
theory should be able to get 2400-3200 users. I wrote a tome showing
that disks got 4-5 faster during the interval while processing got at
least 30 times faster (and number of users increased by factor of 4-5,
proportional to disk throughput). GPD/disk division executive took
exception and assigned the disk division performance group to refute
my claim. After a few weeks, they came back and basically said I had
slightly understated the issues. This was respun for SHARE
presentation on how to optimize filesystems (16Aug1984, SHARE 63,
B874) for throughput.
1980, STL (since renamed SVL) was bursting at the seams and 300 people
(and 3270s) from the IMS group were being relocated to offsite bldg
with dataprocessing service back to STL datacenter. They had tried
"remote 3270" but found human factors were totally unacceptable. STL
then cons me into implementing channel-extender support allowing
channel attached 3270 controllers to be placed in the offsite bldg
with no perceivable difference in human factors. STL had been
spreading 3270 controllers across 168 channels with 3330 disks and
found that when the 3270 controllers were connected by
channel-extenders, system throughput increased 10-15%
(channel-extender support had much lower real 168 channel busy for
same amount 3270 activity, reducing interference with 3330 DASD I/O)
FCS &/or FICON posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#ficon
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
channel-extender posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#channel.extender
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
370 Compare-and-Swap
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: 370 Compare-and-Swap
Date: 17 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
370 "redbook" for packaged in red 3ring binders ... one of 1st main
stream ibm documents done with CMS script/gml. Command line parameter
would print full 370 redbook or the principle of operations subset.
370/xa architecture was set of "811" (for nov78 publication)
registered confidential documents (required to be locked in file
cabinet that had additional combination padlock) ... random audits by
site security.
trivia: Charlie had invented compare and swap when he was doing
fine grain kernel multiprocessor CP67 locking at the science center
(name chosen because "C.A.S" were charlie's initials) ... then
lobbying 370 architecture owners to have it added to 370
architecture. We got push back, they said that the POK favorite son
operating system owners (2 processor MVT 360/65MP, evolves into MVS
SMP) said 360 test-and-set was sufficient. Padegs/Smith challenged us
for some single processor uses to justify adding. Padegs/Smith then do
CAS as CS (one word) and CDS (double word)
science center posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
posts mentioning Charlie's compare-and-swap
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#34 Retrotechtacular: The IBM System/360 Remembered
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019e.html#8 To Anne & Lynn Wheeler, if still observing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005.html#21 The Soul of Barb's New Machine (was Re: creat)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004q.html#30 High Level Assembler for MVS & VM & VSE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003.html#72 Disk drives as commodities. Was Re: Yamhill
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002l.html#69 The problem with installable operating systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002h.html#21 PowerPC Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001k.html#65 SMP idea for the future
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001k.html#8 Minimalist design (was Re: Parity - why even or odd)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/97.html#19 Why Mainframes?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
"The end of software secrecy is almost upon us"
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: "The end of software secrecy is almost upon us"
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:19:58 -1000
kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) writes:
Pascal is a teaching language with a lot of restrictions on it, basically
designed to be a more flexible Algol.
As such, it's not really usable as a development language without extensions,
and everybody's extensions are different. The Borland extensions are really
good, though, and make Pascal into an excellent development language.
The Delphi extensions were good too... but they were different and not
compatible with the Borland extensions.
The nice thing about Pascal is the restrictions. It is possible to hurt
yourself with pointers in Pascal, but nowhere near as easily as with C.
IBM Los Gatos lab was doing lots of stuff with Metaware's TWS
... eventually doing a mainframe Pascal for implementing VLSI chip
design tools ... which led to VS/PASCAL for mainframe and RS6000 unix
workstation (including used for implementing mainframe TCP/IP product)
1992, IBM has one of the largest losses in history of US companies and
was being reorganized into the 13 "baby blues" in preparation for
breaking up the company (take-off on "baby bells" breakup a decade
earlier)
https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977353-1,00.html
we had already left IBM but get a call from the bowels of Armonk asking
if we could help with the breakup of the company. Before we get started,
the board brings in the former president of Amex as CEO to try and save
the company, who (somewhat) reverses the breakup.
Part of IBM restructure was unloading vlsi tools on industry tool vendor
... and they required it run on SUN platforms (pervasive in the
industry). I got a contract to port a 50,000 statement vs/pascal VLSI
application to SUN (pascal ... in retrospect it would have been easier
to have rewitten it in "C"). SUN pascal appeared to have been limited to
educational uses *AND* support had been outsourced to an organization on
the opposite side of the planet (easy to walk into sun hdqtrs, but
didn't actually help a lot).
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
EMAIL, VMSG, PROFS
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: EMAIL, VMSG, PROFS
Date: 23 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
PROFS started collecting some internal apps for wrapping 3270 menus
around. Picked up very early version of VMSG for the email
client. When the VMSG author tried to offer them an enhanced version
of VMSG, they tried to have him separated from the IBM company. The
whole thing quieted down when he showed all VMSG (& PROFS) email, had
his initials in a non-displayed field. After that, he only shared his
source with me and one other person.
Note about the science center network (by one of the CSC members
originally hired to promote the network use, then one of the inventors
of GML in 1969, after a decade it morphs into SGML, and after another
decade morphs into HTML at CERN)
https://web.archive.org/web/20230402212558/http://www.sgmlsource.com/history/jasis.htm
Actually, the law office application was the original motivation for
the project, something I was allowed to do part-time because of my
knowledge of the user requirements. My real job was to encourage the
staffs of the various scientific centers to make use of the
CP-67-based Wide Area Network that was centered in Cambridge.
... snip ...
morphs into the IBM corporate internal network (larger than
arpanet/internet from the beginning until sometime mid/late 80s
... about the time it was forced to convert to SNA/VTAM), technology
also used for the corporate sponsored univ BITNET (EARN in Europe)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BITNET
CTSS/7094 email
https://www.multicians.org/thvv/anhc-34-1-anec.html
History of Electronic Mail
https://www.multicians.org/thvv/mail-history.html
IBM CP/CMS had electronic mail as early as 1966, and was widely used
within IBM in the 1970s. Eventually this facility evolved into the
PROFS product in the 1980s.
... snip ...
aka, some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people had gone to MULTICS on the 5th
flr. Others went to the IBM Cambridge Science Center on the 4th flr
and did virtual machines, network, lots of online and performance
apps, etc.
science center posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
GML, SGML, HTML posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml
internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
some CTSS, EMAIL, VMSG, PROFS posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#102 Cambridge Scientific Center, VNET, GML, PROFS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#83 HONE, Virtual Machines, Internal Network, EMAIL, PROFS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#56 IBM HONE and EMAIL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#90 Early EMAIL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#77 Early EMAIL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#43 PROFS, VMSG, 3270
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#19 IBM Online Apps, Network, Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#5 PROFS and other CMS applications
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#103 IBM CSC, HONE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#109 Internal Network, Profs and VMSG
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#43 IBM OS/2 & M'soft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#32 IBM Internal Apps, Retain, HONE, CCDN, ITPS, Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#113 IBM VNET/RSCS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#6 Interactive Response
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#99 PROFS, SCRIPT, GML, Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#78 IBM TLA
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021i.html#86 IBM EMAIL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021h.html#50 PROFS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#37 HA/CMP Marketing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#54 PROFS, email, 3270
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018c.html#15 Old word processors
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018.html#18 IBM Profs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015g.html#98 PROFS & GML
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015c.html#94 VM370 Logo Screen
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014g.html#98 After the Sun (Microsystems) Sets, the Real Stories Come Out
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014e.html#48 Before the Internet: The golden age of online service
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Early 360, BPS, PCP, MFT, MVT, CP67/CMS
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Early 360, BPS, PCP, MFT, MVT, CP67/CMS
Date: 23 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Undergraduate, took two credit hour intro to
fortran/computers. Student keypunch room had 15-20 026 keypunch and
407 that could feed deck in and get printed listing (did play with 407
plug board). End of semester, I was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360
assembler for 360/30. Univ. was getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing
709/1401 and got 360/30 temporarily replacing 1401 pending arrival of
360/67. Univ. shutdown datacenter on weekends and I would have place
dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made monday classes hard). I was
given pile of hardware and software manuals and got to design and
implement my own monitor, interrupt handlers, device drivers, storage
management, error recovery, etc ... and within a few weeks had 2000
card assembler program (stand alone monitor, booted with BPS
loader). Some weekends, production had finished early and when I came
in the 360/30 wouldn't power up. With lots of reading and trail&error,
I find if I put all the controllers into CE-mode, I can power on the
360/30, power on all the controllers, and then take all the
controllers out of CE-mode. Some memory of IBM SE gen'ing PCP6 for
360/30.
The 360/67 arrived within a year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 not coming to
production). 709 did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as
360/65) os/360 (MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting
time in half. MFT11, I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 (partial tray) to
carefully place datasets and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS
directory) multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than 709 until I install Univ
Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at 20,000 statements/min
(333statements/sec), student fortran tended to run 30-60 statements.
Then CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after CSC
itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with it during
my weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting
pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine test
ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few
months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start
rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler (dynamic adaptive resource
manager/default fair share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered
seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs
(from FIFO and optimized for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging
drum from 70-80 4k transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six
months after univ initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class
in LA. I arrive on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it
turns out that the people that were going to teach it had resigned the
Friday before to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online
spin-offs
Then the univ. library gets an ONR grant to do an online catalog and
some of the money went for a 2321 datacell. And after IBM unbundling
announcement, library catalog was also selected as betatest for CICS
program product and CICS support was added to my tasks. As already
found, OS/360 features were extremely high overhead and CICS was
implemented to get all the OS/360 resources they could at startup and
do their own implementation (open files, optain large block of
storage, do their own task scheduling/dispatching, file access,
storage management, etc ... aka similar motivation as went into
WATFOR).
Before graduate, I was hired fulltime into small group in the Boeing
CFO office to help with the formation of Boeing Computer Services
(consolidate all dataprocessing into an independent business unit). I
think Renton datacenter largest in the world, 360/65s arriving faster
than they could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways
around the machine room (jokes about Boeing getting 360/65s like other
companies acquired keypunches). Lots of politics between Renton
director and CFO, who only had a 360/30 for payroll up at Boeing field
(although they enlarge the room for a 1mbyte 360/67 for me to play
with when I wasn't doing other stuff, sort of my personal
computer). While at Boeing I do the CP67 modifications to "page" low
usage portions of the CP67 kernel (helping customers with 360/67 with
less than 1mbyte storage). Note starting CP67 kernel install required
BPS loader to read the text decks, and then the storage image is
written to disk. BPS loader had a limit of 255 ESD entries and
pageable kernel mods drove CP67 over 255. I then had all sort of hacks
to keep ESD entries under 256.
Note: both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement day,
Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest paid
IBM employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM
shifts to quota the following year.
Also Boeing Huntsville had ordered 2-CPU 360/67 for TSS/360 with a lot
of 2250s for CAD/CAM. TSS/360 hadn't come to production, so they ran
it as two MVT13 360/65 systems. Then they ran into the MVT storage
management problems and made some simple virtual memory modifications
to MVT13 (as partial countermeasure, predating VS2/SVS).
After graduating, I joined IBM CSC (instead of staying with Boeing
CFO; note some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Time-Sharing_System
people went to the 5th flr and MULTICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics
others went to the 4th flr and IBM Cambridge Science Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Scientific_Center
and did virtual machines, internal network, lots of online
apps, including inventing GML in 1969 which morphs into SGML a decade
later and after another decade, HTML at CERN) and one of my hobbies
was enhanced production operating systems for internal datacenters
(one of the first and long time customer was the branch office online
sales&marketing support HONE systems). CSC had originally planned
on getting 360/50 to hardware modify for virtual memory, but all the
spare 360/50s were going to FAA ATC program and they had to settle for
a 360/40 to modify. They then do CP40/CMS which morphs into CP67/CMS
when 360/67 standard with virtual memory is available.
I find a copy of BPS source in a card cabinet in 545 Tech Sq attic and
increase the no. ESDs to more than 255.
Science Center posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
CICS/BDAM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#cics
a few 709, 1401, bps, 360, watfo, boeing cfo posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#73 Old Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#68 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#49 Home Terminal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#43 position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#31 Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#91 IBM Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#20 IBM 360/30, 360/65, 360/67 Work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#87 IBM 360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#43 Univ, Boeing Renton and "Spook Base"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#83 360 CARD IPL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#57 CMS OS/360 Simulation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019b.html#51 System/360 consoles
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#51 All programmers that developed in machine code and Assembly in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s died?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
IBM Unbundling, Virtual Memory, Future System
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM Unbundling, Virtual Memory, Future System
Date: 23 Oct, 2026
Blog: Facebook
trivia: IBM US 23Jun1969 unbundling announcement started charging for
(application) software (made case kernel software was still free), SE
services, maint, etc. SE training used to be part of group of SEs at
customer site. After unbundling, IBM couldn't figure out how NOT to
charge for trainee SEs at the customer's location. Eventually it was
decided to deploy several CP67 datacenters where branch office SEs
would dial-in and practice with guest operating systems running in
virtual machines. CSC also ported APL\360 to CMS as CMS\APL, replacing
16kbyte swapped workspaces with large virtual memory, demand paged
workspaces ... also APIs supporting use of system services like file
I/O ... enabling real world applications. HONE then started offering
online CMS\APL-based sales&marketing support applications which came
to dominate all HONE CP67 use (and guest operating system use just
withered away, and new SE skills began to atrophy).
Early last decade, I was asked to track down executive decision to add
virtual memory to all 370s and found staff member that had reported to
executive making decision. Basically MVT storage management was so bad
that region sizes had to be specified four times larger than used,
limited standard 1mbyte, 370/165 to four concurrent running regions,
insufficient to keep system busy and justified. Running MVT in 16mbyte
virtual address space (similar to running MVT in a 360/67, CP/67
16mbyte virtual machine) allowed number of concurrent regions
to be increased by factor of four times (capped at 15 concurrent
regions because of 4bit storage protect key) with little or no
paging. Ludlow was doing the initial implementation of MVT->VS2/SVS
on 360/67 (until engineering 370 appeared with virtual memory) and I
would drop by periodically. He had a little bit of code for the
16mbyte virtual address space and some simple paging. Biggest task was
channel programs passed to EXCP/SVC0 now had virtual addresses and
channels required real addresses and he borrows CP67's CCWTRANS for
integrating into EXCP (creating channel program copies, replacing
virtual with real addresses).
With decision to add virtual memory to all 370s, some of CSC went to
the 3rd flr taking over the IBM Boston Programming Center for the
VM370 development group. In the morph of CP67->VM370 stuff was
simplified and/or dropped. When I graduated and join CSC (instead of
staying with Boeing CFO), one of my hobbies was enhanced production
operating systems for internal datacenters and HONE was one of my
first and long time customers. I then started adding lots of stuff
back into VM370R2 for my internal CSC/VM and US HONE datacenters were
all consolidated in Palo Alto (when FACEBOOK 1st moved into silicon
valley, it was into new bldg built next door to the former US HONE
datacenter) running VM370/CMS. For VM370R3-base CSC/VM I add a lot
more stuff, including muliprocessor support, initially for HONE so
they could add 2nd processor to their 370/168s (getting twice the
throughput of 1-CPU systems).
Note: Some remaining people in CSC also started joint project with
Endicott to add (virtaul memory) 370 virtual machines to my
CP67L, CP67H. Then CP67H was modified to run with 370 virtual memory,
CP67I. CP67H & CP67I were in regular use before the first
engineering 370 with virtual memory was operational. Cambridge also
had users from Boston area educational institutions (staff,
instructors, students) so CP67H ran in 360/67 virtual machine
(to minimize unannounced virtual memory details from leaking) i.e.
• real 360/67
• ... running CP67L
• ...... running CP67H in 360/67 virtual machine
•......... running CP67I in 370 virtual machine
CP67I was also used as test case for initial engineering 370 with
virtual memory. Some San Jose engineers come out and add 2305 &
3330 device support to CP67I for CP67SJ, which was in regular use on
engineering 370 virtual memory machines.
Overlapped with adding virtual memory to all 370s, is the "Future
System" effort, completely different than 370 and planned to replace
all 370s. Internal politics was starting to kill off 370 efforts and
the lack of new 370s is credited with giving the clone 370 makers
(like Amdahl) their market foothold.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
When FS finally implodes, there is mad rush to get stuff back into the
370 product pipelines, including kicking off quick&dirty
3033&3081 efforts in parallel. One of the final nails in the FS
coffin is analysis by the IBM Houston Scientific Center that if
370/195 applications were redone for a FS machine made out of the
fastest technology available, it would have throughput of 370/145
(about 30 times slowdown). All during FS, I had continued to work on
360&370 and periodically ridiculing FS.
... from "Computer Wars: The Post-IBM World"
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Wars-The-Post-IBM-World/dp/1587981394/
... and perhaps most damaging, the old culture under Watson Snr and Jr
of free and vigorous debate was replaced with *SYNCOPHANCY* and
*MAKE NO WAVES* under Opel and Akers. It's claimed that
thereafter, IBM lived in the shadow of defeat ... But because of the
heavy investment of face by the top management, F/S took years to
kill, although its wrong headedness was obvious from the very
outset. "For the first time, during F/S, outspoken criticism became
politically dangerous," recalls a former top executive
... snip ...
Also after FS implodes I was asked to help with a 16-CPU 370
multiprocessor effort and we con the 3033 processor engineers into
helping in their spare time (a lot more interesting than remapping
168-3 logic to 20% faster chips). Everybody thought it was great until
somebody tells head of POK that it could be decades before POK's
favorite son operating system ("MVS") had (effective) 16-CPU support
(MVS docs has multiprocessor support inefficient and 2-CPU system only
had 1.2-1.5 times the throughput of single CPU ... POK doesn't ship
16-CPU system until after turn of the century). The head of POK then
invites some of us to never visit POK again and directs 3033 processor
engineers, "heads down and no distractions".
I had transferred out to SJR on the west coast and got to wander
around silicon valley datacenters (and consolidated HONE was just up
the road), including disk bldg14/engineering and bldg15/product test
across the street. They had been doing 7/24, prescheduled stand-alone
testing and mentioned that recently they had tried MVS, but it had
15min MTBF (in that environment, requiring manual re-ipl). I offer to
rewrite I/O Supervisor, making it bullet proof and never fail allowing
any amount of ondemand, concurrent testing (greatly improving
productivity). I then do an internal research report "I/O Reliability
Enhancement" and happen to mention MVS 15min MTBF, bringing down the
wrath of the MVS organization on my head.
Bldg15 gets the 1st engineering 3033 outside POK 3033 processor
engineering (trivia: after 3033s started shipping, 3033 processor
engineers start on trout/3090). Testing was only percent or two of
CPU, so we scrounge up a 3830 controller and 3330 string and setup our
own private online service. Summer 1978, bldg15 also gets engineering
E5/4341 (year before 1st customer ship). Jan1979, branch office hears
about it and cons me into doing (CDC6600 Fortran) benchmark for
national lab that was looking at getting 70 VM4341s for compute farm
(sort of leading edge of the coming cluster supercomputer
tsunami). Spring 1979, some USAFDC (in the Pentagon) wanted to come by
to talk to me about 20 VM/4341 systems, visit kept being delayed, by
the time they came by (six months later), it had grown from 20 to
210. VM/4341s also contributed to HONE systems sprouting up all over
the world.
After Endicott's 4341 started shipping in 1979, distributed computing
really took off, large corporations were ordering hundreds of VM/4341s
at a time for distributing out in departmental areas (inside IBM,
departmental conference rooms were becoming scarce as they were
converted to VM/4341 rooms) ... sort of the leading edge of the coming
distributed computing tsunami. MVS wanted some of the exploding
distributed market, one of the problems was MVS tended to have scores
of support people per system, while distributed VM/4341s was more like
scores of systems per support person.
23june1969 Unbundling posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#unbundle
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
HONE posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone
SMP, tightly-coupled, shared-memory multiprocessor posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#smp
getting to play disk engineer posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk
internal CP67L, CSC/VM, SJR/VM systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#cscvm
some cp67l, cp67h, cp67i, cp67sj posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#75 System Storage and Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#60 IBM S/370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#48 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#98 IBM 360&370 Experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#13 IBM CP67 Multi-leavel Update
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#91 IBM VM370 And Pascal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#73 Early Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#29 IBM 370 Virtual memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#68 ARPANET & IBM Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#88 Virtual Machines
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#44 IBM 360/65 & 360/67 Multiprocessors
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022g.html#32 Early EMAIL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#59 CMS OS/360 Simulation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022.html#12 Programming Skills
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021g.html#34 IBM Fan-fold cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#75 CP67 & EMAIL history
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011l.html#27 computer bootlaces
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
"The end of software secrecy is almost upon
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: "The end of software secrecy is almost upon
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:29:50 -1000
boltar writes:
Virtual machine? Wrong language , comp.lang.java is that way --->
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#79 The end of software secrecy is almost upon us
some of the CTSS/7094 went to the 5th flr to do Multics, others went to
the IBM Cambridge Science Center on the 4th flr and did virtual machines
(wanted 360/50 to modify with virtual memory but all the extras were
going to FAA ATC project, so had to settle for 360/40 to modify with
virtual memory and did CP40/CMS which morphs into CP67/CMS when 360/67
standard with virtual memory becomes available, precursor to VM370/CMS),
CP67-based science center wide-area network (morphs into internal
corporate network larger than arpanet/internet from beginning until
sometime mid/late 80s when forced to convert to SNA/VTAM, technology
also had been used for corporate sponsord univ BITNET), invented GML in
1969 (decade later morphs in SGML and after another decade morphs into
HTML at CERN), etc
I had taken 2credit hr intro to Fortran/Computers. At end of semester, I
was hired to rewrite 1401 MPIO in 360 assembler for 360/30. Univ. was
getting 360/67 for tss/360 replacing 709/1401 and got 360/30 temporarily
replacing 1401 pending arrival of 360/67. Univ. shutdown datacenter on
weekends and I would have place dedicated (although 48hrs w/o sleep made
monday classes hard). I was given pile of hardware and software manuals
and got to design and implement my own monitor, interrupt handlers,
device drivers, storage management, error recovery, etc ... and within a
few weeks had 2000 card assembler program (stand alone monitor, booted
with BPS loader). Sometimes I would come in and production had finished
early and everything had been powered off (and 360/30 wouldn't power
on). Some number of documents and trail/error found if I put all the
controllers in CE-mode, power on 360/30, power on all the controllers
(and then take out of CE-mode).
The 360/67 arrived within a year of taking intro class and I was hired
fulltime responsible for os/360 (tss/360 not coming to production). 709
did student fortran in less than second. 360/67 (as 360/65) os/360
(MFT9.5) took over a minute, I install HASP cutting time in half. MFT11,
I start redoing SYSGEN STAGE2 (partial tray) to carefully place datasets
and PDS members to optimize arm seek and (PDS directory) multi-track
search, cutting another 2/3rds to 12.9secs. OS/360 never got better than
709 until I install Univ Waterloo WATFOR; as 360/65, WATFOR clocked at
20,000 statements/min (333statements/sec), student fortran tended to run
30-60 statements.
Then CSC came out to install (virtual machine) CP/67 (3rd after CSC
itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I mostly get to play with it during my
weekend 48hr window. I then spend a few months rewriting pathlengths for
running OS/360 in virtual machine. Bare machine test ran 322secs
... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU 534secs). After a few months I had CP67
CPU down from 534secs to 113secs. I then start rewriting the
dispatcher/scheduler (dynamic adaptive resource manager/default fair
share scheduling policy), paging, adding ordered seek queuing (from
FIFO) and mutli-page transfer channel programs (from FIFO and optimized
for transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging drum from 70-80 4k
transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six months after univ
initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class in LA. I arrive on
Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it turns out that the
people that were going to teach it had resigned the Friday before to
join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online spin-offs
Before graduate, I was hired fulltime into small group in the Boeing CFO
office to help with the formation of Boeing Computer Services
(consolidate all dataprocessing into an independent business unit). I
think Renton datacenter largest in the world, 360/65s arriving faster
than they could be installed, boxes constantly staged in hallways around
the machine room (jokes about Boeing getting 360/65s like other
companies acquired keypunches). Lots of politics between Renton director
and CFO, who only had a 360/30 for payroll up at Boeing field (although
they enlarge the room for a 1mbyte 360/67 for me to play with when I
wasn't doing other stuff, sort of my personal computer).
trivia: both Boeing and IBM told stories about 360 announcement day,
Boeing submitted an order making the IBM marketing rep, highest paid IBM
employee that year. Sales were still straight commission; IBM shifts to
quota the following year.
When I graduate, I join the science center (instead of staying with
Boeing CFO)
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
a few 709, 1401, bps, 360, watfo, boeing cfo posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#73 Old Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#68 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#49 Home Terminal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#43 position-independent code (was Re: CMS, Self-hosting and the 6502)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#31 Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#91 IBM Computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024f.html#20 IBM 360/30, 360/65, 360/67 Work
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#87 IBM 360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#43 Univ, Boeing Renton and "Spook Base"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#83 360 CARD IPL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022d.html#57 CMS OS/360 Simulation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2019b.html#51 System/360 consoles
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018f.html#51 All programmers that developed in machine code and Assembly in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s died?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
what's a process, was The end of software secrecy is almost
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: what's a process, was The end of software secrecy is almost upon
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++, alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:36:29 -1000
Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> writes:
In the old days before IUCV or VMCF I did a multi-process application
on VM by using a file to pass data among processes. Surprisingly, it
worked well.
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#79 The end of software secrecy is almost upon us
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#83 The end of software secrecy is almost upon us
Some of the MIT CTSS/7094 people went to the 5th flr for Multics (which
spawns unix). Others went to the 4th flr for IBM Cambridge Scientific
Center and did virtual machines (originally wanted 360/50 to hardware
mods adding virtual memory, but all the spare ones were going to FAA ATC
effort, so they had to settle for 360/40 and did CP40/CMS, which morphs
into CP67/CMS when 360/67 standard with virtual memory becomes
available), science center wide-area network which mophs into the
internal corporate network RSCS/VNET (larger than arpanet/internet from
the beginning until sometime mid/late 80s about the time it was forced to
convert to SNA/VTAM), performance and online apps (including email, ctss
runoff became "script", invented GML in 1969 and GML tags added to
script), etc.
SPM was done by IBM Pisa Scientific Center for CP/67. In the decision to
add virtual memory to all 370s, some of the CSC people went to 3rd flr
taking over the IBM Boston Programming Center for the vm370 development
group, in the morph of CP67->VM370 lots of stuff was simplified and/or
dropped. When I joined IBM, one of my hobbies was enhanced production
operating systems for internal datacenters. For VM370R2-base, I started
adding lots of stuff back in for my CSC/VM (and it included SPM)
Then for VM370R3-base CSC/VM, I added lot more stuff back in, including
multiprocessor support. The development group had introduced VMCF in
VM370R3. Then the head of POK (high-end 370s) had convinced corporate to
kill VM370, shutdown the development group and transfer all the people
to POK for MVS/XA. Endicott (mid-range 370s) was able to acquire the
VM370 product mission but had to recreate a development group from
scratch. For VM370, Endicott introduces IUCV and SMSG.
However, one of the issues was that SPM (from CP67) was a superset of
VMCF, IUCV, and SMSG.
trivia: The REXX author did a multi-user, client/server, SPM-based
spacewar game and since RSCS/VNET had full SPM support, clients weren't
limited to the same physical machine as the server (anywhere on internal
network). note: almost immediately robot clients appeared beating all
human clients. the server then was tweaked to increase power use
non-linear as client responses dropped below human threasholds.
CSC posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech
CP67L, CSC/VM, SJR/VM posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#cscvm
some posts mentioning SPM and space-war game:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026.html#37 IBM Internal Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#32 IBM Internal Apps, Retain, HONE, CCDN, ITPS, Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#113 IBM VNET/RSCS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#16 IBM VM/CMS Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#116 CMS 3270 Multi-user SPACEWAR Game
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025.html#114 IBM 370 Virtual Memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#97 CMS Computer Games
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#43 Chat Rooms and Social Media
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#82 rusty iron why ``folklore''?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#45 Automated Operator
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#70 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#116 Computer Games
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#110 CSC, HONE, 23Jun69 Unbundling, Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#46 Vintage IBM Mainframes & Minicomputers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023b.html#86 Online systems fostering online communication
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#44 Adventure Game
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022f.html#94 Foreign Language
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022e.html#96 Enhanced Production Operating Systems II
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022e.html#1 IBM Games
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#81 Peer-Coupled Shared Data
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022c.html#33 CMSBACK & VMFPLC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021c.html#11 Air Force thinking of a new F-16ish fighter
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021b.html#62 Early Computer Use
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2020.html#46 Watch AI-controlled virtual fighters take on an Air Force pilot on August 18th
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2018e.html#104 The (broken) economics of OSS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016h.html#5 "I used a real computer at home...and so will you" (Popular Science May 1967)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016c.html#1 You count as an old-timer if (was Re: Origin of the phrase "XYZZY")
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016b.html#17 IBM Destination z - What the Heck Is JCL and Why Does It Look So Funny?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015g.html#99 PROFS & GML
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015d.html#9 PROFS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014g.html#93 Costs of core
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014e.html#48 Before the Internet: The golden age of online service
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2014.html#1 Application development paradigms [was: RE: Learning Rexx]
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013j.html#38 1969 networked word processor "Astrotype"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#27 RBS Mainframe Meltdown: A year on, the fallout is still coming
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#77 Spacewar! on S/360
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#68 Should you support or abandon the 3270 as a User Interface?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012j.html#7 Operating System, what is it?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#64 Typeface (font) and city identity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#38 Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#24 Inventor of e-mail honored by Smithsonian
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011i.html#66 Wasn't instant messaging on IBM's VM/CMS in the early 1980s
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#45 My first mainframe experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010k.html#33 Was VM ever used as an exokernel?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010h.html#0 What is the protocal for GMT offset in SMTP (e-mail) header time-stamp?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#22 Was CMS multi-tasking?
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Internet Browsers
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Internet Browsers
Date: 01 Nov, 2026
Blog: Facebook
from google search:
Netscape was founded by Jim Clark, a Silicon Graphics founder, and
Marc Andreessen, the creator of the original Mosaic web browser, in
April 1994, launching as Mosaic Communications before becoming
Netscape to develop the widely popular and user-friendly Netscape
Navigator browser that fueled the early web boom.
... snip ...
early 80s, I got HSDT project, T1 and faster computer links (both
terrestrial and satellite) and battles with SNA group (60s, IBM had
2701 supporting T1, 70s with SNA/VTAM and issues, links were capped at
56kbit ... and I had to mostly resort to non-IBM hardware). Also was
working with NSF director and was suppose to get $20M to interconnect
the NSF Supercomputer centers. NSF gave grant to Univ. Cal to build
Berkeley supercomputer center and I was asked to give them talks on
the interconnect. Turns out regents had san diego getting the next new
bldg ... and it became the San Diego Supercomputer center
instead. Then congress cuts the budget, some other things happened and
eventually there was RFP released (in part based on what we already
had running). NSF 28Mar1986 Preliminary Announcement:
https://web.archive.org/web/20260311074443/https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#12
The OASC has initiated three programs: The Supercomputer Centers
Program to provide Supercomputer cycles; the New Technologies Program
to foster new supercomputer software and hardware developments; and
the Networking Program to build a National Supercomputer Access
Network - NSFnet.
... snip ...
IBM internal politics was not allowing us to bid. The NSF director
tried to help by writing the company a letter (3Apr1986, NSF Director
to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research,
copying IBM CEO) with support from other gov. agencies ... but that
just made the internal politics worse (as did claims that what we
already had operational was at least 5yrs ahead of the winning bid),
as regional networks connect in, NSFnet becomes the NSFNET backbone,
precursor to modern internet
... aka NCSA ... grant for new "supercomputer software"
https://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/
1988, IBM HA/6000 was approved, initially for NYTimes to migrate their
newspaper system off DEC VAXCluster to RS/6000. I rename it HA/CMP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_High_Availability_Cluster_Multiprocessing
when I start doing technical/scientific cluster scale-up with national
labs (LANL, LLNL, NCAR, etc, also porting LLNL LINCS and NCAR
filesystems to HA/CMP) and commercial cluster scale-up with RDBMS
vendors (Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix) that had VAXCluster support
in same source base with unix (also do DLM supporting VAXCluster
semantics).
Early Jan92, have a meeting with Oracle CEO where IBM AWD executive
Hester tells Ellison that we would have 16-system clusters by mid92
and 128-system clusters by ye92. Mid Jan92, convince IBM FSD to bid
HA/CMP for gov. supercomputers. Late Jan92, cluster scale-up is
transferred for announce as IBM Supercomputer (for
technical/scientific *ONLY*) and we are told we can't do clusters with
anything that involve more than four systems (we leave IBM a few
months later). Partially blamed FSD going up to the IBM Kingston
supercomputer group to tell them they were adopting HA/CMP for
gov. bids (of course somebody was going to have to do it
eventually). A couple weeks later, 17feb1992, Computerworld news
... IBM establishes laboratory to develop parallel systems (pg8)
https://archive.org/details/sim_computerworld_1992-02-17_26_7
After leaving IBM, was brought in as consultant to small client/server
startup, two former Oracle people (that had worked on HA/CMP and were
in the Ellison/Hester meeting) are there responsible for something
called "commerce server" and they want to do payment transactions. The
startup had also invented this stuff they called "SSL" they want to
use, it is now frequently called "e-commerce". I had responsibility
for everything between web servers and payment networks, including the
payment gateways.
I was told that NCSA complained that they couldn't use the name
"MOSAIC" and they acquired "NETSCAPE" from another silicon valley
company.
I then do talk: "Why Internet Isn't Business Critical Dataprocessing"
(based on processes, documentation and software I had to do for
e-commerce) that (Internet, IETF) RFC standards editor Postel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Postel
sponsored at ISI/USC.
NSFNET posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet
HSDT posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt
HA/CMP posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp
internet posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internet
a few posts mentioning business critical internet data processing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#71 Software and other stuff
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#33 Internet Lore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#34 IBM RS/6000 HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#27 IBM Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#38 Amazon Explains How Its AWS Outage Took Down the Web
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#35 Linux Clusters
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025e.html#23 IBM Token-Ring
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#93 IBM VM370 And Pascal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025d.html#38 Mosaic
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#97 Open Networking with OSI
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#80 The New Internet Thing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#27 IBM Unbundling, Software Source and Priced
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024g.html#16 ARPANET And Science Center Network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024d.html#50 Architectural implications of locate mode I/O
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#70 HSDT, HA/CMP, NSFNET, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#33 Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#71 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024.html#38 RS/6000 Mainframe
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#37 AL Gore Invented The Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023f.html#23 The evolution of Windows authentication
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#37 IBM 360/67
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023d.html#81 Taligent and Pink
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#42 IBM AIX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023.html#31 IBM Change
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2022b.html#68 ARPANET pioneer Jack Haverty says the internet was never finished
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#128 The Network Nation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021j.html#55 ESnet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021j.html#42 IBM Business School Cases
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021e.html#74 WEB Security
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021e.html#56 Hacking, Exploits and Vulnerabilities
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021c.html#68 Online History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017g.html#14 Mainframe Networking problems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017f.html#100 Jean Sammet, Co-Designer of a Pioneering Computer Language, Dies at 89
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2017e.html#11 The Geniuses that Anticipated the Idea of the Internet
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
Internet Browsers
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Internet Browsers
Date: 02 Nov, 2026
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026c.html#85 Internet Browsers
Trivia: I was at the Jan1996 Moscone MSDC event where all the banners
said "Internet" ... but the constant refrain in all the sessions was
"preserve your investment" ... aka all the (visual) basic code
embedded in data files would continue to be automagically executed
(m'soft network support would just be extended to the internet w/o any
countermeasures) ... giving huge explosion in viruses and exploits
... also giving rise to new anti-virus industry trying to recognize
(executable) data patterns in files coming over the internet
... trivial pattern changes resulting in patterns exploding to
hundreds of thousands to millions. I ran into a number of oldtimers
that m'soft had hired to implement internet explorer. Also, Jim Gray
who I had worked with at IBM San Jose Research on original
SQL/Relational System/R ... was there, then head of SanFran Microsoft
Research (also had open house during MSDC).
original SQL/Relational System/R posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr
Posts mentioning Jan1996 Moscone MSDC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2026b.html#66 Protect Visual Basic Investment
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#124 MOSAIC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025b.html#113 CERN WWW, Browsers and Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024e.html#132 Microsoft makes a lot of money, Is Intel exceptionally
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#70 HSDT, HA/CMP, NSFNET, Internet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#32 HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#91 Vintage Christmas Tree Exec, Email, Virus, and phone book
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#9 Viruses & Exploits
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023c.html#53 Conflicts with IBM Communication Group
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016d.html#79 Is it a lost cause?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016d.html#69 Open DoD's Doors To Cyber Talent, Carter Asks Congress
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2016d.html#20 Computer theft 1971
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2015e.html#90 These hackers warned the Internet would become a security disaster. Nobody listened
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
VM370/OS Dispatch/Scheduling
From: Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: VM370/OS Dispatch/Scheduling
Date: 03 Nov, 2026
Blog: Facebook
Within year of taking univ 2credit fortran/computer intro course,
360/67 (replacing 709/1401) arrived and I was hired fulltime
responsible for OS/360 (tss/360 not coming to production). 709 ran
student fortran in less than second. Initially OS/360 ran them in over
a minute. I install HASP for MFT9.5 and cut time in half. I then redo
MFT11 stage2 sysgen, carefully positioning datasets and pds members to
optimize arm seek and multi-track search, cutting another 2/3rds to
12.9secs. 360/67 os/360 student jobs never got better than 709 until I
install Univ of Waterloo WATFOR; 360/65 (mode) os/360 clocked WATFOR
at 20,000 statements/min (333 statements/sec), student fortran tended
to run 30-60 cards/job.
Then IBM Cambridge Scientific Center cames out to install (virtual
machine) CP/67 (3rd after CSC itself and MIT Lincoln Labs) and I
mostly get to play with it during my weekend 48hr window. I then spend
a few months rewriting pathlengths for running OS/360 in virtual
machine. Bare machine test ran 322secs ... initially 856secs (CP67 CPU
534secs). After a few months I had CP67 CPU down from 534secs to
113secs. I then start rewriting the dispatcher/scheduler (dynamic
adaptive resource manager/default fair share scheduling policy),
paging, adding ordered seek queuing (from FIFO) and mutli-page
transfer channel programs (from FIFO and optimized for
transfers/revolution, getting 2301 paging drum from 70-80 4k
transfers/sec to channel transfer peak of 270). Six months after univ
initial CP/67 install, CSC was giving one week class in LA. I arrive
on Sunday afternoon and asked to teach the class, it turns out that
the people that were going to teach it had resigned the Friday before
to join one of the 60s CSC CP67 commercial online spin-offs. CSC was
also picking up much of my changes and shipping in releases.
Before I graduate, I'm hired into small group reporting to Boeing CFO
to help with the formation of Boeing Computer Service (consolidate all
dataprocessing in an independent business unit). When I graduate, I
join the IBM Cambridge Scientific Center (instead of staying with
Boeing CFO). One of my hobbies after joining IBM was enhanced
production operating systems for internal datacenters.
When the decision was made to add virtual memory to all 370s, some CSC
members go to the 3rd flr, taking over the IBM Boston Programming
Center for the VM370 development group. In the morph of CP67->VM370 a
lot of features were simplified or dropped, including my dynamic
adaptive resource manager. Then SHARE is passing resolutions requiring
my resource manager (from 60s undergraduate days) be released for
VM370 (I'm eventually asked to package some of my internal CSC/VM in
"Resource Manager" charged for kernel add-on).
Dec1987, somebody in Boca OS2 sends email to IBM VM370 Endicott asking
if they can help with dispatch/scheduling because VM370 is much better
than OS2. Endicott forwards the Boca email to Kingston, who forwards
it to me (a few months short of two decades after I originally
implemented it).
posts mentioning dynamic adaptive resource management
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#fairshare
posts with archived email from Boca OS2 about dispatch/scheduling
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007i.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021f.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2021k.html#email871204c
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023e.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2023g.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024b.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2024c.html#email871204
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2025c.html#email871204
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
--
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