8 Oct
2007
8 Oct
'07
10:41 a.m.
On 8 Oct 2007 at 12:21, Dave McGuire wrote:
Many Cray designs used that trick. The original
Cray-1 was C-
shaped (for more than one reason I suspect!) as was the XMP family.
Many members of the YMP family used curved segments, but only the
earlier models. The Cray-2 was also C-shaped.
In one of Cray's chats, I recall that he held his hands about a foot
apart and said "this is a nanosecond". Cray exploited this even on
the old CDC mainfraimes. On the taper-pin backplanes, one could find
coils and loops of twisted-pair wires that had been carefully
measured to provide a specific delay.
Also note that the 6600 cabinets are configured in the shape of a
cross, not as a row of cabinets in a single line as was the custom in
those days.
Cheers,
Chuck