7 Sep
2006
7 Sep
'06
11:47 a.m.
Am 7 Sep 2006 2:02 meinte Alan Perry:
>
>
>> I need information about a disk unit Siemens-Nixdorf S400.
>> To what level of detail do you need?
>> The early S400 series were rebadged RCA
Spectra 70's
>> It is probably similar to either IBM 2311 or 2314.
Not wrong, but definitly the wrong era.
I do not see how this could be the case since
Siemens-Nixdorf did not
exist until Siemens bought Nixdorf in 1990.
*G*
From what I have been able to tell, the SNI S400 was
a big iron number
cruncher from the '90s.
Way better trace - just, I'm not shure if it fits.
Al's remark points to the 4004 Series, where the first models
where OEM versions of RCA /360alikes, especialy the models
15/25/45 - until RCA folded up their IBM compatible department,
and Siemens had to decide what to do. After having invested a
huge lump of money to marketing the machines, they did go ahead
and startet with two clones (model 16/46) where the most notable
difference was that all measurements changed to metric. That
became the orgin of 30 years as manufacturer for IBM compatible
machines.
Now, the S400, Alan is mentioning was a classic vector CPU, and
originaly a Fujitsu development. Mybe that'S something you're
searching for. The S400 mid to upper end model of the Fujitsu
VPP2000 family and was sold under the same number as Fujitsu
VPP S400. THe models differed in speed and number of vector
units - IIRC, the S400 had one scalar and two vector CPUs,
with something arround 500 MFLOP for the scalar part and
5 GFLOP for the Vector side.
Then again, the 8870 mentioned in Albetos original question is
a small multi user system for office tasks. Introduced in the
mid 70s, the concept was way similar to MAI and Wang systems
at the same time. Foundation was a Business Basic and an ERP
software written in that Basic, called COMET. You could see
it almost as the 70s and 80s version of SAP - with a similar
market domination. Including all the weired 'customisation' -
since it was interpreted Basic, everybody added functionality.
The 8870/COMET combination was the main cash cow of Nixdorf
Computers (beside two other, similar families) - this strong
focus was also part of the problems in the late 80s, when
comparable applications became available for cheap of shelf
PCs.
COMET as a package is BTW still arround.
So having a disk pack labeled S400 on a 8870 is a puzzeling
combination :)
Gruss
H.
--
VCF Europa 8.0 am 28/29.April 2007 in Muenchen
http://www.vcfe.org/