In article <20060324224349.GA18538 at alpha.rcac.purdue.edu>,
Patrick Finnegan <vax at purdue.edu> writes:
I think we're talking about the ARPAnet IMPs and
TIPs,
Yes:
IMP = Interface Message Processor,
TIP = Terminal Interface Processor
The IMP connected computers to the arpanet and the TIP connected
terminals to machines on the arpanet.
which were
discussed in the video that was linked to by a recent thread. From what
they looked like in the video, I'm pretty sure that they weren't
anything homebrew or microcomputer-ish. :)
Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET> says:
"BBN's proposal followed Roberts' plan closely; it called for the
network to be composed of small computers known as Interface
Message Processors (more commonly known as IMPs). The IMPs at each
site performed store-and-forward packet switching functions, and
were connected to each other using modems connected to leased
lines (initially running at 50 kbit/second). Host computers
connected to the IMPs via custom bit-serial interfaces to connect
to ARPANET.
BBN initally chose a ruggedized version of Honeywell's DDP-516
computer to build the first generation IMP. The 516 was originally
configured with 24 kbytes of core memory (expandable) and a 16
channel Direct Multiplex Control (DMC) direct memory access
control unit. Custom interfaces were used to connect, via the DMC,
to each of the hosts and modems. In addition to the lamps on the
front panel of the 516 there was also a special set of 24
indicator lights to show the status of the IMP communication
channels. Each IMP could support up to four local hosts and could
communicate with up to six remote IMPs over leased lines.
[...]
1971 saw the start of the use of the non-ruggedized (and therefore
significant lighter) H-316 as an IMP. It could also be configured
as a Terminal IMP (TIP), which added support for up to 63 ASCII
serial terminals through a multi-line controller in place of one
of the hosts. The 316 featured a greater degree of integration
than the 516, which made it less expensive and easier to maintain.
The 316 was configured with 40 Kbytes of core memory for a TIP.
The size of core memory was later increased, to 32 Kbytes for the
IMPs, and 56Kbytes for TIPs, in 1973.
The Honeywell based IMPs were eventually superseded by
multi-processor BBN Pluribus IMPs in 1975. These in turn were
later phased out in favor of machines called C/30s, which were
custom built by BBN.
The original IMPs and TIPs were phased out as the ARPANET was shut
down after the introduction of the NSFNet, but some IMPs remained
in service as late as 1989."
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