Reproducing old machines with newer technology

[Chuck Guzis]

On 07/14/2015 07:11 PM, William Donzelli wrote:
>> I suppose you could view it that way.  There were CPU-less 6000 boxes, but
>> no PPU-less ones.
>
> Were the CPU-less 6000 boxes at least connected to "normal" 6000s with
> CPUs using shared ECS, or could they really be completely independent
> units using their own ECS?

The 6416 was a special beast--I don't know that CDC ever produced any 
standard software for it. It had 16KW of CM and it's own ECS coupler, so 
I suppose that it could share ECS with other machines--but IIRC the ECS 
access was via its own special instructions.

I suspect that some 6416s just communicated with other systems using the 
6682(?) satellite coupler.  I suspect that they were largely superseded 
by the "additional PPU" machines.

I never ran into a 6416 in the flesh, but was aware of more than one 20 
PPU 6000 (there were never enough PPUs).  CDC also offered "PPU-reduced" 
models of the 6400,  with up to 3 PPUs removed, which never made any 
sense to me.

--Chuck