i860: Re: modern stuff

[William Donzelli]

I have quite  few NSFnet backup tapes that need to go to Al at some
point. They likely have good stuff on them.

--
Will
On Sat, Nov 3, 2018 at 5:03 AM Kevin Bowling <kevin.bowling at kev009.com> wrote:
>
> Do you have software or docs for any of this stuff? I run ps-2.kev009.com
>
> On Thu, Nov 1, 2018 at 3:41 PM William Donzelli via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>> OK, I assumed the 6611s used the NSFnet type cards. Artic960s are
>> different animals - but probably very similar in idea.
>>
>> My memory is hazy, but I think the NSFnet cards were referred to as Hawthornes.
>>
>> Somewhere around here I have one of the really early 386 based routing
>> cards - a weird double height Microchannel card (the RS/6000s were
>> RPQ'd with extra tall chassis to accommodate them).
>>
>> Anyway, I would like to get a 6611, but I do not think very many were
>> made at all.
>>
>> --
>> Will
>> On Thu, Nov 1, 2018 at 6:19 PM Paul Berger via cctalk
>> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>> >
>> > The machine type was 6611 and there where three model, the smallest was
>> > based on a 7011 the mid size one was based on a 7012 and the largest was
>> > based on a 7013.
>> >
>> > The base card is an Artic 960 card which is just a processor card with
>> > some memory that gets an application loaded on the fly.  The top
>> > interface card has a lot to do with determining what the function of the
>> > card sandwich is, there should be a X-Y type code on the back of the
>> > card that would define the interface.  They where used for all kinds of
>> > things like Synchronous communications, X25 and network accelerators.
>> > Some of the interfaces cards used in the 6611 where unique to it and
>> > never made it to the "standard" RS/6000 line.  There was also a PCI
>> > version of the Artic 960 but by the time it came along the 6611 was long
>> > gone.
>> >
>> > Paul.
>> >
>> >
>> > On 2018-11-01 1:15 PM, William Donzelli via cctalk wrote:
>> > >> So, what is this i960-based card for?
>> > > They were the routers. At the core nodes of the network, there would
>> > > be a big RS/6000s (very early POWER1 types) that would each do about
>> > > 4-5 high speed interfaces (FDDI, HSSI, and 10base2). Each interface
>> > > was one of these cards, so each of the big RS/6000s would have about
>> > > 4-5 of these cards.
>> > >
>> > > IBM tried to commercialize the design, but it was doomed - the routing
>> > > engines were very fast, but the internet quickly outgrew the
>> > > architecture of the engines, and they apparently needed a complete
>> > > redesign to compete. IBM did release very few of these RS/6000s to the
>> > > public (I think RS/6000-320Hs with a fancy tag - machine type 6767?).
>> > > I have only seen one of these routers in the wild, but most of the
>> > > real NSFnet ones (I was decommissioning them, one time with a Sawzall
>> > > because of some live tangled cables).
>> > >
>> > >> Could it be related to what you
>> > >> say in your post?
>> > >>
>> > >> https://imgur.com/NIvQPBv
>> > > Possibly related, but that card is not one of the NSFnet ones.
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > Will
>> >