SAGE memory plane

[dwight]

Its a shame it wasn't in the complete unit. Unless someone actually erases it, core memory will hold data until the sun swells up, as a red giant, and toast the earth.

One always wonders what one would find on these old cores.

Dwight


________________________________
From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> on behalf of Mike Loewen via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2018 9:10:21 PM
To: Al Kossow; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: SAGE memory plane

On Sun, 16 Sep 2018, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:

> ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/232927847019
>
> https://secretsofcoldwarradar.omeka.net/exhibits/show/cold-war-radar-technology/item/4
>
> can someone identify exactly what this box was called, when it was deployed,
> and what training manual they are referring to?

    In the T.O. (http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/sage/3-32-0_Central_Computer_System_Vol1_Feb59.pdf),
that cabinet is called "core memory 1", or 256² ferrite core array". We  just
called it "Big Mem".  Here's a picture of the cabinet from McChord's
SAGE:

http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/SAGE/BigMem.jpg

    I'll have to look through my references to find out when it was deployed.
That training manual doesn't seem to be on Bitsavers.  :-)  It would be nice
to find it.

> we have a couple
> http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102633198
>
> and they keep getting mis-identified.

    I have one, as well:

http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/SAGE/Coreplane-1L.jpg


Mike Loewen                             mloewen at cpumagic.scol.pa.us
Old Technology                          http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/