Honeywell/Bull DPS-6 deskside info?

[Michael Thompson]

>
> > I put a few pictures up here:
> >
> > http://yahozna.dyndns.org/scratch/dps6/
> >
> > Nice bitslice processor in there, an Ethernet controller, some memory
> > (looks like 2MB) and as for the other boards, I'm not yet sure...)
> >
> > - Josh
>

The RICM had two DPS-6 systems.
http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/equipment/honeywell-dps-6
http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/equipment/honeywellultimate-level-6
The second one is from the Ultimate Corporation, has a Pick processor (or
microcode) and runs the Pick OS.

In a prior life I managed the GCOS OS and communications on a Honeywell
6000. The first year I worked there we swapped the core for MOS memory,
swapped the 120MB Ampex disks for 240MB MPI disks, swapped the Datanet 355
front-end and two 716 front-ends for two DPS-6 front-ends, and shrunk the
size of the system by 30%. If I remember correctly, DPS-6 front-ends used
the memory parity bits to make 18-bit memory, half of the 36-bit 6000
memory. We added a second I/O multiplexer, second CPU, more tapes, and more
disks when it was upgraded to a Level-66. This was something like upgrading
the architecture from NSA to NSB? We added a Honeywell Page Printer System.
This was a really fast (for its time) printer that could perforate, hole
punch, and collate the pages. I remember something about renaming the
system to a DPS-8/70, but that was more marketing than technology.
Eventually it was all replaced by a bunch of Tandem Non-Stop systems in a
distributed network.

-- 
Michael Thompson