High performance coprocessor boards of the 80s and 90s - was Re: SGI ONYX

[Swift Griggs]

On Thu, 21 Apr 2016, Guy Sotomayor wrote:
> Let?s not also forget the various 370 and 390 co-processor boards that
> could be put into PC?s at various times to allow one to turn the PC into a
> small mainframe capable of running mainframe software (including the OS).

I can't forget because I never knew that!  I'm not always that interested in
IBM 3x0 systems, but that's a really cool concept.  I'm guessing they were
microchannel boards that plugged into the IBM PS/2 line ?  I can't believe
IBM would have let you run them on any old PC (given the clone wars at the
time).  That blows my mind.

I always thought it'd be cool to be able to extend a standard SGI system
with a compute brick from an Origin.  In some ways you could use a craylink
setup to get close, but nothing as cool as an add-in board for a whole
'nother platform. 

-Swift