PDP-10

The PDP -10 was the 36 -bit computer family of DEC. It was launched at the end of the 1960s as a backward-compatible development of the PDP -6 on the market and later marketed as DECsystem -10 [A 1] or DECsystem -20. The systems could be classified both by their performance as well as their outer dimensions forth as a mainframe.

Within the range there were four different central processing units ( KA10, KI10, KL10 and KS10 ). The completion of the development work on a further central processing unit ( "Project Jupiter" ) in 1983 was the first sign of a setting of the entire product line.

Operating systems have included TOPS -10 ( timesharing operating system 10, an interactive multi-user operating system), ITS, TENEX, TOPS-20 (also known as TWENEX ), and the self-developed based on TOPS -10 operating system by Compuserve.

PDP -10 computers were particularly popular in the academic environment, because they were different than the prevailing IBM or CDC facilities instead intended for batch processing mainly for interactive operation. Well-developed systems possessed 150 or more connected terminals that could be simultaneously active in a time-sharing mode.

PDP - 10s could be under TOPS -10, version 7 and later join together to symmetric multiprocessor systems of up to eight computers, the uninterrupted operation allowed in spite of possible hardware failures.

Central processing units and systems

  • KA10 (the original PDP -10), only TOPS -10 1040
  • 1050
  • 1055 ( dual processor )
  • DECSystem2020 ( TOPS -10 and TOPS -20)

Equipment and peripherals

For normal peripheral equipment initially included 16K core memory, removable disk drive, DEC - tape magnetic tape system, folding paper tape unit, magnetic tape drive, printer roller and mechanical teletype. For connection of real -time control components a freely programmable analog -to-digital interface system was available. The drives were i.d.R. housed in a cabinet with cooling. The communication of interactive users was carried out in the first few years exclusively from electro- mechanical teletype ( Teletype type ) at a rate of 110 baud.

Emulation or simulation

In the context of software for the simulation of historical computer SIMH also a module that emulates the PDP-10 on a Windows or Unix-like computer exists. It KS10 CPU is simulated. With the help of the internet available copies of the original tapes of DEC can a running TOPS -10 or TOPS -20 system can be constructed.

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