IBM Personal System/2
The Personal System / 2 is introduced by IBM in 1987 personal computer series, which should replace the current system of the IBM PC.
Architecture
Outstanding features were the 32-bit Micro Channel -based system, which would replace the ISA bus, the Intel 80386 processor, new opportunities in the graphic area (VGA, 8514 / A and XGA) and the " smart" power supply. IBM built for the first time in a PC-compatible system 3.5 " floppy drives with 1.44MB capacity (later with up to 2.88 MB), which initially caused confusion because on the previous models (IBM - PC) 5, 25 " floppy disks were common, for the PS / 2 models but no 5.25" drive was offered. The ESDI and SCSI hard drive connector replaced the early ST -506 port on the IBM PC XT and IBM PC AT with significantly better mass storage capabilities.
Market situation
The new system offered a lot of benefits, but for example, was not compatible with older expansion cards or floppy disks and extremely expensive. The operating systems the new OS / 2, or even the Unix- AIX PC-DOS could be chosen. IBM had patented the microchannel as well as large parts of the system and demanded high royalty payments from manufacturers who wanted to offer a PS/2-compatible system itself, to prevent the own computer of replicas would be driven from the market, as it happened in the PC had.
But it was different: the competition, led by Compaq rebelled; this company already had a system based on the Intel 386 in the offer, which was, however, provided with the old ISA slots. The PS / 2 could not prevail because only moderate success. The required speed for the IO area was retrofitted to the PC replicas by new, open interfaces (EISA, VESA Local Bus and PCI later ). The Micro Channel disappeared in 1995 with the last PS / 2 off the market completely.
The overestimated success had consequences, IBM had lost its market power in the PC sector, henceforth was unconditional backward compatibility at the hardware level as the top priority in the PC area. After the PS / 2 models IBM brought the series PS / Value Point on the market - these computers were among others with AT bus clearly compatible with the original IBM PC models. Ultimately, IBM was in 2005, the segment but from Lenovo.
At the PS/2-Systeme today still remember the same PS2 ports for input devices that were found a long time on each motherboard compatibility reasons, but have now been superseded by USB. Also the name of a memory - base "PS / 2 SIMM", which was used in most 486 and Pentium systems, as well as the long time standard ( detached by HDMI and DVI) VGA port for the monitor and the 3.5 "floppy format.
The various PS/2-Modelle
With ISA bus
- PS / 2 Model 25, a low-performance workstation with integrated monitor ( technically more of a IBM PC XT with Intel 8086 - or 80286 )
- PS / 2 Model 30, the former entry-level model ( model 25 as more of a PC XT as a PS / 2)
- PS / 2 Model 35 SX or LS as a network client
- PS / 2 Model 40, an entry-level solution
- PS/2E, one from a laptop derived mini desktop. The IBM internal name is # 9533rd Its dimensions are just 70 mm × 305 mm × 305 mm. Its main technical features are: IBM 486SLC2 @ 25/50 MHz, max. 16MB RAM and 160 MB 2.5 " IDE hard drive. Since the IBM 486SLC2 owns the bus interface of the 386SX, the low for a "real" 486 RAM limitation is 16 MB. A 387SX can be added optionally. In contrast to most of the early PS/2-Modellen it has no MCA, but the ISA bus (only one slot). The ISA slot is shipped from the factory with an adapter for 16/4 Token Ring, Ethernet 10BaseT or 4x PCMCIA. Instead of using the IDE hard disk can also store media in the PCMCIA adapter (Memory Card or hard disk drive) to boot. More Laptop similarities are a compact keyboard with integrated TrackPoint II and a laptop -like power management. As operating systems DOS with Windows 3.1, OS / 2 and AIX are supported.
With Microchannel
- PS / 2 Model 55, flat desktop computer with 80386SX processor
- PS / 2 Model 56 compact desktop computer with IBM 486SLC2 processor
- PS / 2 Model 57 workstation
- PS / 2 Model 60, entry-level servers with 80286 processor
- PS / 2 Model 65, entry-level servers with 80386SX processor
- PS / 2 Model 70, an average workstation
- PS / 2 Model 77 multimedia, one is laid out on the former shaft multimedia computer with a CD -ROM drive, video card and sound card processing standard
- PS / 2 Model 80, the first IBM computer with Intel 80386 processor, designed as a high-performance workstation, or workgroup server
- PS / 2 Model 90, a high-performance workstation with XGA graphics
- PS / 2 Server 85, entry-level servers
- PS / 2 Server 95 Server with the 486 - or Pentium processor
- PS / 2 Server 195, average network server
- PS / 2 Server 295, large network server
- PC Server 720, large network server with 7 Microchannel-/PCI-Slots and up to 6 CPUs
Mobile computer
- PS / 2 Model P70, a portable computer with a 386SX processor and plasma screen
- PS / 2 Model P75 486 processor (30 November 1990)
- PS / 2 L40SX, a portable device (1991)
- PS / 2 touch N33SX, a notebook with a 386SX processor ( 1992)
- Thinkpad 700 and 700C
- PS / 2 touch N51SX, a typical notebook