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IBM 7094

From Alfawiki
IBM 7090
Company typeComputer model
IndustryComputing hardware
PredecessorIBM 709
FoundedDecember 1959
Headquarters
United States
ProductsScientific mainframe computer

The IBM 7090 represents a second-generation transistor-based iteration of the earlier IBM 709 vacuum tube mainframe computer, engineered specifically for extensive scientific and engineering tasks. It stands as the fourth installment within the IBM 700/7000 series of scientific computing machines. The initial deployment took place in December 1959. By 1960, the typical purchase price for this system was $2.9 million (equivalent to $ million in ), with rental options available at $63,500 monthly.

This model operates on a 36-bit word size and utilizes a 15-bit addressing scheme, allowing access to 32,768 words. Its core memory cycle time is 2.18 microseconds, employing the IBM 7302 Core Storage magnetic core memory technology derived from the IBM 7030 (Stretch) project.

Delivering processing speeds near 100 Kflop/s, the IBM 7090 outperformed the IBM 709 by a factor of six while being available for rent at half the cost. A subsequent enhancement, the IBM 7094, offered speeds up to twice as fast. Although both models were discontinued from sales on July 14, 1969, they continued operating for more than ten years afterward. Notably, in 1961, the IBM 7094 gained recognition for executing a speech synthesis program that performed "Daisy Bell", marking an early landmark in computer history.

Development and naming

While the IBM 709 improved upon its predecessor, the IBM 704, it was developed during the transitional period moving from vacuum tubes to transistor technology. IBM reassigned the engineering team responsible for the 709 to develop a transistorized successor initially designated as the 709-T (indicating transistorized). This designation was later simplified to 7090 for easier pronunciation. Other machines within the 7000 series adopted similar naming patterns—for example, the 7070 was referred to as "seven-oh-seventy."

IBM 7094

IBM 7094 registers
Data registers
S Q P 1 2 3 ... 17 18 19 20 21 ... 35 (bit position)
Accumulator AC
S   Multiplier/Quotient MQ
0 1 2 3 ... 17 18 19 20 21 ... 35 (bit position)
  Sense Indicators SI
Index registers
3 ... 17 (bit position)
  Index Register 1   XR1 (XRA)
  style=text-align:center colspan=3 > Index Register 2 style=text-align:center;background:white colspan=6 >   style=background:white;color:black > XR2 (XRB)
style=text-center;background:white colspan=5 >   style=text-center colspan=3 > Index Register 3 style=text-center;background:white colspan=6 >   style=background:white;color:black > XR3
style=text-center;background:white colspan=5 >   style=text-center colspan=3 > Index Register 4 style=text-center;background:white colspan=6 >   style=background:white;color:black > XR4 (XRC)
style=text-center;background:white colspan=5 >   style=text-center colspan=3 > Index Register 5 style=text-center;background:white colspan=6 >   style=background:white;color:black > XR5
style=text-center;background:white colspan=5 >   style=text-center colspan=3 > Index Register 6 style=text-center;background:white colspan=6 >   style=background:white;color:black > XR6
style=text-center;background:white colspan=5 >   style=text-center colspan=3 > Index Register 7 style=text-center;background:white colspan=6 >   style=background:white;color:black > XR7
Instruction counter
width=10px;text-left " " " " " " " " " " " " "..." "17" " " " " " " " " "" "" (bit position)

An enhanced variant, known as the IBM 7094, was introduced in September of 1962 and included seven index registers rather than three. The unique Console Control Unit featured indicators corresponding to four extra registers. This model incorporated double-precision floating-point capabilities and an expanded instruction set while preserving compatibility with software designed for the IBM 7090.

Upon initialization, the IBM 7094 starts in multiple tag mode, which maintains compatibility with prior models but requires execution of a Leave Multiple Tag Mode instruction to switch into seven index register mode. In multiple tag mode, several index registers selected via tag bits are logically ORed prior to decrementing. Conversely, in seven index register mode, only one register is chosen by the tag field, though users can revert back to multiple tag mode through an Enter Multiple Tag Mode instruction to ensure backward compatibility.

The April of 1964 release of the 7094 II model nearly doubled its processing capability by employing a faster clock speed, dual memory banks, and enhanced instruction overlap—a primitive form of Instruction pipelining.

Additionally, the IBM 7094 is distinguished as the first computer system to perform a complete song rendition using synthesized speech.

IBM 7040/7044

In 1963, IBM introduced the more affordable IBM 7040 and 7044 models. These 36-bit systems, derived from the 7090 design, incorporated streamlined instruction sets and input/output mechanisms that supported advanced peripherals from the IBM 1400 series, thereby improving both performance and system compatibility.

7094/7044 Direct Coupled System

The 7094/7044 Direct Coupled System (DCS) was developed at the Aerospace Corporation, an IBM customer seeking greater cost efficiency and scheduling flexibility beyond what IBM's IBSYS tape operating system offered. This setup combined an economical IBM 7044 to handle I/O operations with a 7094 dedicated to processing tasks. Aerospace created the Direct Couple OS, an extension of IBSYS, which IBM later marketed as a commercial product, providing users with enhanced multiprocessing functionality.

Transistors and circuitry

The 7090 utilized in excess of 50,000 germanium alloy-junction transistors alongside faster diffused junction drift transistors. It employed IBM’s Standard Modular System (SMS) cards featuring current-mode logic, some integrating diffused junction drift transistors, contributing to its advanced operational speed and reliability.

Instruction and data formats

The instruction formats were similar to those of the IBM 709, with variations such as:

  • A three-bit opcode prefix, a 15-bit decrement field (D), a three-bit tag (T), and a 15-bit address field (Y)
  • A twelve-bit opcode, a two-bit flag (F), unused bits, a three-bit tag (T), and a 15-bit address field (Y)

Opcodes were documented using signed octal notation. The flag bit signified indirect addressing; decrement fields adjusted operation parameters or specified instruction types; tags designated index registers or addressing modes; and the Y field contained addresses or operands. Effective address calculation varied according to tag modes across different models.

Data formats encompassed:

  • Fixed-point binary numbers in sign/magnitude form
  • Single-precision floating-point numbers with a sign bit, an eight-bit excess-128 exponent, and a 27-bit magnitude
  • Double-precision floating-point format (available on the 7094) comprising a sign bit, eight-bit excess-128 exponent, and a 54-bit magnitude stored across two words
  • Six-bit BCD alphanumeric characters packed six per word

Documentation and programming primarily used octal notation, with console interfaces designed to facilitate straightforward octal conversion.

Input/output

The 7090 series introduced a data channel architecture for input/output operations—an early implementation of direct memory access I/O. Up to eight data channels could be connected, each capable of supporting as many as ten IBM 729 tape drives. These channels executed a limited set of commands for tape drives, disk storage units, card readers, and printers, delivering high throughput for their time. However, printing and punched card input/output relied on slower modified unit record equipment inherited from the 704 model. To enhance throughput, many users employed an economical IBM 1401 to transfer card data onto magnetic tape for processing by the 7090/94 systems; output was then routed back through the 1401 for faster printing or card punching using devices such as the IBM 1403 line printer.

Subsequently, IBM released the 7094/7044 Direct Coupled System, where the 7044 managed spooling between high-speed peripherals from the 1400 series and disk files while communicating with the 7094 via data channels dedicated to computation tasks. A comparable configuration existed for the 7090/7040 models.

Software

The IBM 7090 and 7094 achieved significant commercial success, supported by a broad range of IBM software and a vibrant user network through SHARE.

IBSYS served as a comprehensive production operating system, featuring various subsystems and supporting multiple programming languages such as FORTRAN, COBOL, SORT/MERGE, and the MAP assembler.

FMS (Fortran Monitor System) was a simplified batch processing system specifically tailored for FORTRAN and assembler programming. Its assembler, FAP (FORTRAN Assembly Program), while less extensive than MAP, offered substantial functionality. FMS included an advanced FORTRAN compiler initially created for the 704 by Backus and his team.

Notable applications

  • The Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS), recognized as the first general-purpose time-sharing operating system, was developed at MIT on successive IBM machines including the 7090 and 7094, incorporating specialized features. It ultimately operated on a dual 7094 setup at MIT's Project MAC.
  • The IBM 7090 was the pioneering computer to perform the song "Daisy Bell".
  • NASA utilized 7090s and subsequently 7094s to manage flight planning for Project Mercury, Project Gemini, and initial Project Apollo missions before moving to System/360 platforms.
  • The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a collaboration between Caltech and NASA, operated several 7094 systems, including two that were directly connected.
  • Erhard Glatzel employed an IBM 7090 to design the Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7 lens commissioned by NASA; this lens gained fame through its use by Stanley Kubrick in Barry Lyndon.
  • The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory installed a 7090 for conducting scientific computations.
  • In 1961, Alexander Hurwitz used a 7090 to identify two large Mersenne primes, which were the largest known primes at that period.
  • Michael Minovitch leveraged UCLA’s 7090 to address the three-body problem, which laid the groundwork for NASA's Planetary Grand Tour mission.
  • A 7090 was deployed in February 1961 at Australia's Woomera Long Range Weapons Establishment.
  • American Airlines introduced the original SABRE airline reservation system in 1962 with two IBM 7090 computers located in New York.
  • Composer Iannis Xenakis created his work "Atrées" using an IBM 7090 in Paris.
  • In 1962, Daniel Shanks and John Wrench calculated the first 100,000 digits of on a 7090.
  • Three IBM 7090 units were imported into Japan in 1963 for scientific computing by Mitsubishi Nuclear Power Co., IBM Japan, and Toshiba.
  • An early iteration of TRACE, a program designed for high-precision orbit determination, ran on an IBM 7090 in 1964.
  • Operation Match, recognized as the first computer-based dating service in the U.S., utilized a 7090 at Avco's service bureau when it launched in 1965.
  • Roger N. Shepard implemented algorithms on a 7090 to synthesize Shepard tones.
  • Composer Gerald Strang produced his Compusition series (1969–1972) using IBM 7090/7094 systems at Bell Labs.
  • The US Air Force retired its last IBM 7090s from Ballistic Missile Early Warning System ("BMEWS") duties during the 1980s after nearly thirty years; two machines were installed at Thule Air Base in Greenland.
  • Despite holding a retirement ceremony in July 1982, the US Navy continued operating an IBM 7094 at the Pacific Missile Test Center throughout much of the 1980s because some applications had not been fully migrated to its successor dual-processor CDC Cyber 175 system.

In popular culture

  • The IBM 7090/1401 system is depicted in the movie Dr. Strangelove, where the 1403 printer plays a significant part.
  • The 2016 biographical drama Hidden Figures includes a portrayal of the IBM 7090.
  • In the 1997 sci-fi film Event Horizon, IBM 7094 technical specifications are shown on a display.

Market rivals

Although the IBM 7090 achieved commercial prominence, it contended with several prominent competitors during its era, such as:

See also

Additional resources

  • IBM, March 1962, Reference Manual, IBM 7090 Data Processing System
  • Sherman, Philip M., Programming and Coding the IBM 709-7090-7094 Computers, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1963

External links
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