IBM Advanced/36
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | IBM System/36 |
| Founded | October 1994 |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Armonk , United States |
| Products | Midrange computer systems |
| Parent | IBM |
The IBM Advanced/36 represented an IBM midrange computer that integrated modified IBM AS/400 components with System/36 operating software. Available from October 1994 until approximately 2000, it was designed for organizations looking for a compact and budget-friendly substitute to the larger S/36 systems.
Overview
Physically smaller and more economical than traditional System/36 units, the Advanced/36 offered entry-level pricing substantially below that of the smallest 5362 model, which was priced near , while premium 5360 variants surpassed . IBM phased out the A/36 by the year 2000, and support for OS/400 was discontinued starting with version V4R5.
Configurations
The system’s upper limits included 4.19 GB of disk capacity, 256 MB of RAM, a single tape drive, and one diskette drive available in either 8" or 5.25" formats. Communication adapters enabled connectivity through modems and twinaxial cables; additional optional cards allowed connection to 9-track tape drives.
The Advanced/36 was offered in three distinct configurations—Small, Growth, and Large—and initially shipped with System Support Program (SSP) version "7.1" on the 9402-236 model. In 1995, the improved 9402-436 model was introduced with SSP "7.5" and added compatibility with OS/400. The earlier 236 model could be upgraded to the specifications of the 436.
CPU choices were divided into three performance levels: the base #2102; the #2104 operating at approximately 1.3 times faster; and the #2106 delivering roughly 2.4 times the speed of the base processor.
Software
The SSP for the Advanced/36 supported programming languages consistent with those found on standard S/36 machines, including RPG II, COBOL, FORTRAN, System/36 BASIC, and Assembler. Additionally, the system came standard with the Programmer and Operator Productivity Aid (POPA) toolset.
Backup and storage
A notable distinction between the Advanced/36 and previous S/36 models is its use of the 9402 Tape Drive, which utilizes Quarter-inch cartridge media capable of storing up to 2.5 GB. While this drive can read legacy 60MB tapes from older S/36 6157 units, it does not support writing or performing SEND_DATA_BYTE commands on those tapes. Although it shares pin configuration and data transfer rates with earlier 1.0GB cartridges, it cannot write to newer 2.5GB cartridges.
The A/36’s CD-ROM drive was intended exclusively for installing PTF updates and required a special bypass procedure to interchange device codes with the tape drive (the CD unit assumes the TC designation). This CD-ROM option was only available on the A/436 model and not on the A/236.
Optional floppy disk drives (FDD) in both 8" and 5.25" sizes were sold at roughly US$1,000 each to assist in transferring data from older S/36 systems.