IBM RS/6000
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | IBM RT PC |
| Founded | February 1990 |
| Fate | Renamed to eServer pSeries (servers) and IntelliStation POWER (workstations) |
| Headquarters | Armonk , United States |
| Products | RISC servers, workstations, supercomputers |
| Parent | IBM |
The RISC System/6000 (RS/6000) represents a series of Unix-based RISC servers, workstations, and supercomputers created by IBM during the 1990s. Introduced in February 1990 as the follow-up to the IBM RT PC, the RS/6000 marked IBM's initial deployment of their exclusive POWER and PowerPC processors. In October 2000, the RS/6000 name was discontinued for POWER-based servers and replaced by the eServer pSeries. However, the workstation line retained the RS/6000 designation until 2002 before transitioning to the IntelliStation POWER brand.
A significant innovation within the RS/6000 was its floating-point execution unit (FPU), which greatly enhanced the speed and precision of floating-point calculations. This platform notably introduced the multiply-add fused (MAF) instruction, a feature that has become standard in contemporary processors.
History
IBM's introduction of the RS/6000 in February 1990 marked its renewed entry into the expanding Unix workstation sector following the limited success of the RT PC. The incorporation of AIX demonstrated IBM’s formal commitment to Unix. At launch, approximately 70 vendors presented early software iterations, with an additional 100 announcing forthcoming ports; IBM anticipated around 1,500 applications from 700 companies by year-end.
According to InfoWorld, unlike its predecessor RT PC, the RS/6000 was regarded seriously by competitors due to its superior performance and competitive pricing relative to Sun Microsystems. IBM asserted that the RS/6000 outperformed offerings from Sun, Hewlett-Packard, and Digital Equipment Corporation, targeting a 15% share of the workstation market by 1992. The RISC design of RS/6000 provided a more favorable price-to-performance ratio than IBM’s proprietary AS/400 systems. Although primarily aimed at scientific and engineering sectors, analysts observed competition between RS/6000 and AS/400 in the midrange market, with RS/6000 expanding into broader software domains. Internal conflicts arose as the AS/400 division attempted to restrict RS/6000 pricing and proposed renaming it to reduce internal rivalry.
Initial RS/6000 models utilized IBM’s Standard Micro Channel (SMC) bus architecture; subsequent editions transitioned to PCI. Certain models conformed to PReP and CHRP standards developed collaboratively with Apple and Motorola, incorporating Open Firmware to enable support for multiple operating systems such as Windows NT, NetWare, OS/2, Solaris, Taligent, AIX, and Mac OS. Ultimately, only IBM’s AIX was officially supported on RS/6000 hardware. Linux support emerged on CHRP-compliant RS/6000 systems following their rebranding as eServer pSeries in 2000.
The RS/6000 product range encompassed POWERserver servers, POWERstation workstations, and the IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer series. While predominantly desktop or rack-mounted configurations were offered, some laptop variants were also available. Prominent RS/6000 systems include the Deep Blue supercomputer based on PowerPC 604e that famously defeated chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997 and ASCI White powered by POWER3, which held the title of world’s fastest supercomputer from 2000 until 2002.
Service processor
A number of RS/6000 models and subsequent pSeries machines featured an independent service processor capable of booting separately from the main operating system. This processor continuously operated its own firmware and was able to automatically place modem calls in response to critical hardware issues. Early documentation referred to this component as "System Guard" or "SystemGuard," though this terminology was phased out around the time when RS/6000 branding was streamlined. Towards the end of the RS/6000 era, this service processor was integrated with that used in AS/400 systems.
Software
POWER architecture systems predominantly operated on AIX, though versions of Solaris, OS/2, Windows NT, and later Linux were also adapted for these machines. Certain AIX configurations included support for IBM Web-based System Manager to facilitate system management.
Models
| Type | Model | CPU | MHz | L2/L3 Cache | Bus | Memory | Enclosure | Introduced | Discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7006 | 41T | PowerPC 601/601e | 80 | 0 or 512 KB | Microchannel | 16 to 256 MB | Desktop | 1994-06-03 | 1997-01-10 |
| 7006 | 41W | PowerPC 601/601e | 80 | 0 or 512 KB | Microchannel | 16 to 256 MB | Desktop | 1997-07-18 | |
| 7006 | 42T | PowerPC 604/604e | 120 | 0 or 512 KB | Microchannel | Up to 256 MB | Desktop | 1995-06-19 | 1997-09-24 |
| 7006 | 42W | PowerPC 604/604e | 120 | 0 or 512 KB | Microchannel | Up to 256 MB | Desktop | 1995-06-19 | 1997-09-24 |
The N40 model was a PowerPC-driven portable computer created through a partnership between Tadpole Computer and IBM. Launched on March 25, 1994, at a price of US$12,000, this laptop featured internal batteries that provided approximately 45 minutes of operation, extendable up to four hours with an optional external battery pack.
| Type | Model | CPU | MHz | Cache | Memory | Enclosure | Introduced | Discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7007 | N40 | PowerPC 601 | 50 | 16 to 64 MB | Laptop | 1994-03-08 | 1997-06-30 |
Additional significant models utilized a range of POWER and RS64 processors designed for desktops, tower systems, rack-mounted units, and servers. Memory configurations varied widely from as little as 8 MB up to beyond 96 GB. Over time, the lineup progressed through multiple generations—from POWER1 through POWER3-II and RS64 series—featuring enhanced processor speeds and larger cache capacities to satisfy the requirements of enterprise-level computing environments.
References
- General