IBM Remote Access Computing
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software, Time-sharing systems |
| Predecessor | RACS |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founder | IBM and Lockheed Aircraft |
Area served | United States, Scotland, Canada |
| Products | Time-sharing system software for IBM System/360 |
| Parent | IBM |
IBM Remote Access Computing (RAX) represents an early time-sharing system designed for the IBM System/360, first released in 1966 but now discontinued. The development of RAX was a collaborative effort between IBM and Lockheed Aircraft in 1965, building upon the predecessor RACS system. This platform served as a foundation for various later time-sharing systems such as McGill University's MCGILL-RAX, their MUSIC operating system, and ITT Data Services' Reactive Terminal Service (RTS). During the 1970s, Boston University utilized RAX as the basis for its VPS system, which functioned as a guest operating system under VM/370.
Hardware
IBM marketed RAX under program number 360A-CX-17X, compatible with System/360 Model 30 and higher. It could run on machines equipped with a minimum of 64 KB of main memory and supported up to 63 connected terminals, including both IBM 1050 typewriter terminals and IBM 2260 display units. Programming languages supported by RAX included BASIC, FORTRAN IV, and IBM Basic assembly language; RTS extended support to COBOL. On systems with the smallest memory configuration of 64 KB, user applications could occupy up to 32 KB, while larger memory configurations allowed for bigger program sizes.
Users
By the year 1968, the United States Department of Agriculture had implemented RAX at its Washington Data Processing Center. The system also found adoption among various educational institutions and businesses such as McGill University, Boston University, the University of St Andrews in Scotland, the University of Rhode Island, and Bell Aerosystems.