UNIVAC 9000 series
| Company type | Computer hardware line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Founder | Sperry Rand |
| Defunct | 1972 |
| Fate | Development discontinued; replaced by UNIVAC Series 90 |
| Products | Mainframe computers (models 9200, 9300, 9400, 9480, 9700) |
| Parent | Sperry Rand |
The UNIVAC 9000 series—comprising models 9200, 9300, 9400, and 9700—was a line of computers launched by Sperry Rand during the mid-1960s. This series aimed to challenge IBM's lower-tier IBM System/360 machines. Both the 9200 and 9300 models, which differ solely in processing speed, feature a limited 16-bit subset of the System/360 instruction set, similar to the IBM 360/20. In contrast, the UNIVAC 9400 supports a subset of the complete 32-bit System/360 instruction set and is roughly comparable to the IBM 360/30.
By 1972, development on the 9000 series was discontinued as UNIVAC shifted focus to technology acquired from RCA, which was subsequently marketed under the UNIVAC Series 90 brand.
Hardware
Monolithic integrated circuits form the basis of logic in the 9000 series, while memory is implemented using plated-wire memory, a technology that permits non-destructive reading akin to core memory. These systems were engineered to compete directly with IBM offerings, utilizing 80-column punched cards and encoding data in EBCDIC format.
The series encompasses models 9200, 9300, 9400, and 9480. The UNIVAC 9200 and 9300 were designed as successors to the UNIVAC 1004 and positioned against IBM’s 360/20. Their architecture includes distinct cabinets housing the printer-processor unit, power supply, and memory modules, arranged alongside card readers and optional punches in an L-shaped configuration. Memory capacity began at 8 KB with expandability up to 32 KB. In 1969, enhanced versions—9200 II and 9300 II—were introduced to extend these specifications.
The printer mechanism resembles IBM’s "bar printer" design but uses an oscillating bar instead of traditional drum technology, enabling output speeds reaching up to 300 lines per minute.
In the early '70s, Sperry augmented this lineup with the introduction of the robust 9700 system in 1971. This model delivered performance three to five times greater than that of the 9400 and doubled that of the IBM System/360 Model 50, while maintaining a price point below the IBM System/370 Model 145. The economical successor to the 9400 arrived in 1973 as the 9480 model, which replaced plated-wire memory with MOS semiconductor memory.
Software
The operating environment for the 9200 and 9300 was the Minimum Operating System (originally called NCOS - Non Concurrent Operating System), which initially loaded from cards but later supported program and data storage via magnetic tape or magnetic disk. For the 9400 and its successor, the 9480, a real-memory operating system named OS/4 was employed. A new operating system titled OS/7 was under development for the 9700 but was ultimately discontinued in 1975.
External links
- Operational Univac 9400 at German computer history museum technikum29