HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1987 0218 CC REG ITEM 11B OORPARK
THG+AAS C.FERGUSON
STEVEN KUENY
Mayor City Manager
DANNY A.WOOLARD CHERYL J.KANE
Mayor Pro Tem �' __City Attorney
ELOISE BROWN _ — F - -PATRICK RICHARDS,A.I.C.P.
Councilmember - _ Director of
JOHN GALLOWAY _ O Community Development
Councilmember R.DENNIS DELZEIT
CUNT HARPER,PhD. °b� City Engineer
Councilmember JOHN V.GILLESPIE E
MAUREEN W.WALL Chief of Police
City Clerk THOMAS P.GENOVESE
M EM O R A N D TJ M City Treasurer
T O : The Honorable City Council
F R OM = Thomas P. Genovese, Director of Administrative Services
D A—jr E : February 13, 1987
S U$J E C T . COMPUTER SYSTEM PROPOSAL
BACKGROUND
As the City Council is aware, since July 1, 1983, when the City of Moorpark
became incorporated, the City has undergone substantial growth, both as a
community and as an organization. With this growth, it has become apparent,
to both the City Council and City staff, that the City is in the position
that automation of record keeping, office communication and financial
management is necessary.
At the recent direction of City Council , the City staff has investigated
the current and future needs of automation for the City of Moorpark.
Realizing that the decision regarding the purchase of the City's first
computer system is both complex and crucial , the City staff has prepared
a report that will take into account the rapid pace of change in the
computer field and the resource limitations of the City. The report will
include an Information Master Plan (IMP) that will describe the current
and future needs of the organization. It will entail a description of
the organziation as it exists today and those computer applications,
current and future, associated with the departments contained within
the organization. MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA
City Council Meeting
of r —l 198,.7
ACTION:
�i Ti A Ti •�rib�/lam�����Gl,
--
799 Moorpark Avenue Moorpark, California 93021 (805) 529-6864
The Honorable City Council
Page 2
February 13, 1987
The City staff would like to thank the Budget and Finance Committee in
their assistance in the development of this report. Both the support
of Mayor Ferguson and the technical assistance and input by Mayor
Pro Tem Harper have proved a valuable asset to completion of this report.
A recommendation regarding the proposed Information Processing System
is contained in the attached report. Additionally, attached to this
report is a memorandum regarding the need for additional electrical
capacity at City Hall .
TPG:igb
Attachments
O� Z
� 7
4,0
O,Q� rro J�
SYSTEM PROPOSAL
=NTROI7UCTION
INIRODUCTION
Over the past few years, the City of Moorpark has grown substantially
in terms of attendant responsibilities. Also, the work force has grown
from a total of three (3) , upon incorporation, to the current full-time
staff level of 15 for the Fiscal Year 1986/87.
Currently, all office information processing is handled through
automated typewriters, which requires extensive retyping of drafts for
final documents. Additionally, all financial operations are handled
manually. Although it is realized that the City is in need of
automation, it is important that this move toward automation be done
carefully.
The first part of this report will describe the current organization
and indicate the current and projected needs as the organization exists
today. Included will be an Information Requirements matrix. This
matrix will be based on those possible requirements of the organization
for the next five years.
Part II of this report will address a Systems Investigation. This
portion of the report will describe the City staff 's investigation and
analysis of the system proposed for the City of Moorpark.
The Summary, Part II, will concentrate on the resources of the City
(both financial and personnel) . It will attempt to describe the
direction the City staff recommends for the City of Moorpark to proceed
in, and the primary and secondary needs of the organization.
The final portion of this report shall concern itself with the
Recommendation. It will detail the current recommendation of purchase
and describe possible purchases recommended for the remainder of the
fiscal year.
SYSTEM =NV E S T 1 GA T Z ON
SYSTEMS INVESTIGATION
City staff has researched various reports developed by other cities and
reviewed data regarding uses of computer systems utilized by other
municipal agencies in the State of California. This review includes
reports developed by the International City Management Association and
the League of California Cities.
Additionally, City staff has made visitations to other municipal
agencies in review of the proposed systems operation. Telephone
correspondence was also conducted to obtain information regarding the
reliability and success of the proposed system in other organizations.
The system proposed to the City Council is the IBM 5362 System/36.
This system has proven to be successful in a number of cities
throughout California. The reason for the success of this system is
due primarily to its dependability and flexibility. It offers a
significant amount of features that will benefit the City of Moorpark
in years to come.
Appendix "A" contains various information reports and brochures that
indicate the benefits and uses of the System/36. However, City staff
would like to summarize some of those features that may be of interest
to the City Council.
As the City Council is aware, a primary objective of the acquisition of
a computer system is to obtain word processing. The System/36
multiprocessor hardware design allows for integrated word processing
and retrieval capabilities. Called "Displaywrite/36" by IBM, it
enables users to create or revise documents; include text from
different documents; copy, move, and delete text; adjust paragraphs and
document formating, as well as adjusting margins and tabs. It contains
a word synonym and word dictionary, as well as spelling checker. With
the addition of a software package called "Team Mate", word processing
will be enabled to be integrated with the City filing system. This
will assist in the compilation of Agendas, reports and indexing of the
City's filing system.
Additionally, as the financial software package is integrated into the
System/36, budget information and year-to-date expenses could be merged
into report form with text to prepare the annual budget and financial
reports, which are now prepared by hand by Staff and city auditors at
added cost. With the System/36, the user could design and create his
own reports, including the time-consuming annual State Controllers
report, annual street report, monthly bank reconciliations and
treasurer's reports.
2
An important feature of the IBM 5362 is its size. It is the size of a
two-drawer file cabinet. It is expected that the computer will easily
fit into the space available in the finance department.
The current printer proposed for the purchase is the IBM 3812
Pageprinter. This laser printer is a letter quality printer and can
print up to 12 pages per minute. This printer is capable of producing
graphics and text publishing for future uses applicable of budget
preparation, technical report writing and recreation brochure
development. Additional printers will be necssary as the organization
develops and the financial software package is added to the system.
The current organization structure consists of four (4) primary
departments. These departments are: City Manager/City Clerk;
Administrative Services Department; Community Services Department; and
Community Development Department. Although the City does consist of a
City Attorney's office, Sheriff's Department and Engineering
Department, the needs of these departments have been analyzed for
communication purposes only. Any inclusion of these contracted
services into the Moorpark City staff will be addressed in the summary
portion of this report.
City staff has investigated the current and future needs of the four
(4) departments listed above. Attached is an information Requirements
Matrix. This matrix will indicate the department needs, use, priority
and possible users. It is realized that this matrix may not be all
inclusive, but will indicate to a significant degree the various
department's uses and priorities. All priority listings are based on
department personnel resources, overall organizational needs and the
City's financial resources.
It is realized that this matrix does not include all possible future
application of the proposed system, however, it does indicate and
identify areas to concentrate on in future years.
3
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
A. CITY MANAGER/CITY CLERK Use Priority Users
1. Office Automation
Document Creation/Revision (Agendas, Minutes, Correspondence) Reference, Composing High City Clerk/
Agendas, Public Hearing Various
° Record Index Retrieval System Notices
° Mailing Lists
° Tickler Files
° Index of Agendas and Minutes by Subject and Title
° Index of Ordinances by Subject and Title
Index of Resolutions by Subject and Title
° Public Hearings Notice Calendar
2. Advanced Automation
° Agreements File Reference Low City Clerk/
Various
° Insurance File
Bonding File
° Election Information FPPC
Census Information
Claims
° City Attorney Opinions
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
B. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Use Priority Users
1. Financial Systems
• General Ledger General Ledger Accounting High Finance Dept.
Warrant Register Preparation
- Accounts Payable Budget Tracking
- Purchase Orders
- Cash Receipts
- Journal Entries
• Treasurer' s Report/Investments Investment Analysis Low City Treasurer
• Payroll System Payroll Preparation Med. Finance Dept.
• Fixed Asset Inventory Reference Low Finance Dept.
• Check Reconciliation Reference Low Finance Dept./
City Treasurer
• Parking Citations Reference-Budget Analysis Low Finance Dept.
• Vendor Files Warrant Register Preparation High Finance Dept.
2. Budget
• Budget Preparation Preliminary Budget Preparation Med. City Manager/
Finance Dept.
• Monthly Revenue Expense Reports Monthly/Annual Reports Med. Finance Dept.
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
3. Capital Projects Use Priority Users
• Selected Transactions for CIP Management Capital Projects Accounting Med. All Depts.
Budget Tracking
• Report Preparation for CIPs
4. Data Base Management
° Selected Data on Trust and Agency Deposits Reference, Report Preparation High Finance Dept.
5. Personnel
• Employee File Reference, Tracking Changes Low City Manager
in Status, Schedule Review
• Performance Appraisals/Calendar Dates
• Job Classifications
6. Risk Management
° Claims Administration Reference, Program Analysis Low City Manager/
Others
° Health Insurance
- Claim Administration
- Program Development
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
C. Community Services Department Use Priority Users
1. Office Automation
Document Creation/Revision (Agendas, Minutes, Correspondence) Reference, Composing High. Adm. Sec./
Agendas, Public Notices Community
Mailing Lists Services
Dept.
° Index Agendas and Minutes
Tickler Files
2. Recreation Services
° Production of Recreation Services Guide Program Registration Low Community
and Development Design Services
Class Registration Program Brochures, Flyers Dept.
(Rec. Coord. )
Registration Analysis
3. Facilities and Parks Management
Facility & Parks and Reservation Scheduling Facilities Management Low Community
Services
° Part-Time Maintenance Staff Scheduling Dept.
(Facilities
4. Public Works, Parks and Facilities Maintenance Coord. )
° Vehicle Maintenance Scheduling Public Facilities Mgmt. Low Community
Services
° All Inventory of Supplies and Tools Dept.
(Facilities
Coord. )
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
Use Priority Users
° All Street Related Inventory Public Works Maintenance Low Community Servs.
- Street Marking Dept.
- Street Tree Lists
- Signal and Signage Inventory
- Pavement Marking
° Property Damage/Vandalism Reports Reference Low Community Servs.
Dept./Others
° All Maintenance Activities Public Works Maintenance Low Community Servs.
Budget Preparation Dept.
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
D. Community Development Department Use Priority Users
1. Office Automation
• Document Creation/Revision (Agendas, Minutes, Correspondence) Reference, Composing High Adm. Sec.
Agendas, Public Notices Community
• Mailing Lists Development
• Index Agendas and Minutes
• Tickler Files
2. Project/Permit File and Status
• Tract/DP/PD/PC/Other-Status Reference, Trading Status, Med. Community
Composing Agendas Development
• Zone Clearance Log Dept.
3. Grant Project Reporting
• Grant Reports/Status Conformance to State Low Community
Requirements, Reference Development
• Status Reports Dept.
4. Geobase File
Parcel Information Reference Low Community
Development
Dept.
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
Use Priority Users
5. General
• Code Enforcement Complaints/Status Reference, Tracking Status Low Community Development
Dept.
• Census Update Information
S TJMMARY
SUMMARY
City staff, in review of the IMP and communication with the City
Council and City staff, realizes that the primary need within the
organization is word processing. Additionally, it is perceived the
second most critical need is for the addition of the financial
management system. With this in mind, it is believed that the IBM
System/36 is the most viable and feasible solution for the City of
Moorpark.
The proposed solution calls for the IBM System/36 being implemented now
for word processing. When appropriate, the finance application
software will then be added. The IBM System/36 proposed will have one
(1) megabyte memory and 60 megabytes of disk storage. In a word
processing environment, this system could easily handle 8-10 full-time,
constant operators doing 50% creation and 50% revision without adding
additional memory, even though it is not anticipated that this many
operators would be on the system at the same time. Should, in the
future, response time become an issue, the City of Moorpark would have
total flexibility by being able to either add additional memory or
utilize an IBM Personal Computer with DisplayWrite/4. Operators who
have utilized DisplayWrite/36 would find that DisplayWrite/4 to be very
similar in function to that of DisplayWrite/36. It is important to
note that, since the System/36 is designed for first-time users, it is
often easier to learn word processing on this system as opposed to a
Personal Computer because the System/36 handles many of the system
functions for the operator.
An additional consideration recently identified has been the proposed
acquisition of a software package called "Team Mate". This package,
which would be primarily utilized by the City Clerks office, will
permit a City-wide filing system to be placed on disks. It will allow
easy retrieval and compilation of Agenda items and material. It is
perceived that the acquisition of this software package may be very
advantageous while the City is still young.
The financial management system, which would be proposed as the next
software application, may require additional disk capacity. However,
the proposal of the financial software package is not a portion of the
purchase proposal at this time. It is expected that the completion of
research for the financial management system, which entails the
examination of the DLH software and Mentor software systems, will be in
two months. During the interim, it is proposed that the City utilize a
software package called "Lotus 1-2-3" for assistance in the completion
of financial reports. This software package, which has an
insurmountable number of applications, can also assist in the
preparation of the upcoming budget.
4
City staff has investigated the flexibility of the IBM 5362 and
is confident that it will meet the current and immediate future
needs of the City of Moorpark. As the City progresses, it will
have the alternative of purchasing additional Personal Computers
that may be used in conjunction with the System/36 or acquire
terminals that provide direct access only. Additionally, the
flexibility of this system would allow additions of memory disk
or Personal Computers adequate enough to support additional
departments for the organization, such as an engineering and/or
police department. other additional applications may be business
license functions, utility billing (addition of water district
functions) , and parking citation program.
5
In summary, the current proposal is the acquisition of the following:
HARDWARE QTY. LIST PRICE DISCOUNT NET PRICE
5362 S/36 1-MB Memory 1 $ 16,600.00 $5,966.00 (36%) $ 10,624.00
60 MB Disk
3180 Display Station 2 4,390.00 1,756.00 (40%) 2,634.00
3812 Page Printer 1 9,555.00 3,822.00 (40%) 5,733.00
5170 PC/AT 1 6,205.00 1,860.00 (30%) 4,245.00
HARDWARE TOTAL $ 23,236.00
SOFTWARE
PC DOS 3.2 1 95.00 28.00 (30%) 67.00
LOTUS 1-2-3 1 495.00 99.00 (20%) 396.00
5727 S/36 System Support 1 285.00 1,286.00 (30%) 2,999.00
Program
5727 S/36 Utilities 1 600 180.00 (30%) 420.00
5727 Displaywrite/36 1 2,000.00 600.00 (30%) 1,400.00
5727 S/36 Displaywrite/36 1 120.00 36.00 (30%) 94.00
Language Dictionary
5727 PC Support/36 700.00 210.00 (30%) 490.00
Team Mate 1 5,000.00
SOFTWARE TOTAL $10,866.00
TOTAL PURCHASE $34,102.00
In addition to the purchase price, there will be a monthly maintenace charge of
approximately $300 for the printer, System/36, OC/AT and Display Stations
The proposed system location layout is as follows:
(1) Display station for Parks and Recreation Department secretary
(1) Display station for the Community Development secretary
(1) PC/AT for the City Clerk
(1) Laser printer to be located at City Clerk's desk area
(1) System/36 CPU to be located in the Finance Department area
It is foreseen that additional electrical support will be necessary for
the project implementation. The estimated cost is $2,000. It had been
determined previously that this additional electrical support would be
necessary for the use of the City's secondary copier and, therefore,
not be allocated from the funding mechanism (budget amount) for the
proposed computer system.
In conclusion, City staff would like to make the City Council aware
that, as the Financial Management system is added later in this fiscal
year, additional funding above the $50,000 budget appropriation may be
necessary. It is expected that the financial Management system will
cost approximately $14-$18,000. Additionally, as the System/36 has
added software systems applications additional disk capacity may be
required. It is important to realize that as the City's needs grow
additional costs will need to be incurred to support the system.
6
4&14'to. . .
-�Cc e E7 fl
?LjNo G
�EcepA c)Aj
i/OA L
5362
C;fy
CLERK
L.-.A.SE
r�tNtE�
J�
4 �2-�rl(\
R E C OMMENDA T I ON
RECONAENIDATION
After review of the IMP and assessment of the current needs of the City
of Moorpark, it is recommended that the City of Moorpark purchase the
system as proposed in the Summary of this report. It is important to
realize that this system will be user friendly and is utilized by
neighboring cities in Ventura County. These are important
considerations considering the City's infancy and small staff.
This purchase will not necessitate any additional appropriations at
this point in time; however, due to the current purchasing policies, it
will require City Council authorization, since the purchase is in
excess of $15,000. The appropriate action would, therefore, be:
Authorize City staff to purchase the computer system as proposed in the
Summary portion of this report. The total purchase is not to exceed
$38,000 and monthly maintenance charges not to exceed $300 per month.
7
APPENDIX A
SYSTEM/36 CONSIDERATIONS
When evaluating information systems, please consider the
following information regarding the IBM System/36 .
GROWTH/THROUGHPUT
1 . There is a substantial increase in throughput because
of the innovative use of multiple microprocessors to
supplement the main processor.
2 . System/36 provides considerable growth through the
System/36 product line. Within each model, the systems
may be upgraded by adding additional features, and no
' swapping' of processors is required. This growth also
provides for the retention of investment in hardware
and software, by utilizing the same peripherals and
software.
3 . Through the system 'print spool' and ' job queue' , both
print and process jobs -may run and managed in the
background of the system, leaving display stations
available for use. In addition, . jobs waiting to print
can be moved, altered or held within the print spool.
4 . The new System/36 architecture incorporates a dual-byte
channel that moves data in and out of the processors twice as
fast. as its predecessors. This dual-byte feature
exists between the two main processors and all of the
microprocessors.
5. Alternate Indexing capability is available. With it, the
System/36 will give you access to your business information
in a variety of ways. This can reduce the programming
expenses and significantly improve inquiry response time.
6 . Load balancing capability automatically allocates disk space
and location based upon disk activity. The same features
apply to memory management. Both features are designed to
increase total application throughput.
7 . Magnetic tape unit provides five times faster backup speed
with less operator intervention than many other backup
methods.
8 . Trends in businesses today are toward the use of executive
workstations. According to Business Week, IBM shipped more
than 800,000 .personal computers in 1983 , and nearly 3,000,000
in 1984 . Many company employees will buy personal computers,
hoping to have access to the main computer. System/36
provides the software and the growth capabilities to allow
them to directly attach the IBM Personal Computer and pass
data files between the two systems.
9 . A separate microprocessor within the System/36 handles all
diskette backup functions, thereby freeing up the main
processor and causing negligible impact on any applications
that are running concurrently.
RELIABILITY
10. System/36 reliability is enhanced by using circuits that are
very densely packed. The net result is that there is a
substantial reduction in the number of places things can go
wrong, and a smaller inventory of parts to replace if a
problem develops.
11 . Improved reliability exists by incorporating a new error
correction code that identifies and correct errors that might
arise as data is being transferred.
12. Reliability is also enhanced by the computer' s ability to
keep a log of every problem it runs into. This log can be
read at any time, providing the IBM Service Representative
with an indication of what parts to bring along for repairs.
We call it Problem Determination.
13 . In a distributed network environment, : one of the real
Svstem/36 innovations is a feature we call the System Support
Device (SSD) . This allows a dedicated station at a central
facility to connect with one, or all, of the System/36 remote
locations-becoming, in effect, the main operating console.
This console allows you to detect and correct errors and
problems that remote facilities may be having.
14. As evidence of the improved reliability of System/36 over
System/34, the monthly maintenance costs are almost half.
15 . The System/36 has been designed to operate in an environment
with broader voltage fluctuations than the System/34,
reducing the number of problems that occur during brownouts.
EASE OF USE
16. The System/36 provides new meaning to the term "ease of use" .
If you are ever uncertain about what to do next, just tap the
HELP key and you will get information on the screen that
explains what steps you can take next, and what the results
of each step will be.
17. There are over 2,000 pages of HELP text built into the
System/36, reducing the need for many of the manuals.
18. Most System/36 software comes with on-line tutorials to help
you learn more about what the computer can do. This kind of
self-paced instruction will go a long way toward increasing
the ability and confidence of employees.
19 . The Automatic Configuration capability is a new feature that
has been added to the System/3.6 which greatly simplifies
installing the system initially or adding to it later on.
The system can detect which peripheral devices are attached
and assign them the appropriate ID' s.
i
INFORMATION CENTER
20. Improved text processing capabilities include Spelling
Verification and Synonyms for over used words.
21. Integrated Office Management applications allow you to file
and retrieve documents by reference number of keywords,
distribute documents electronically to one or more people,
store telephone listings, and log all incoming mail by
author, subject, time and date, and record when follow-up
action needs to be taken.
22. A new color/graphics display terminal along with enhanced
business graphics software allow you to take information
stored in your text processing and office management programs
and translate them into pie charts. A separate
microprocessor in the display frees up your main processor by
taking over the time-consuming job translating your
calculations into the graphics format and color selected.
23 . The new color/graphics terminal is an "ail points
addressable" display. This means that every dot on the
screen is controlled by the display terminal-giving you the
best possible image brightness, clarity, and sharpness.
24. The new color/graphics display terminal gives you an
output that lets you feed graphics to television
monitors. This could prove to be very useful for
enhancing sales meetings and management conferences.
It also makes it easy to create foils and slides for
presentation.
25. The new IBM XY/749 Digital Plotter allows printing of
business graphics charts and graphs in up to seven colors.
26. System/36 offers a very powerful and easy to use executive
query program called Query/36 . This allows you to gain
access to information in the format and sequence you. desire
without the need to be a computer programmer or produce any
new programming.
COMMUNICATIONS
27. Communications support is implemented as features of
the Operating System. Therefore, the programmer need
not learn any specialized languages to implement these
communications applications. On-line problem
determination aids are also available.
28. The communications data management provides support for
both single and multiple lines, with speeds up to
9600 bps.
A-r,•
-, Fes NANCIAL
29, Purchasing the System/36 prior to the end of your
fiscal year, may provide some significant tax benefits
in 1986,including Investment Tax Credit, as well as
depreciation.
` -' 30. IBM maintains a high resale value.
31. The System/36 offers better financing alternatives with
the introduction of the ICC term lease.
MISCELLANEOUS
32 . The physical size of the System/36 is significantly
smaller providing more flexibility with physical space
constraints.
33 . The System/36 is at the beginning of its product cycle.
IBM will continue to update and improve both hardware, .,-
i d ' 1 1,4 1 ' �., —,,e r t;*nn
and software applic,bons availability vv�� �•••
A system that's right for you
Flexibility is something you'll find in the IBM PC and System/36. I
You can connect any combination of the popular IBM Personal
Computer,the PC XT TM or the Personal Computer ATO to any of the
System/36 processors.What's more,these processors come in a
range of sizes. For-example,the IBM System/36 PC(5364)can ! st }
support up to 16 displays,giving you a low-cost entry into the
System/36 family.Well-suited for areas where space is at a �E
premium,the IBM System/36 PC uses an IBM PC,PC XT`or
Personal Computer AT9 as a system console and is small enough -
to fit on a desk.
As a PC file server,the System/36 provides a number of
valuable capabilities such as additional disk storage,high-speed
print,shared virtual media(disk and printer)and IBM Token-Ring
Network support.
For larger offices or departments,the 5362 and 5360 System Units
offer you even greater configuration possibilities.With the 5360,
for example,you can attach up to 72 local workstations which can
be IBM PCs or printers(depending upon system configuration),
and up to 64 IBM PCs at remote locations.
The IBM PC and System/36 work together
To give you a good idea of how easy to use and flexible the IBM PC
can be with the System/36, let's look at some of the ways they can
be used together.
If an end user needs to work with one of the popular spread-
1 sheet applications such as Lotus 1-2-3 TM*or Visicalc,TM**the
complete program can be accessed from the IBM PC workstation.
k In addition,data from the System/36 data files is available to the
IBM PC user.With virtual disk and print capabilities,several users
k w
can access data and print.This means that IBM PC users can now
Aaccess several times the amount of data contained in the largest
IBM PC fixed disk.What's more,they can also access the IBM PC
fixed disk without leaving emulation mode.When the user is
finished,the results can be stored in the S stem/36 data files,
,
shared with another workstation,or printed for hard copy.
*Trademark of Lotus Development Corporation
F
"Trademark of Visicorp,Inc.
Local Area Network(LAN)capabilities are available because
the System/36 attaches to the IBM Token-Ring Network.The 5360
and 5362 use the LAN Communications licensed program,the
LAN attachment feature and a PC AT with the LAN attachment
adapter to provide connectivity to the Token-Ring Network.The PC
AT is dedicated when connected to the Token-Ring Network and
cannot run other programs concurrently.The 5364 uses the directly
attached PC and the LAN Communications licensed program. It
does not require the LAN attachment feature or adapter.
IBM Token-Ring Network (LAN) For word processing with the IBM PC,documents can be created
using DisplayWrite 4 or DisplayWrite/36 and sent to another
5360 5364 workstation in either final form or editable form.The editable
document can then be revised,sent back to the first work-
PC AT PC console(AT)` station for approval and finally distributed to appropriate users
throughout the system utilizing a System/36 program called
Personal Services/36.
What's more,users accustomed to different keyboards can have
their IBM PC keyboards customized as a 5350 terminal or a key-
C
With the System/36,the IBM PC becomes a tool for many purposes,
FA PC IBM P board of their own design.This customization feature can help them
Token-Ring
Network maintain their productivity even when working with new programs.
�
( N)
'II'I helping to boost productivity and enhance communication through-
_
out your organization.
PC
5362 S/370
3725
PC AT
I
I
A wealth of software for businesses like yours
Because the System/36 and the IBM Personal Computer have
proven to be so popular,there's already an enormous library of
software available for both these products.But now,there's also a
full range of high-function programs designed specifically for IBM
Personal Computers operating on System/36.These programs can
enhance the efficiency and flexibility of the System/36,as well as
provide IBM PC users with even greater capabilities for both text
and data processing.
Enhanced 5250 Emulation Program Version 2.1 allows your IBM
Personal Computer to act as a stand-alone personal computer or
as a System/36 workstation.You can establish two host/text ses-
sions and one IBM Personal Computer session at the same time,
and even switch between sessions with a simple"hot-key"
sequence.The IBM PC and the IBM Enhanced 5250 Emulation Pro-
gram Version 2.1,along with the System/36 Business Graphics --
Utilities program,provides graphics on an all-points-addressable
display with high resolution.Output can be directed to the IBM
6180 Color Plotter,IBM 7372 Color Plotter or the IBM 4224 Printer.
Remote 5250 Emulation Program lets you attach an IBM Personal
Computer in a remote location without the need for a remote con-
trol unit.This can mean added configuration flexibility at a
reduced cost.
PC Support/36 allows you to easily transfer data back and forth
from the IBM PC to System/36 files. It also provides both virtual
disk and virtual printer capabilities,allowing IBM PCs to share
resources for added system efficiency. PC Support/36 also permits
you to transfer source programs and procedures between System/
36 and the IBM PC files,in addition to creating,saving and execut-
ing data transfer definitions.The shared folder concept provides
an alternative to virtual disk for users.This feature utilizes the IBM
Folder Management System to store PC files and documents.Mul-
tiple IBM PC users may concurrently store(write)documents to the
same folder,altogether transparent to the user and application. PC
Support/36 can direct output to PC Printers which can be shared
by multiple IBM PC users.
DisplayWrite 4 provides IBM Personal Computers with advanced
word processing functions such as automatic footnote processing,
hyphenation and pagination,as well as providing spelling checks,
extensive help facilities and programming to save and recall up to
500 keystrokes. DisplayWrite 4 also permits you to interchange
` >r documents with DisplayWrite/36 in either final form or editable
form for future revisions.
DisplayWrite/36 is a full-function word processing program on
the System/36 which works with both dependent workstations and
IBM PCs.You can create an index,embed graphs into a text docu-
ment and use other advanced printer functions such as colors and
expanded print. In addition,documents can be exchanged with
other users of DisplayWrite/36 not using IBM PCs and,through
Personal Services/36,with users on other systems.
38
THE MAGAZINE FOR OF
Sl 36: An Architecture - --------
f r-the Future
o
r
•
t
t
r
,r JCS C sic V, t S�r :F �l.s ♦ �' fit . .4,yz�, !���'4 Yr—r"� � .
fir b.
*�",�ytF� �':+'�}�!Y/.WZ 1 .der �t�.i��,`c�.'��,,i-'�,y{�t �i•�a � - � ��.x �"� e -t-�
'}y,'4 A
System/36 Architecture:
A Firm Foundation
for the Future
A glance at the S136's inner workings reveals not only
a rich legacy but also the promise of a bright future
by Mel Beckman
omputers, like houses, are built of two machines. You can decide which locities ran like the wind.
starting in the basement; some- machine can best handle an application Business programs,however,have little
times it takes several years to get load and which can expand to meet to do with binary numbers or registers;
to the top floor.Most existing commercial future needs, and you can judge which they work instead with decimal numbers
computers have,in fact,risen slowly from size computer to buy. Finally, program- and variable length fields. A traditional
established architectures.The System/36 mers who understand the basic operation scientific instruction set was ill-equipped
is no exception. It stands firmly on the of a computer can design programs that to deal with these factors because it was
foundation wrought by the IBM Sys- take advantage of the strong points of an constantly converting commercial formats
tem/3, System/32, and System/34. But architecture. to binary formats and vice versa. Conse-
System/36 users should not fear that quently, payroll and inventory applica-
their trusted systems will become lost in Genealogy tions that were run on computers with a
the rubble.An investigation of the history A discussion of present-day S/36 archi- scientific instruction set used up much
and architecture of the System/36 offers tecture must begin with a discussion of processing time on data conversion and
hope for lonb lived utility. the architecture of its predecessors. Fig- ran like glaciers.
A glance at the S/36's inner parts ure l summarizes the hardware develop- In contrast to many of it, contempor-
reveals its evolution. Its unique parallel ments contributed by each generation in aries, the S/3 commercial instruction set
processors and modular components the S/36 ancestry. could perform arithmetic operations di-
speak of several design phases. There is Our discussion begins in 1969 with the rectly on decimal numbers in memory -
much to learn. But interesting as this S/3, the first computer for small busi- no totermediary registers were necessary.
knowledge might be, of what practical nesses in the S/36 line. The S/3 was It also could, in a single instruction,
use is it?Why should anyone be interested revolutionary in one sense: it offered a manipulate a field of data up to 256
in how a machine works internally?Cer- fast commercial instruction set at a time characters long (no more byte-by-byte
tainly the S/36 can be programmed and when most computers relied on a scientific translation to binary). With the S/3's
operated without such detailed knowl- instruction set. The instruction set for a multi-byte, memory-to-memory instruc-
edge,just like a car can be driven without computer consists of the lowest level tions,S/3 programs did not spend much
understanding what goes on under the machine language orders it is able to time t on%erting data,and business appli-
hood. However, for the driver, a knowl- cirry out. "Add binary,""load register," catiot perforniance improved.
edge of auto mechanics comes in handy and "branch to address"are examples of The speed of the S/3 processor wa-s
when comparison shopping for a new car machine language instructions.The scien- carried over to the S/32 (sometimes
or even selecting the right vehicle for a tific machine instruction set used by most called the"bionic desk"because it was an
particular job.Knowing something about computers of that era performed calcula- all-in-one unit),which was introduced in
the inward workings of your computer tions on binary numbers in registers(high- 1975 With this machine, IBM heralded
provides the same kind of benefit. speed,scratch-pad memory).For scientific a new hardware technology that allowed
Understanding what happens under programs this type of instruction set pro- two CPUs to function side-by-side in one
the covers of a computer is especially vided much needed speed.Programs com- machine. One CPU, or processor, was a
helpful when analyzing the relative merits puting Laplace transforms or orbital ve- microprogrammed version of the S/1
This prxessor wasn't as fast as a S/3,but 1604i, Oua Ik, - ;-AW
it executed the same instruction set,which i t; k ,
meant IBM could reuse much previously Geoeaiop -,
Jeveloped system software. The other ,� ,F �r' ,w± _� s'- •
processor was a real innovation. Its jobs.
was to handle all contact with peripheral `Mashie»
devices and the outside world.This second -t
processor ran its own dedicated program
using its own dedicated memory. Al- ^_ -
though in the early 1970s the S/32's dual # '�
processors represented a hardware ad- �, ►'Ad tlon
vancement,this system was limited by its
capacity to run only one program at a �32 Rp p.
time.
Two years later, IBM announced the r or- ;�'" gnutshprf�'pf �ppoemlOe f;
S/34, which continued the S/32 philos- Saorag6€'rtfeessor) z '* �, •�; a.
ophy of using two processors. However, a Singe program execution
the microprogrammed processor was re- • 27MB disk drive technology(Gulliver) - '
placed by a much faster "hardwired" System/34 9 Hwdwked implementation of System/3 processor_ i
version. This processor, now faster than a Task switching and address translation handled by
So-
the fastest S/3, could run multiple pro- r �, ' ` e.� �atingsystemfunctionsimpi�me rndasSu-
grams simultaneously. The second pro- �� '.o' - '
censor, also a holdover from the S/32, a Samos Instructim tt�et(�BASIC and FORTRA1*A in' f<
took on the job of managing memory and ; �•' ?j; mtinication controller ;
disnatching tasks for the hardwired pro-
handle pol8ng and teleNrossi; lf^
Y y.
censor. (As a marketing decision, IBM • 64MB disk drive technology(Picollo)
included in this processor a scientific System/36 • Faster main storage and control storage processors
instruction set, emulated by microcode, 9 8MB.reat main storageaddressability
which allowed faster execution of BASIC • 192K translated (region) main storage addressability
and FORTRAN programs.)Local termi- • 128K control storage (double that of the System/34)
nal management was relegated to yet a • Two-byte wide,bidirectional channel -,
third processor. A fourth processor was • Improved overlap of CSP and MSP operation i
optionally available to support outside • Fast task-switching hardware and multiple ATR groups ;
communications—the first time a proses- • Virtual memory management for system transient routines
sor was available as an option. Extensive • New MSP instructions for ease of programming
use was made of another development, e W/S controller optional to reduce cost of entry level
the ATOM (A Tiny Optimized Micro- machines
Word Processing Text Mode support for workstations
processor), to directly control the system • Data Storage Controller to handle disk/tape/disketle data
printer and MICR (Magnetic Ink Char- transfers
aster Recognition) devices. • Eight-line communication controller(ELCA)to handle poll-
These developments lead us to the ing and TP 1/0
S/36, which appeared in 1983. In many • 200MB disk drive technology,with RLL/ECC to eliminate
ways, it is a radical departure from the write verifies
S/34. For example, memory addressing
has been re-engineered for the first time
since the S/3. The two main processors
also were improved and the selection of Line Communications Adapter(MLCA), When the MSP must perform 1/0 op-
optional processors expanded. Eight-Line Communications Adapter erations, it submits a request to the CSP,
Internally, the S/36 supports several (ELCA),and Data Storage Controller. If which handles contact with the outside
different processors.Figure 2 summarizes a 3262 printer or Magnetic Character world.) And the MSP executes only .36
their names,functions,and characteristics. Reader is attached to the system,ATOMS niillion instructions per second (MIPS. ).
The Main Storage Processor (MSP) is will control these devices. To better un- This rate might seem slow when com-
really a hardwired S/3 CPU with a few derstand the function of each of these hared with other minicomputers, but
new instructions. The Control Storage processors, let's first examine the two because the MSP doesn't concern itself
Processor(CSP)controls the overall op- main processors (MSP and CSP) and .vjth 1/0 or task management, it is free
eration of the entire machine. It runs a then discuss the optional pn�ce"�ors W concentrate on the job at hand 1-his
dedicated program in its own memory ! cdom makes up for the MSP's apparent
(control storage) which may be either Main Storage Processor !.�ck of horsepower.
64K or 128K. A third kind of processor The S/36 Main Storage Proussor(MSP) I fhe MSP in the current S/36 can
has the same instruction set and organi- runs SSP programs and user applica• :iddress up to 8MB of main storage.That
zation as the CSP, but it is used as a Lions through the S/3-based commercial -;arability has developed slowly through
dedicated controller for certain input/ (memory-to-memory) instruction set. ihe S/36 ancestry.The original S/3 could
output (1/0) operations. IBM has des- That is all the MSP does. It has nu control only contain up to 64K of main storage
ignated it the CSP/I; one each is found over which programs are executed.It has hcause of the sixteen-bit address, size
in the Workstation Controller, Multi•• no direct contact with the outside world. f ester,the S/3 Model 15 was announced,
Renrinted from Vh.WS'11-1 ' ;
:r ° tY ' MSP operating at maximum efficiency.
s ,.. a tics
f�"s Because the CSP is not working on
a ; Srlitwil9f llYidple Pa+OOe�PRtF'�: `�r° ,t �s�t�= business programs, it uses a more apph-
• �-w cable register-to-register minicomputer
instruction set (like the old scientific
.` instroc>ion set).This instruction set allows
x the CSP, running at 1.3 MIPS (1.6 for
Stage 2),W Juggle several things at once-
X48iq The services provided by the CSP simplify
CNN> ✓p! the programming involved in the SSP
i2K and take advantage of the four-fold speed
. CSPjg�F:S Aepialer-i�± y. s� x . :_. t28K advantage CSP has over MSP for time-
.Ca'"traiw;.' , Y}; •_-Reprlerc. :, ;��. ✓ ' A2-9614 i 4s critical functions.
r.
X 1D� There are two versions of the S/36
Catbdr i >`WpFsMr' -N� rug= X12" CSP. Machines shipped before October
Eight tint Aeprater 128K 1984 contain a Stage I CSP, which runs
Cows Ad+tptt f` n -t4'. , -, •' °:{92 84►9` 200 at 1.3 MIPS.Machines shipped after that I
Prtsdu Register-to- 128K date,including all 5362 and 5364 proses- 1
Contro cATOAA 1.1 - �f9 200 sors contain a Stage 2 CSP, running at
tiEapoMtc ink , r 1.6 MIPS. On the smaller 5364s the
Ckw�der IITnM Re�gii;W-to- 1. 1 1 p 200 perfcrmance difference between Stage I isw` and Stage 2 processors is insignificant
*VAm in - ? because the CSP is rarely running at
t `ar° Oti =s anywhere near its rated capacity. How-
ever,on large 536{k^,main-many work-
which supported 256K of main storage Translation (PACT). These eight PACT stations or DisplayWrite/36 jobs, the
by" "fi si p'Ord' alla P,ddress rcguiers criecvveiy make the address of CSP may be fully utilized,and the Stage 2
Translation Registers(ATRs). Under this the S/36 three bytes long,resulting in an processor would improve performance.
scheme, main storage was divided into address of twenty-four bits.One of these The S/36 CSP has a number of en-
2K "pages" that were accessed directly bits is used to indicate whether the address hancements over the S/34 version. In
through the ATRs.Each of the thirty-two is translated,leaving twenty-three bits for addition to being faster, the S/36 CSP
ATRs contained the starting address for addressing. Thus, it is possible for the processes more requests in parallel with
one page in the currently executing tasks S/36 CPU to directly address 8MB of the MSP than did its predecessor. It also
region• memory. recognizes many new Supervisor Call
When the program referenced data in The future implications of this memory instructions, which perform operating
a given 2K page of storage,the hardware size are enormous. Today, even though system functions for the MSP.Included in
looked up the real memory address for the S/36 can directly address 8MB of these new SVC instruc6ups is a "storage
that page in the ATRs and thus translated memory, the region size is still restricted mapping"service,which allows SSP pro-
the program's imaginary address into a to 64K. To address more than 6-1K per grams (e.g., data management) easier
"real"address.The address was still only region, extra ATRs must be added (one access to buffers in a user application.
sixteen bits long, so each program was for each 2K of addressability).The S/36 The S/36 CSP also contains a larger
still constrained to a 64K region.However, ATR registers are currently numbered �;ontrol storage area than the S/34 CSP.
several programs could be in the 256K from 128 to 256.ATR numbers 0 to 127 Because the S/34 CSP contained only
main storage area simultaneously--only are currently not installed,but the capacity 64K of control storage, control storage
the ATRs nxded to be changed when is there to add another 128 ATRs.If these programs that couldn't fit in this space
control passed from one program to an- additional registers are divided equally were read in from disk as "transients"
other. Also, because each 2K page could between the current task ATR group and when required. The S/36 CSP can con-
be addressed anywhere in storage through the fast-task switch ATR group,the MSP Ain either 64K or 128K of control storage
the ATRs,the pages for a program didn't could be made to address a region of The extra storage is used to contain
need to be physically consecutive in real 192K. IBM has indicated in a response to Workstation Controller (WSC) code if
storage. The pages for several programs a COMMON resolution that it plans to the WSC function is inboard,or tosimpl}
could be intermingled because the ATRs increase the maximum region size;adding keep more CSP routines resident if the
would sort everything out when the pro- those 128 ATRs is how IBM could do it. WSC function is outboard.) In addition
grams were running•,this capability elim- to the extra control storage, the S/36
inated the problem of memory fragmen- Control Storage Processor CSP offers a new Virtual Address Facility
tation faced by other multiprogram The Control Storage Processor (CSP) :n its memory management function
computers. interfaces with peripheral devices, man- This facility is revolutionary in that it
The S/36 still uses the ATRs found on ages MSP memory and swapping, and allows any numbei of MSP transients to
the S/3.However,there are 128 ATRs in controls the execution of the MSP. The cur; from the user area instead of bottle-
s S/36.Currently,thirty-two of these are CSP also provides special computational necking in a single transient area as the%
used for the executing task,another thirty- services to the MSP,including high-level +list on the S/34.
two are used for fast task switching,and operating system operations such as queue An interesting and useful service pit)
fifty-six are used for 1/0 tasks. The re- management and intertask communica- ,d!.d by the CSP is the Alter/Displa%
maining eight ATRs support a new ad- tions.Through judicious task and memory fatilily. When the MSP STOP button u
dressing mode:Prefix Address Contained management, the CSP tries to keep the 1wer--e i on the service panel, a menu cl
!-,,.., 1,VIC TY
twelve items appears at the system con-
Iftr
1
sole.This menu allows a programmer or - �3
service technician to examine and modify FEatartis
any location on disk,in main storage,or 1lrortcstW6= Dos fta 09�l ,vw 1
in control storage.This kind of tool,when i' Ditsit� Ac.*ttta� Comb oMw �amltteir:;, GatUoMr�l tCN
it is available at all on single-processor . «A 11° 40r„1e 4 W I
r- r =
machines, is usually implemented as a :� "'J!0►�IB -' ,�;�;, a
large and complex control panel. The v �ttg.T n;sp
S/36's"soft"control panel is much easier S2 awe Show
to use and provides a wider tange of ' :" 0
functions For example,the Address Com-
pare Stop feature can be used to stop the
MSP when a certain disk or memo "� -
address is referenced or changed to a no �400��; � �1. �,�` "
sped value. The MSP is in a frozen ,t �S�, r CorthoNsr
e
wfth
state while Alter/Display is being used,it 8 , (Second
resumes processing at the point of inter- T 1432MB s i Contra 1 h .
ruption when option 0 is taken from the •;.: -"R
main menu.This capability is invaluable
for tracking down difficult system bugs. "-....: : ..„
Another option displays the detailed status outboard WSC that relieves the CSP of "channel." This same path is used for
of every task in the system—including handling more extensive local networks. intercommunication between the MSP,
the swap state, which is not available Both the inboard and outboard WSC CSP and other processors-With all these
from the s_tandard console command implementations support the new"word devices competing for use of the channel,
displays. processing mode"for local workstations. a sudden higb-volume transfer of dats
This mode adds functions like indentation, can result in a logjam of information,
Optional Processors 1Halgirr u,IMUL, lab cutry, word wrap, degrading system performance signifi-
Other processors may be installed op- continuous text entry, scale lines, split cantly. The DSC operates "below" the
tionally to take care of additional tasks.A screens, and special prompting. These channel, communicating directly with
Workstation Controller deals with local functions,used by DisplayWrite/36,pro- the devices over its own private data path.
workstation input/ouput; an MLCA vide a user interface better suited to word This capability reduces access contention
(Multi-Line Communications Adapter) processing than the fixed-field format of on the main channel and eliminates the
or ELCA (Eight-line Communications data processing mode. Because these fea- degradation that normally occurs with
Adapter) processor handles polling and tures are under the direct control of a CSP large file transfers.The S/34 experienced
protocol for multiple communication or CSP/I, they have a consistently fast tremendous response-time degradation
lines;a Data Storage Controller mediates response time, regardless of the load on %hen transferring files between diskette
data transfers between disk and slower the MSP. and disk, or disk and disk.
devices like diskette and tape. Remote devices, such as the 5251 To operate efficiently,the DSC contains
The Workstation Controller. An inter- Model 12 workstation and the 5294 con- two 16K buffers. It initially fills both
esting difference between the S/34 and trol unit, also contain workstation con- buffers;then,after one buffer is written to
S/36 is in the workstation controller. trollers.In the 5251 Model 12,the WSC the output device, it starts refilling it
Every S/34 had a dedicated CSP/I with program is fixed in Read Only Memory while the second buffer is being written.
32K of control storage to poll work- (ROM) and cannot be changed. It is This double-buffering improves the output
stations, process keystrokes and handle unable to support word processing mode transfer rate significantly and allows the
field attributes like right-adjust, zero fill, The 5294 does not contain a fixed WSC tape drive to run in streaming (high-
and check digits.The workstation expan- program. Instead, the host S/36 down- ;peed, nonstop) mode. When a DSC
sion feature to support more than eight loads WSC microcode when the 5294 transfer is requested,the CSP notifies the
devices was simply a memory expansion goes on-line.Thus,wort processing mode; DSC where the source and destination
of the WSC to 64K. in addition to any future enhancements files are and the DSC takes over, inter-
Not every S/36, however, has a ded- that might be implemented in WSC micro- rupting the CSP only when a diskette or
icated WSC.On all 5364 models,and on code, is available. tape must be changed.
5362 models without the workstation Data Storage Controller: The S/36 Because the DSC only relieves conges-
expansion feature, the WSC function is supports up to two tape drives—some- .ion on the main channel (it doesn't
performed"inboard"by the CSP.Because thing unavailable on the S/34.Tape drives actually move the data faster), no appre-
the CSP and WSC both use identical are attached to the system through the :fable performance improvement will be
processors, adding WSC tasks .,, the Data Storage Controller (DSC), which noticed-nlesr:.he system is heavily::.ailed.
CSP's workload wa_sn't'rerd to do,and it can autonomously transfer files from disk Fhe DSC can only make rnponse times
allowed IBM to produce machines with to tape without the intervention of either more consistent. The DSC also is tim-
full S/36 functionality at a lower price. the MSP or CSP. In fact, the DSC also .ied to performing one device-to-device
(For a comparison of features between can mediate transfers between disk and ;ransfer at a time. If the DSC is engaged
the three S/36 models, see Figure 3.) diskette, diskette and tape, or disk and In a transfer and the MSP requests another
These models do not suffer a performance disk. transfer,the second request will be queued
loss because the CSP has enough addi- When a S/36 doe;, itot have a DSC ,ntil the DSC is free.The one exception
tional capacity to easily take on the extra data is transferred between devices on an ro this rule is if the DSC is processing a
load.Larger 5362s and all 5360s have an intemal two-byte-wide oath called the ape transfer and a request for a diskette
'� 7;,� .,c. .�•s'°fir r` '� rc rro
recovery program needs only to cancel
IJ
the offending task before resuming the
work in progress. Sometimes even this
step is not necessary because the problem
can be corrected while the MSP waits.
For example, if the MSP runs into a
parity check (memory failure)in a main
storage memory card,the task is canceled
and the 2K page of memory is taken off-
' line to protect other tasks from the dim-
aged memory. Likewise, if a disk sector
LI _ JC i - •t
is found to be unusable, the CSP auto-
matically assigns a spare from a special
is + 5 .,. = r{
h = _ supply of extra disk sectors then lets
RM
►�' �, as the MSP proceed as if nothing hap-
;'' pened. The CSP also keeps a detailed
j:i log—the Error Recovery Analysis Report
ATOM "' CSP/! =11TOM "_" CSP/1
CS ' (ERAP)—of any problems it detects for
•1255 MICR, Daw$tora0e _ Worksta (MLCA/ELCAI later perusal by a customer engineer.
Corttrollet':' =OoMtolle at3nlet'Ct1 'Controller Controller The interdependence between the CSP
and the MSP is especially important
because during a typical processing day
IeFz .OWc� 1� � i r several programs are competing for the
tPA
�10' �€,� v, use of the MSP at once.Competition for
the MSP means the CSP must make
many decisions about which program is
to be run when.The process of allowing
transfer is made.Because the tape transfer a significant problem: how to use the a program(task) to run, then stopping it
could require a long time (especially if processors efficiently. The goal is to get and starting up another program,is called
the operator doesn't change reels when some degree of parallel operation without "task-switching."
prompted), the diskette request is pro- unneccessarily holding up the execution A typical task-switching scenario may
cessed.immediately using the main 1/0 of any one task. Traditional approaches proceed as follows: when the MSP must
channel. to the problem treat all processors equally perform some 1/0 operation, it makes a
MLCA and ELCA processors:A S/36 either by running separate application request to the CSP via a Supervisor Call
with one or two communications lines programs on each processor or by inter- instruction. The program that requested
(Single-Line Communications Adapter— leaving:nstruction execution among pro- the 1/0 must now wait.The CSP selects
SLCA) uses the CSP to poll the lines, cessors. IBM has taken a different tack another program that is ready to run and
handle bottom-layer protocol,and buffer with the S/36 by assigning each processor starts it,then schedules the 1/0 operation
data transfers.One line presents no prob- a specific,dedicated job and by designing for the first task, thus "switching" the
lem, but two lines can put an unwieldy for each a unique instruction set optimized tasks. The steps that take place when a
burden on the CSP, which is forced to for the tasks at hand.Figure 4 is a diagram task switch occurs bear examining because
drop everything it's doing to service the of the major components inside the S/36 a major advantage of the S/36 over
high-priority communication interrupts. and shows how they are interconnected. single-processor systems hinges on how
When more than two lines are installed, The usefulness of the multiprocessor these steps are carried out
the MLCA (now available only on the architecture is demonstrated in the anal- Most computers, including the S'36,
5362)and ELCA processors do the dirty ogy that single-processor computers suffer use an 1/0-driven" mechanism for
work. These processors are essentially from the same problems as single-engine switching tasks. That is, when the execu-
identical—the ELCA being more recently airplanes: .a shortage of options. When tion of one task a interrupted to perform
announced and the only product currently the engine quits on a single-engine air- an input'output operation. the machine
available on new 5360s. plane,there are no options from which to switches to another task. f his switch
Because both communications proces- choose.The important decision has been makes sense because most 1/0 operations
sors are a dedicated CSP/l,they support made for you by the engine: the aircraft are quite slow when compared with the
data rates much faster than the SLCA. is going down. The engine in a single- speed of the processor. For example, a
They also assume the responsibility for processor machine can stop too when an disk read requires about 40 milliseconds;
polling terminals, processing protocol invalid instruction is encountered, or a in the same amount of time the MSP
messages,computing checksums,rrtrans- hardware error occurs. When such an could execute nearly 15 lXX;instructions
.mitting buffers, and the lower layers of event happens, the computer often is Because the cask that requested the 1%0
SDLC protocol.A machine with MLCA headed in the same direction as the operation is going to wait anyway, run-
or ELCA installed will experience much airplane. ning another task in its stead overlaps the
less degradation than a machine using The multiprocessor S/36,like a multi- opc ration of the processor and 1/0.
SLCA. engine aircraft,recovers somewhat more However, task switching is not an in-
gracefully from serious system failures. If ,W.,Ilancous event. There u a rueral
IBM's Multiple Processor Advantage the MSP tries to do something crazy,the yoqueuct of events that must occur First,.
A computer architecture, such as the CSP gets control and executes an error- the r '0 operations that caused the inter-
S/36's,that uses multiple procPSOrs faces recovery procedure. Often, the error- ruptiot, ;nest be dealt with: transferring
Fligim
Thaebm for Sb&vrocenor TM&Swd dit 'a:f r r,i.t • 1
t
.. !,1 -� .lT+`� ti •`` ��F`
Ti �
r�r
Vv
v� ,tYi3�73r}�45 ? .Tn= ` �
ti r :''� Pte r ,..� ti rr'� ♦^ +c St Z.,
UOK
�n-�•t��ry
- {(.._ .w,� t ) Y+l ;ikr l�byf yiCi,•J`f,; t't
.. �'� - .�. �•. � tit %�� � �4 r -�.� fZ.i
Stop current task, process
/O,schedule new task, 1Y
save old task, load new task,
start new task
Figum 5b
TWw ine for S/36 Dwkl-pfOCtso To&Swkching
TIME
User-program time MSP
(productive)
Task-switching time CSP
(overlapped)
Process 1/0, schedule new R
task, toad new task, stop old J
task, save old task, start new
task.
the data and controlling the device.Then task switching can account for an appre- However,the S/36 contains special "fast
the computer must determine which of ciable portion of the total execution time. task-switch" hardware that allows it to
several tasks should run next and maintain In fact,as the task load increases,a point rave and load the MSP registers quickly,
the various queues used to make this eventually will be reached where more which, in turn, makes the task switch
decision. After a new task has been se- time is used up doing task switches than nearly instantaneous
lected, the environment of the old task running the tasks themselves.To the user. the MSP is not involved in the details
(instruction pointer and registers) must it appears as though the performance of of shifting gears and loses little timr
be stored. If the new' task has been the system degrades rapidly, out of pro between tasks. \h1ithin the space of a few
swapped out to disk, it must be brought portion to the number of tasks. This MSP instructions,the old task is stopped
into memory. Finally, the environment situation is clearly unhealthy; in most and the new task is started. As new tasks
for the new task must be loaded and forms of accounting it is referred to as a are added,the MSP concentrates on run-
execution started at the point of previous net loss. ning those tasks, and there are fewer
interruption. The same timeline for a S/36 is show rt abrupt changes in system performance.
Figure 5a shows the timeline of events in Figure 5b. Here, when a task switch The Channel
for a conventional single-processor com- must be made, only the CSP gets irate; i itc ii O Channel is the data path wcd b)
puler.Because only one processor is avail- rupted--the MSP keeps running. "1 rat he MSP, ('SP. other processors, and
able,when an interrupt occurs,everything CSP then sets up everything for the task p i ipheral device., to transfer data inside
else must stop while the task switch is switch. It takes care of 1/0 handling. the machine. When it disk record is read,
done.If two tasks are nm together,chances determines which task will run next r. is transferred byte by byte down the
are that the total amount of time to run swaps the task into storage if nece?- :hannel to main storage. The MSP and
them will be longer than if the tasks were nary, and then switches tasks. All time C—SP continue to run during this transfer.
run one after the other: more time is consuming operations are performed it, i,ut the channel"steals"a cycle from the
required to switch between tasks. When parallel by the CSP while the MSP is stilt MSP when it needs to aa:ess main storage
many tasks are running at the same time, processing user program instructions !)they transfers wf 4 in a similar manner
The S/34 channel was one byte wide
meaning that, for each cycle, one byte
could be transferred from one componentr�
to another inside the machine.The S/36 A
channel is bidirectional and two bytes
wide. It can transfer two bytes at a time '-'>°"
between components or one byte simul-
taneously in each direction. Because the
S/36 channel can transfer twice as much
data as the S/34 version,it"steals"only
half as many cycles from the MSP,which :
improves the performance of user pro- k J �;"tom X10'''1 v'; i ti 1 ! "`«00100 ?
grams and SSP functions.Generally,any :' � `":x'0010 i =s� .`"� t-' ': j 00100100 � �` r
channel activity takes only half as long as
it formerly did,greatly reducing internal
traffic congestion. ��:� :":mss.; .' ,t..;;
_i
ffi
The S/36 channel is actually an intel-
ligent device—not just a data bus. It 1-imited encoding (RLL), which elimi- see that IBM has plans for the S/36.If the
incorporates a primitive channel processor nates the reread requirement and achieves S/36 had been intended as a stopgap
that executes a limited range of instruc- reliability by detecting and correcting S/34 replacement, none of the major
lions specifically geared to moving data single-and double-bit errors at read time. architectural changes would have been
on the bus. Although these instructions The S/36 technique recognizes that bad necessary.The scope of the effort indicates
are simple, it gives the channel some data could be put on the disk at write that a long and prosperous future can be
degree of autonomy: the CSP can issue time, but that most problems will be expected. With an increased region size
c^rnmands to the channel and then go do single-bit errors.On the S/36,data is not and, say, 4MB of main storage, a S/36
other work while the commands are written on disk as a series of fixed-length could conduct a prodigious amount of
carried out. bytes, as it is on the S/34. instead, the business.One should not ruie out a faster
bytes are encoded into variable-length bit MSP, higher capacity disk drives, or ex-
-Disk Drives strings containing twice as many bits as panded workstation capacity. These po-
The hard disk technology used on the originally input (Figure 6). Six Error tential enhancements, coupled with a
S/36 is a major advance over previous Correcting Code bytes are also written uniform product line, make the S/36
devices. For this discussion, only the for each 256-byte sector. IBM's flagship machine for many envi-
10SR 200MB drive will be examined. On a S/36,then,because information ronmenrs, from individual departments
But other disks(the 30/60MB used in the is being stored redundantly, it is possible through large corporations with satellite
5362 and the 40/80MB used in the 5364) to repair damaged bytes at read time. organizations. ■
are similar in operation. All S/36 disks When a record is read, the encoded data
use a special method of writing data that is decoded and an error detection/correc-
increases reliability and decreases access tion algorithm executed on the result.The About the Author
time. mathematics of the algorithm guarantee Mel Beckman is senior systems analyst
To better understand S/36 disk drives, that any single- or double-bit errors can with Amalgamated Software of North
let's again contrast the S/36 with the be detected,and that single-bit errors can 4merica(ASNA) in Malibu, California
S/34. The S/34 Gulliver (27MB) and be corrected-The net effect is that records Mel holds a bachelor's degree in electrical
Picollo (64MB) devices required that, can be safely written to disk without engineering from Mankato State Univer-
after every write operation, the data be rereading for verification. city in Minnesota and has eight years
reread to make sure it was recorded e.tperienc'ein data processing.Aftergrad-
correctly. While this step was handled The Bottom Line uatine from college, Met owned in part-
automatically by the CSP, it was still The S/36 is a prime example of building WrShip the Pace Financial Corporation
time-consuming because after writing a on pre-existing technology effectively Its d% Rochester, Minnesota, the company
record, the CSP had to wait for the disk ability to handle modern office automa- -reated medical software for Systems
to spin around again to the starting point tion and distributed processing jobs is 34.136. Since joining ASNA. Mel has
before the record could be reread for provided by extensions to an established worked exclusively on products for the
verification. Thus, write operations were architecture. A wide range of processor System/36.Mel has interests in flying and
more than twice as long as read opera- sizes can be offered because the S/36's in missionary work, and in the future he
dons. Also, while the S/34 reread tech- internal components are modular and plant to become an aviation missionary.
nique provided a high level of reliability general-purpose. The architecture of the
when the data was ui itten,it provided no S/36 proves that IBM is acting to preserve
recourse if the data was damaged after the history of engineering, software de-
writing (random damage). Experience velopment, manufacturing knowledge,
with S/34 drives demonstrated that the and technical support invested in the "inted from the blares-1986 pane of
most common random disk error was a S/36- NEWS/34-.-38.:;d:
single-bit failure within a byte. Double- But history also has shown that a com- The magarane for tames
bit errors within a byte also occurred but puter can never have enough disk or of 1BMe Sy== 34/36/38
much less frequently. enough memory.Because new features of P.O. Box 3438
The IOSR (STAR) uses a special data the S/36 have been designed with gener- end,CO W539
encoding technique called Run Length ous allowances for expansion,it's easy to
MOORPARK
THOMAS C.FERGUSON STEVEN KUENY
Mayor City Manager
DANNY A.WOOLARD CHERYL J.KANE
Mayor Pro Tern �' °+ City Attorney
ELOISE BROWN - f PATRICK RICHARDS,A.I.C.P.
Councilmember
— Director of
JOHN GALLOWAY _ o Community Development
Councilmember o R. DENNIS DELZEIT
CLINT HARPER,PhD. o City Engineer
Councilmember +mot' JOHN V.GILLESPIE
MAUREEN W.WALL Chief of Police
City Clerk THOMAS P.GENOVESE
MEMO R A N D UM City Treasurer
T O : The Honorable City Council
F R O M : Thomas P. Genovese, Director of Administrative Service
D A T E : February 13, 1987
S U B J IE C T = ADDITION OF ELECTRICAL CAPACITY FOR CITY HALL
BACKGROUND
As briefly addressed in the system proposal , there is a current need for
additional electrical capacity at City Hall . This additional capacity
is needed for the operation of both the proposed computer system and the
secondary copier.
It is expected that all services performed to add the necessary capacity
for the operation of these two devices can be completed for under
$2,000. City staff is requesting an appropriation of $2,000 from the
General Fund to make the necessary improvements.
RECOMMIE-NDATION
Authorize the appropriation of $2,000 from the General Fund for the
necessary electrical improvemetns to City Hall .
TPG: igb
799 Moorpark Avenue Moorpark, Califomia 93021 (805) 529-6864