IBM 9020
Encyclopedia
The IBM 9020 refers to IBM
System/360
-family computer
s adapted into a multiprocessor system for use by the U.S. FAA
for en route Air Traffic Control
in its 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers beginning in the late 1960s. The IBM 9020A, for example, was based on the System 360/50 and the 9020D used 2 out of 3 360/65 processors for flight and radar data processing with 2 out of 3 360/50 processors providing input/output capability.
The 9020As and 9020Ds were in service until 1989 when they were finally replaced by IBM 3083 BX1 mainframe
s as part of the FAA's HOST upgrade. The 3083s in turn were replaced with IBM 9672 RA4 parallel processing servers during the FAA's Host and Oceanic Computer System Replacement (HOCSR) completed in 1999. At least during the first phase of the upgrade, the 9672's were running the FAA's original assembly language
code in System/360 emulation mode. Because of the failure of the FAA's Advanced Automation System (AAS) project, the 9020E display control systems lasted well into the 1990s.
One reason for the 1999 upgrade was concern, probably unfounded, that the IBM 3083's microcode would not operate properly in the year 2000
.
NATS in the UK had a 9020D system in service running NAS from 1974 to 1989 when it was replaced with a IBM 4381 system.
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
System/360
System/360
The IBM System/360 was a mainframe computer system family first announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and sold between 1964 and 1978. It was the first family of computers designed to cover the complete range of applications, from small to large, both commercial and scientific...
-family computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s adapted into a multiprocessor system for use by the U.S. FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
for en route Air Traffic Control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
in its 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers beginning in the late 1960s. The IBM 9020A, for example, was based on the System 360/50 and the 9020D used 2 out of 3 360/65 processors for flight and radar data processing with 2 out of 3 360/50 processors providing input/output capability.
The 9020As and 9020Ds were in service until 1989 when they were finally replaced by IBM 3083 BX1 mainframe
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
s as part of the FAA's HOST upgrade. The 3083s in turn were replaced with IBM 9672 RA4 parallel processing servers during the FAA's Host and Oceanic Computer System Replacement (HOCSR) completed in 1999. At least during the first phase of the upgrade, the 9672's were running the FAA's original assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
code in System/360 emulation mode. Because of the failure of the FAA's Advanced Automation System (AAS) project, the 9020E display control systems lasted well into the 1990s.
One reason for the 1999 upgrade was concern, probably unfounded, that the IBM 3083's microcode would not operate properly in the year 2000
Year 2000 problem
The Year 2000 problem was a problem for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits.In computer programs, the practice of representing the year with two...
.
NATS in the UK had a 9020D system in service running NAS from 1974 to 1989 when it was replaced with a IBM 4381 system.
Sources
- http://www.thegalleryofoldiron.com/9020E.HTM
- An application-oriented multiprocessing system, Part II: Design characteristics of the 9020 system
- Re-engineering software: a case study - air traffic control software - technical pictures of 9020E being recycled