VAXmate
Encyclopedia
VAXmate was an IBM PC/AT compatible personal computer
introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation
in September, 1986. The replacement to the Rainbow 100
, in its standard form it was the first commercial diskless personal computer.
, which went through several name changes, finally becoming Pathworks
. Alternatively an optional expansion box containing either 20 MB or 40 MB hard disk could be purchased which allowed it to operate as a more conventional stand-alone PC.
drive, a 14 inch (diagonal) amber or green monochrome CRT
and a thinwire Ethernet
interface all contained in the system unit. It was also provided with a parallel printer port and a serial communications port. A separate mouse and LK250 keyboard was used with the device.
As well as the expansion box, an 80287 MHz numeric coprocessor could be ordered as an option, and the memory could be expanded by 2 MB with another option to 3 MB. In North America, an internal modem was also available.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
in September, 1986. The replacement to the Rainbow 100
Rainbow 100
The Rainbow 100 was a microcomputer introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation in 1982. This desktop unit had the video-terminal display circuitry from the VT102, a video monitor similar to the VT220 in a dual-CPU box with both Zilog Z80 and Intel 8088 CPUs.The Rainbow 100 was a triple-use...
, in its standard form it was the first commercial diskless personal computer.
OS and files
The operating system and files would normally served from a VAX/VMS server running the company's VAX/VMS Services for MS/DOS softwarePathworks
Pathworks was the tradename used by Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts for a series of programs that eased the interoperation of Digital's minicomputers with personal computers....
, which went through several name changes, finally becoming Pathworks
Pathworks
Pathworks was the tradename used by Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts for a series of programs that eased the interoperation of Digital's minicomputers with personal computers....
. Alternatively an optional expansion box containing either 20 MB or 40 MB hard disk could be purchased which allowed it to operate as a more conventional stand-alone PC.
Original Price
The basic system contained an 8 MHz Intel 80286 CPU with 1 Mbyte of RAM, a 1.2 MB RX33 5¼-inch floppy diskFloppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
drive, a 14 inch (diagonal) amber or green monochrome CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
and a thinwire Ethernet
10BASE2
10BASE2 is a variant of Ethernet that uses thin coaxial cable , terminated with BNC connectors...
interface all contained in the system unit. It was also provided with a parallel printer port and a serial communications port. A separate mouse and LK250 keyboard was used with the device.
As well as the expansion box, an 80287 MHz numeric coprocessor could be ordered as an option, and the memory could be expanded by 2 MB with another option to 3 MB. In North America, an internal modem was also available.