5 ms·

I wouldn't mind a Burroughs on a Chip today given details below You're looking for the Unisys SCAMP[1] in a Unisys Micro-A. It's a single chip implementation

by kjs3 11y ago

I wouldn't mind a Burroughs on a Chip today given details below You're looking for the Unisys SCAMP[1] in a Unisys Micro-A. It's a single chip implementation of the A-series mainframe architecture running MCP packaged in a "desktop"(ish) package. Very nifty. These days Unisys will sell you what amounts to an A-series emulator running on a Xeon. For a lot of money. [1] Not SC/MP. Different chip.

nickpsecurity 11y ago
Didnt know about that. Thanks for the tip. I believe you on the paying for it part, too. ;)
nickpsecurity 11y ago
Ok, did the research. So, like IBM did, they put the mainframes on cards that plug into PC's: http://www.cpushack.com/2015/04/18/the-forgotten-ones-unisys-scamp-d-mainframe/ http://www.cpushack.com/2015/04/18/the-forgotten-ones-unisys... There was a YouTube ad for them, too, that showed the processor and memory took up little space. Good job on that. The pricing was around $25,000 for people wanting to play with it. That was nice. Unfortunately, and predictably, they've moved onto x86 with firmware emulation: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2364600/unisys-phasing-out-decadesold-mainframe-processor-for-x86-chips.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/2364600/unisys-phasing-out-de... Not sure if that's a mainframe box or not. Has a nice case that reminds me of Alienware. Anyway, now MCP runs on Libra's which are $900,000 entry-level. Wasn't crap on eBay for the older stuff. (sighs) I'd be concerned about buying one given the complexity of mainframes. I tried to acquire an old AS/400 to play with only to find that there were a myriad of strangely-named options that probably weren't options. I surely found all for sale. It take an expert, though, to know what to buy, how to put it together, and so on. Unless I wanted to sift through encyclopedias. Is acquiring Unisys Micro-A's etc like that where I'd definitely need an expert rather than just the documentation?
- kjs3 11y ago
  There were apparently several models of Micro-A. There were definitely versions that as you say were a SCAMP card in a PC-class machine running OS/2. I think there were also SCAMP based Micro-As that ran "native", but I can't be sure. As to purchasing one, since it was designed from the start to be an "all-in-one" product for a relatively non-technical crowd, I image as long as all the hardware worked, you'd have a working system and would only need to learn MCP (complicated, but for which there is excellent doco and people who currently use it for help). However, if anything didn't work or failed later (especially the disk), you probably have an interesting paperweight. There aren't exactly a bunch of spares or OS install tapes running around. That said, I've never seen a Micro-A for sale on eBay or otherwise, and only know one person that has one. By comparison, the P/370, P/390 and other IBM-mainframe-card-in-a-PC show up a couple of times a year one place or another, though I've never seen one go cheap. Re: AS/400: Oh, yeah...glad I never got bit by that bug. It's crazy trying to understand various piece parts of that ecosystem. Bonus: as I understand, the software licenses for an AS/400 are not transferable.
  - nickpsecurity 11y ago
    Alright, I appreciate that. Might grab one if I see it up for offer on the cheap. "Bonus: as I understand, the software licenses for an AS/400 are not transferable." I especially appreciate that. Expired icing on an already rotten cake in terms of a deal for the inexperienced buyer. ;)

by kjs3 11y ago

nickpsecurity 11y ago

Didnt know about that. Thanks for the tip. I believe you on the paying for it part, too. ;)

nickpsecurity 11y ago

Ok, did the research. So, like IBM did, they put the mainframes on cards that plug into PC's: http://www.cpushack.com/2015/04/18/the-forgotten-ones-unisys-scamp-d-mainframe/ http://www.cpushack.com/2015/04/18/the-forgotten-ones-unisys... There was a YouTube ad for them, too, that showed the processor and memory took up little space. Good job on that. The pricing was around $25,000 for people wanting to play with it. That was nice. Unfortunately, and predictably, they've moved onto x86 with firmware emulation: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2364600/unisys-phasing-out-decadesold-mainframe-processor-for-x86-chips.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/2364600/unisys-phasing-out-de... Not sure if that's a mainframe box or not. Has a nice case that reminds me of Alienware. Anyway, now MCP runs on Libra's which are $900,000 entry-level. Wasn't crap on eBay for the older stuff. (sighs) I'd be concerned about buying one given the complexity of mainframes. I tried to acquire an old AS/400 to play with only to find that there were a myriad of strangely-named options that probably weren't options. I surely found all for sale. It take an expert, though, to know what to buy, how to put it together, and so on. Unless I wanted to sift through encyclopedias. Is acquiring Unisys Micro-A's etc like that where I'd definitely need an expert rather than just the documentation?

kjs3 11y ago
There were apparently several models of Micro-A. There were definitely versions that as you say were a SCAMP card in a PC-class machine running OS/2. I think there were also SCAMP based Micro-As that ran "native", but I can't be sure. As to purchasing one, since it was designed from the start to be an "all-in-one" product for a relatively non-technical crowd, I image as long as all the hardware worked, you'd have a working system and would only need to learn MCP (complicated, but for which there is excellent doco and people who currently use it for help). However, if anything didn't work or failed later (especially the disk), you probably have an interesting paperweight. There aren't exactly a bunch of spares or OS install tapes running around. That said, I've never seen a Micro-A for sale on eBay or otherwise, and only know one person that has one. By comparison, the P/370, P/390 and other IBM-mainframe-card-in-a-PC show up a couple of times a year one place or another, though I've never seen one go cheap. Re: AS/400: Oh, yeah...glad I never got bit by that bug. It's crazy trying to understand various piece parts of that ecosystem. Bonus: as I understand, the software licenses for an AS/400 are not transferable.
- nickpsecurity 11y ago
  Alright, I appreciate that. Might grab one if I see it up for offer on the cheap. "Bonus: as I understand, the software licenses for an AS/400 are not transferable." I especially appreciate that. Expired icing on an already rotten cake in terms of a deal for the inexperienced buyer. ;)