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March 3, 1988

DATA SWITCH 9088 CHANNEL SWITCH WILL SUPPORT UP TO 16 IBM MAINFRAMES, HANDLES PR/SM

By CBR Staff Writer

Data Switch Corp, Shelton, Connecticut, has unveiled the Model 9088 host interconnection system for IBM mainframes, saying that it enables channel-speed communication between from two to 16 mainframes. The 9088 is designed to optimise information sharing among multiple traditional devices, such as front-end processors, channel-to-channel adaptors and serial local area networking architectures by providing any-to-any CPU connectivity, redundancy, and a modular growth path. Data Switch claims that it also offers more internal data paths than rival products, as well as eliminating address restrictions. The company explains that when data is input into, say, manufacturing department computers, it is readily accessible to users in the finance or sales departments, without the need to re-input or transfer files, and claims that it can enable 100% availability of computing resources since if a computer fails, its processing load can be redistributed to other processors on the Model 9088, resulting in uninterrupted processing. The 9088 is also claimed to enhance IBM’s new PR/SM partitioning feature that is supported by the new MVS/ESA operating system since it enables efficient information sharing among the logical processors created by PR/SM within a mainframe, while ensuring fault-tolerant operation. The 9088 supports 3M-byte-per-second channels, and support for 4.5Mbyte channels is available as an option. It also supports both data streaming and DC-interlock modes, so that users can connect data streaming channels to non streaming channels if they wish. A single cabinet can support from two to 16 mainframes, and can be field-upgraded in two-channel increments. It also has up to six internal buses to increase data throughput and greatly reduce data path vulnerability compared with rival two-path switches. It also allows use of all 256 addresses per channel. It has performance and error reporting features and is fully redundant, with dual power supplies, system arbiters, and cooling systems. A failure within the system or the attached channel affects only one channel, while the other attached channels continue to operate. The 9088, available next month, starts at $65,000 for a two-channel unit.

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