Unisys Corp yesterday unveiled the upgrade path for all those 1100/90 users patiently waiting for more power – accompanying it with a major new release of the OS/1100 operating system enhanced for high-volume transaction processing and clustering of 1100 and 2200 mainframes that will also run on existing 1100/90s. The new System Base 3 OS1100 release with XTC extended transaction processing software implements closely coupled configurations which enables transactions executing on multiple hosts to share and synchronise logical record access to a common on-line database so that transaction processing programs executing in separate 2200/600 or 1100/90 systems can access the same files or database. On fault-tolerance, a new Hot Standby feature enables one host automatically to transfer its workload to a back-up host, eliminating data loss from single point failures. The new 2200/600s come in one, two, three and four processor configurations, and incorporate Extended Transaction Processing Architecture, XPTA, accelerators. Unisys rates a dual processor 2200/600 at 1,000 transactions per second as measured by the Onekay benchmark, and says a multi-system complex driven by XTPA can exceed this sixfold. The air-cooled 36-bit CPUs in ECL arrays from Hitachi have 32K-word instruction and 32K-word data caches, and one, two or four storage units, each with 32Mb or 64Mb using 1Mb DRAMs. Input-output processors support up to six block multiplexer channel or word channel modules, the block module with four channels running at 3Mbytes-per-second, the word module with eight channels transferring at 3.7Mbps. The input output processor has 33Mbps aggregate data rate. Prices range from UKP2m for a 32Mb 2200/611 uniprocessor with one input-output processor to UKP7.5m for a fully configured four-CPU 2200/644 with 128Mb and four input-output processors. Spain’s Iberia is in for $15m for two 2200/600 systems for passenger service and management applications, Cologne’s gas, electricty and water utility wants a 2200/600 with 600 terminals. The Trustee Savings Bank in the UK has a letter of intent for a number of 200/622s over three years; first UK deliveries are set for June 1989. Unisys also said that its Mapper, from the Sperry side, and Burroughs Linc generators each now run under OS1100, MCP A and V, OS/3 and Unix.
