RCA Spectra 70, 1965
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7 SEE- SPECTRA 70 REA/EDP SYSTEMS r A Spectrum of "family" system elements.. .communications facilities, input/output peripherals and terminals, mass storage, and computers ...for your growth from data processing to total information management in efficient stages. r A Spectrum of multi-computer languages. ..data, programming, machine, and communications...conforming with industry-wide conventions to ease your systematic evolution. r A Spectrum of advances . bringing you the economical workpower of the first full- scale systems with monolithic integrated circuitry.. .true third generation technology. r A Spectrum of savings...through a favorable cost/performance index, job-for-job, as you phase into your total management system. TOTAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT OF THE NEXT DECADE SPECTRA 70 ushers in an advanced EDP family Orderly progress to the total management sys- for a practical, evolutionary approach to the long- tem, paying its way on a job-by-job basis, is one of sought integrated management system. It brings the inherent strengths of Spectra 70. Instead of ac- together all the elements for total information han- commodating growth by adding more computers, or dling. .advances anticipated for the next decade. .. larger computers, you can replace an existing system which you can selectively employ for a smooth transi- with Spectra 70 and gain the benefits of its excep- tion to your expanding data processing objectives. tional cost/performance. Now you can gainfully begin your systematic Then you can proceed toward your goal at your solution of needs engendered by the vertical struc- own speed. You can select from a spectrum of com- ture of business organization, and magnified by the munications facilities to add linkage with your remote increasing use of computers. You can tie together all locations for data flow ... from a spectrum of mass your operating and administrative departments func- storage to add instantaneous "real-time" accessibility tionally. You can coordinate data flow so as to elimi- of all your business facts.. .from a spectrum of new nate vertical departmental information bases with a terminal and peripheral devices to extend your data redundancy of files . each reported on different capture and display. ..from a spectrum of computers time cycles, though essentially dealing with the same for freestanding, satellite or terminal data handling, facts. You can evolve in efficient stages to a single or to add scientific computation for management information base, from which all corporate depart- science and problem solving by your technical peo- ments can operate with current data . then to ple. You can gain all the capabilities you need within your ultimate goal of a total integrated manage- your Spectra 70 system as you can use them profitably ment system. .. .with a single system logic structure. Multi-lingual adaptability is the key to this . an assurance of systems longevity. growth. Spectra 70 expands your system environment Multiple circuit functions are compressed into with a wealth of data languages, programming lan- tiny unit components. This makes possible a new guages, computer languages, communications codes. order of compactness and reliability . of internal There is language, data and program compatibility operations and throughput geared to billionths-of-a- within the Spectra 70 family. There is technology for second speeds. handling programs of the RCA 3301,301 and 501, and Cost reduction through technical evolution in other systems. Spectra 70 systems also offer data Spectra 70 is passed on to the user. Never before compatibility with the majority of computers cur- have so much compute power, so much throughput, rently installed or announced. Finally, the non-privi- such extensive functional capability been available leged instructions, formats and character codes of at so attractive a cost/performance index. And never Spectra 70 are identical with the corresponding fea- before has there been such flexibility in use. tures in 18Mfs new System 360. This means that you You are invited to assess Spectra 70 for your cur- can put your Spectra 70 system to work side-by-side rent and long-range needs. to evaluate the features with your other systems. You can gain a job-by-job .. economic justification. You can conserve your heavy described in this brochure . reinforced by RCAfs programming investment. And you can readily aug- reputation for systems support devoted to solving ment your existing system with Spectra 70 specialties. customer's problems. and by RCAfs achievements Third generation technology, featuring the in- in communications systems. dustry's first monolithic integrated circuitry in full- scale systems . contributes to Spectra 70 low-cost operations. It is also a safeguard against obsolescence 8 ADVANCED CONCEPTS for efficiency and utility I/EXPANDABILITY-WITHEFFICIENCY It will also be implemented with hardware/program The Spectra 70 family essentially is compatible in data and data compatibility with the most widely used format and program operations, permitting open- RCA and non-RCA systems, so that you can employ ended interplay in function, processing capability its capabilities while conserving your substantial past and throughput capacity. Family capabilities will be investments in EDP. extended through continuing additions to computer, SCIENTIFIC -AND COMMERCIAL CAPABILITIES communications, mass storage and terminal and Spectra 70 computers are basically binary machines, peripheral lines. Communication between computers with extensive variability and complete interchange- and the devices they operate is via multi-purpose ability of data formats, and the potency of as many data channels with a standard RCA 1/0 interface. This as 144 commands. Binary and floating point arithme- means that you can add functions. local or remote tic of progressively increased power, with appropri- . whenever needed, or share the same peripheral ate instruction sets, makes Spectra 70 equally power- devices among two or more computers. ful for both scientific and commercial data operations. ~/~NDUSTRY-WIDECOMPATIBILITY W WIDEST CHOICE OF THROUGHPUT POWER Spectra 70 provides effective compatibility with other You can select your Spectra 70 system configuration new computer systems using data organized in with a range of computer memory speeds and capaci- language units, called "bytes," of (1) eight-level ties and work functions that will perform your opera- alphanumeric characters or symbols, or two four-bit tions at the most advantageous balance between the numerics, in EBCDIC Extended Binary Coded Deci- time and cost per job. mal Interchange Code, (2) seven-level ASCII Ameri- Complete memory cycle times range down to one can Standard Code, and (3) eight-bit binary formats. of the fastest in use ... 840 nanoseconds for 32 bits . four bytes. thereby reducing the time taken by the latter. Addi- Low-cost, plug-in memory modules let you incre- tionally, they provide facility to buffer data transfers ment memory economically as needed for program ranging up to millions of bits per second. and work areas. Capacities are 4,096 to 524,288 bytes. 7/UP TO 14-WAY SIMULTANEITY S/MULTI-PROCESSING CONTROL Simultaneous overlapping of input/output terminal An interrupt system with 32 priority levels, program and peripheral operations is possible up to the spe- execution queuing, optional safeguarded memory cific Spectra 70 computer's practical memory data assignments and direct signalling between multiple rate. Eight multiplexor 1/0 trunks permit on-line op- computers implement hardware/software control of erationbf up to 256 slower 1/0 devices, and optional complex data handling operations. Unique RCA de- selector channels of up to as many as six high-speed sign makes Spectra 70 faster in reaction time than devices, such as magnetic tape units, simultaneously. comparable systems. For example, four "processor Additionally, buffered printers and card devices per- states," each with its own set of registers, reduce form their mechanical operations independent of switching time and control coding in a multi-program computer control, once their buffers are loaded. environment. Other computers generally have to 8/SOFTWARE OPERATING SYSTEMS designed for store and restore data in the same set of registers. Spectra 70 will fully provide for your needs without 6/SUPER-SPEED SCRATCHPAD MEMORY overburdening you with a large software overhead. Scratchpad memory with a complete cycle time of Additionally, they contain facilities to support a large - - 300 nanoseconds permits an abundance of registers. variety of your applications with a minimum of @ They are used for processor working registers, and to operator intervention. implement the interrupt and executive systems, mOlOlllhiC inleirated eleclronics/CIRCUITS ON A SPECK The highest evolution of solid-state technology tions. Stability is assured by hermetic sealing of each today is attained by monolithic integrated elec- monolithic integrated circuit. Finally, new backplane tronic circuits used in the senior Spectra 70 comput- techniques are used for assembly, eliminating lengthy ers, through size compression of functional elements. wiring and interwoven complex cables, which in- They make possible reduced cost and faster, more herently slow up computer operations. reliable performance. Just as RCA pioneered the first commercial fully transistorized EDP system with the 501, it is again ushering in a new generation of full-scale computers with the extensive monolithic