PUT A MACRO IN YOUR MICRO! (XLPHA M•c10sYSTEms'M A new horizon in micro computing for the business, industrial, education and personal computer user has been accomplished with the introduction of the Alpha Microsystems' advanced total system design. From the beginning the goal has been to produce an integrated system that takes advantage of excellent hardware working with superb software to give the computer owner and operator true computer capability and reliability. The forerunner of such a system was the common bus structure that appeared in the personal computing market and was soon embraced by hundreds of manufacturers. The common bus is the S-100. This allows the integration of computer systems with a choice of components, all using common specifications and design criteria. Alpha Microsystems determined that the idea of implementing their computer system on the S-I00 bus was also the most practical and feasible way to proceed. SYSTEM FEATURES automatic initiation of a series of tasks similar to • 16 bit processor. "batch mode processing" on iarger computers. • Multi-user, multi-tasking, timesharing disk op­ Jobs may initiate other jobs automatically within erating system. a series or they may start up independent jobs in • Disk file management system and utilities. other jobstream. All tasks must reside in the main memory during execution with concurrent task Multi-user structured file system with pass­ support depending on the type of function being words. performed and the main memory available. • Multiple pass Macro-assembler with linking Segmentation of tasks maximizes memory loader. utilization. • Hardware floating point arithmetic to II signifi- MlllTl-USER cant digits. The system supports multiple user jobs under an • Eight 16 bit general purpose registers. account number structure which protecxts each • Real-time clock. user's files from alteration by other users. Each user account contains its own file system on disk • AlphaBasic"' extended compiler and reen­ with the job run memory being dynamically trant runtime software. allocated when the user logs on. Accounts may • Completely device independent. optionally have a security password associated Multiple level OMA and vectored interrupt sys­ with them to prevent unauthorized access to the tems. system. • ISAM support in higher level languages. TIMESHARING • Complete hardware and software flexibility. When multiple jobs request CPU or 1/0 Up to 10 times the throughput of most 8-bitsys­ resources, the monitor schedules the sharing tems. based on the real-time clock on the CPU Board. Software commands allow the setting of priorities • File management system with logical file 1/0 to different jobs for the control of the scheduling calls. function. Jobs in the 1/0 or sleep states do not AMOS require CPU time and are bypassed by the job The Alpha Microsystems Operating Systems scheduler increasing processing time efficiency. (AMOS) is a disk-based time-sharing system DEVICE INDEPENDENCE which the experienced user will find offers many features previously found only in large computer Internal to the monitor are a set of file service systems. routines which handle all 1/0 transfers to and from the peripheral devices. Implementing a new Mlll1·I-TASKING device into the system merely involves writing a Multi-tasking allows different jobs to be run device driver to perform the physical read and concurrently on the system by different users and write functions to the new device and putting the system functions where the tasks may be driver onto the disk. All programs and system controlled from individual terminals or under a commands will then operate with that device single terminal. A command language allows the without modi·f,cation. COMMAND LANGUAGE and symbolic debug program. The assembler is a All commands entered into the jobsti:eam are multi-pass macro assembler with conditional processed by the monitor which then initiates the assembly directives, library copy function and desired task. The command language allows a external segment links. The linkage editor is used series of command to be created in 'an ASCII file to link multi-segment programs together and with a given name, and then executed by that create a runnable program file. The operating name. Such command files may call other system supports segment overlays thereby command files, perform direct system functions, allowing large programs to be logically divided or contain parameters to be entered into the job. into smaller segments and executed sequentially. The debug program allows the program to be traced and debugged in symbolic instructions SYSTEM UTILITIES using all the labels as they were entered in the Here are the more important utilities, only a source program. partial list of those available. To be compatible with the AMOS system DYSTAT-system managers dynamic status architecture, all programs must be written in display of all jobs. totally relocatable code which means that the DEVTBL-allocates device codes to the system. program may be loaded anywhere in the RAM and executed without modifying qny addresses BITMAP-assigns disk bitmap area to preserve within the program itself. Machine instructions date integrity. assist in writing totally relocatable code and by LPTSPL-line printer spooler. following a few simple restrictions, the writing of ATTACH-attaches job to a terminal. assembly language programs for the AM-100 becomes almost foolproof. DETACH-detac_hes job from a terminal. AlphaBaslc '" FORCE-forces terminal input to another job. AlphaBasic is an extension of the popular BASIC WAIT-stalls execution in a user's job queue. language with several features not found in other KILL-stops execution of a batch program. implementations. These features not only SUSPND-puts user's job to sleep. enhance the performance of traditional uses of the language but make business applications REVIVE-awakens user's job. easier ,to program. COBOL users will find the 1/0 SETPRl-sets priority level of a job. processing convenient for data manipulation, MEMORY-allocates a memory partition. while the memory mapping system will entice the SYSTAT-gives user current status of each job in assembly language programmers who wish to the system. link up their own external routines. Floating point hardware in the processor is fully SYSACT -logs new users and psswords onto supported making AlphaBasic faster for system. mathematical comptutions than any other BASIC MEMTEST-memory test. currently implemented in an S-100 bus BMVR-programs PROMs with Cromemco microprocessor system. Bytsaver. AlphaBasic is a compiler so that only the compiled code and a small runtime package must COPY-copies disk files. reside in memory during execution, thereby DSKCYP-creates backup disks. saving memory space and protecting the DSKANA-disk analysis to test for bad files. program sources. The AlphaBasic compiler and DIR-lists contents of disk by file name. the runtime package are both written in reentrant code so that they may optionally be shared by all TYPE-prints disk file on terminal in ASCII. users running or debugging programs. The DSKDMP-dumps disk records on terminal in object programs created by the compiler are also octal. totally reentrant and sharable thereby further ERASE-erases a disk file. reducing memory requirements if it is desired to allow several users to run the same program. LOAD-loads disk file into memory. Data formats supported are integer, floating SAVE-save program from memory on disk. point, string and binary variables, either is simple LOG-user logs in on system. variables or array structures. Variable names are LOGOFF-user signs off. not limited to conventional single character and single digit format but may be any number of MAKE-creates a file on disk. alphanumeric characters in length, provided the TXTFMT-letter writing text formatter. first character is alphabetic. Another unique feature allow the user to define strings of alphanumeric text and equate them to single languages keywords which then may be used in either the source text itself or as an immediate mode THE MACRO ASSEMBLER command. The MACRO assembler is a flexible and efficient AlphaBasic supports both sequential and assembly language development system under randomly organized files. the AMOS supervisor which includes the LISP assembler, linkage editor, symbol file generator The LIST PROCESSOR is a language implemented on the AM-I00 microcomputer for For users of the popular 8080 processor, and those interested in a language that is both a operating system (CPM) has been implemented formal mathematical language and (with and is available. extensions) a convenient programming The AM-200 will support the PerSci model 277, language. As a formal mathematical language, it Shugart model 850 and various other soft is founded upon a particular part of mathematical sectored disk drives. logic known as recursive function theory. As a Catalog Order No. AM-200 floppy disk controller programming language, LISP is concerned Catalog Order No. AM-200 primarily with the computer processing of Floppy Disk Controller $695.00 symbolic data rather than numeric data. LISP is designed to allow symbolic expressions of Catalog Order No. AM-201 arbitrary complexity to be evaluated by a Floppy Disk Controller computer. with cabinet, power supply $995.00 AM-100 Catalog Order No. AM-202 Floppy Disk Controller, cabinet The AM-100 is a 16--bit microprocessor board set, power supply, Peral Model 227 compatible to the S-I00 bus structure using Dual Floppy Drive $2595.00 Western Digital's advanced WD-I6 chipset, micro-programmed to enhance the software of AM-250 the operating system and high level languages. AM-250 Subsystem The micro-processor provides 16--bit flexibility The AM-250 subsystem consists of the interface and speed with floating point arithmetic and from the S-100 bus to the CALCOMP Trident real-time clock, providing throughput matching series of hard surfaced (3330 type) disk drives. many minis. The two-board AM-100 supports This family of disk drives are available in 25, 50, most of the standard S-I00 bus peripherals; 80, 200 and 300 megabyte configurations with the including static memory, 1/0 facilities and video.