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Access Key Details

Recognition of Single User System Request on RG2

K Robinson

17 December 1982

DISTRIBUTED INTERACTIVE COMPUTING NOTE 765

1. THE PROBLEM

If Central Purchasing is to be effective then Subject Committee Secretaries must be able to recognise a request for a Single User System when it appears on an RG2.

Conversely, an applicant may not request a Single User System explicitly because he may not realise that such systems are now available and/or that they are more effective in solving his problem than the solution he proposes. This situation will arise most frequently in the coming 12 months as non Computer Science researchers learn about the advantages of the Centrally supported Single User System initiative as against the D-I-Y approach.

The following discussion should help Subject Committee Secretaries recognise the sort of entry in the Equipment section of the RG2 which should be referred to the Single User Systems team prior to committee consideration.

2. LIKELY RG2 ENTRIES

2.1 Explicit Request for Perq

Easy!

2.2 Explicit Request for Other Vendor Single User System

Look out for the following key words (the list is not exhaustive):

          ALTO 
          APOLLO 
          APPLE 
          CONVERGENT TECHNOLOGY 
          DERADO 
          INTEL 8086 
          LISP MACHINE
          MOTOROLA M68000, 68010, 68020
          SYMBOLICS 
          TERAK 
          WICAT 
          XEROX 820 
          Z8000

2.3 Unnamed Single User System

This is difficult to spot because the applicant probably intends to build his own system i.e. wheel reinvention and this intention could be masked. Look out for all or some of the following clues.

2.3.1 CPU

• 16 or 32 bit microprocessor/minicomputer
• AMD 2900 bit slice processor
• Z8000
• M68000
• Intel 8086
• LSI 11/23
• PDP 11/24, 11/44

2.3.2 Display/VDU

• black & white display/VDU
• colour display
• raster scan display
• bit map graphics
• bit mapped display
• refresh display
• A3 screen
• 1024 pixel resolution

2.3.3 Mass Storage

• Floppy disk
• Winchester disk
• 10-100 Mbyte disk
• File server

2.3.4 Local Area Network

• 256K - 10M bit local area network
• Cambridge Ring
• Ethernet
• High speed communications interface
• Gateway

2.3.5 Speech

• Speech input or output

2.3.6 2-D Input Devices

• Mouse
• Tablet
• Tracker ball
• Joystick
• Touch sensitive tablet

2.3.7 Interfaces

• RS 232
• IEEE 488 GPIB
• Cambridge Ring
• Ethernet
• CAMAC

2.3.8 Software Clues

• Unix
• UCSD Pascal
• LISP
• Idris
• Xerox
• Whitesmiths
• Microsoft
• Server
• PROLOG

2.3.9 Output Devices

• Canon Laser Printer
• Xerographic Printer
• Xerox Dover Printer
• Print Server

2.4 Request for Minicomputer

Increasingly Single User Systems will be a more flexible, powerful and economic alternative to existing, conventional minicomputers. Requests for small minicomputer systems costing less than £15K should be referred to the Single User Systems team for comment.

Typical examples are:

• PDP 11 (11/24, 11/34, 11/44, 11/60, 11/70)
• Modular One
• Data General
• Prime 100-500
• DEC VAX (11/130, 11/150)

2.5 Request for 'Computer'

Some applicants just request a computer, giving a budgetary figure. Such requests should always be referred to the RAL Computing Division for comment. Requests of under £15K should go to the Single User Systems team.

2.6 Hidden Request

Some applicants try to hide the fact that they require a computer system, using suitable euphemisms (see below). These are obviously the most difficult to spot but in case of doubt the RAL Computing Division will be happy to assist. Some euphemisms are:

• Data acquisition equipment
• Data capture/analysis/reduction equipment
• Real time controller
• Data logger
• Data processing

Not all of these requests are for Single User Systems, of course, but many of these applicants are not used to central SERC supported computing and would benefit significantly from such a service. These are often the very people who should be doing Science but often waste too much time doing Programming because they are not familiar with central SERC support facilities.

3. WHAT TO DO IF AN RG2 REQUESTS A SINGLE USER SYSTEM

Send a copy of the RG2 to:

K Robinson
Computing Division
Rutherford and Appleton Laboratories
Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
OX11 0QX

Tel: Abingdon (0235) 21900 Ext: 6491

If you are not sure whether the request is for a Single User System then either send the RG2 to the above address anyway or phone the above number. It should be quick and easy for a computing expert to decide.