IBM PC XT/370: Difference between revisions
Deep technical XT/370 + 3270 PC family page with verified sources (IBM SA38-0037-00 Service Info Manual, IBM GA33-3141-0, IBM 1502336, Kozuh/Livingston/Spillman IBM Systems Journal 1984, seasip.info, Wikipedia) |
Fix refs so they render; IBM fits TWO cards not three - PC/370-P in slot 4 and PC/370-M in slot 3, with PC/3277-EM only on older machines and the 3278/79 or Remote Display Terminal adapter as alternatives; add IBMs model numbers (5160 Models 568/588/589), the 10 MB vs 20 MB fixed-disk configurations and IBMs unit specifications; host link is coax not twinax |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
| name = IBM PC XT/370 | | name = IBM PC XT/370 | ||
| image = [[File:IBM XT 370 board.jpg|260px]] | | image = [[File:IBM XT 370 board.jpg|260px]] | ||
| caption = | | caption = A 370PC emulation card from an IBM XT/370. Modified 68000s and a modified 8087 implement IBM System/370 instructions in hardware | ||
| developer = IBM Entry Systems Division, Boca Raton, in cooperation with IBM mainframe groups | | developer = IBM Entry Systems Division, Boca Raton, in cooperation with IBM mainframe groups | ||
| manufacturer = IBM | | manufacturer = IBM | ||
| type = Desktop System/370 workstation | | type = Desktop System/370 workstation — a 5160 PC XT with '''two''' System/370 adapter cards | ||
| release date = October 1983 | | release date = October 1983 | ||
| discontinued = April 1987 (withdrawn simultaneously with the IBM AT/370) | | discontinued = April 1987 (withdrawn simultaneously with the IBM AT/370) | ||
| cpu = Host: Intel '''8088 @ 4.77 MHz'''. S/370 side: '''two modified Motorola 68000s''' (microcode rewritten to directly execute most S/370 fixed-point and non-floating instructions; unrecognised opcodes trap to a program running on the unmodified 68000) plus a '''modified Intel 8087''' that handles S/370 floating-point. The custom 68000 is sometimes called the '''Micro/370''' | | cpu = Host: Intel '''8088 @ 4.77 MHz'''. S/370 side: '''two modified Motorola 68000s''' (microcode rewritten to directly execute most S/370 fixed-point and non-floating instructions; unrecognised opcodes trap to a program running on the unmodified 68000) plus a '''modified Intel 8087''' that handles S/370 floating-point. The custom 68000 is sometimes called the '''Micro/370''' | ||
| memory = Host (XT side): up to 640 KB with the 370PC-M card contributing 384 KB. S/370 side: 512 KB dual-ported RAM on the 370PC-M card (416 KB usable for S/370 applications); 4 MB virtual memory via hard-disk paging | | memory = Host (XT side): up to 640 KB with the 370PC-M card contributing 384 KB. S/370 side: 512 KB dual-ported RAM on the 370PC-M card (416 KB usable for S/370 applications); 4 MB virtual memory via hard-disk paging | ||
| storage = | | storage = 5.25-inch 360 KB diskette drive. IBM configures it either as a '''10 MB system''' (one fixed disk in the system unit) or a '''20 MB system''' (two fixed disks in a 5161 Expansion Unit) | ||
| display = IBM 5151 monochrome or IBM 5153 CGA — same as a stock XT | | display = IBM 5151 monochrome or IBM 5153 CGA — same as a stock XT | ||
| sound = PC speaker | | sound = PC speaker | ||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
| predecessor = IBM 5100 family (PALM microcode-based S/370 emulation) | | predecessor = IBM 5100 family (PALM microcode-based S/370 emulation) | ||
| successor = '''IBM AT/370''' (1984); then '''IBM 7437 VM/SP Technical Workstation''' (1987–88); then '''P/370''' MCA card (~1989); then '''R/390''' RISC; eventually software emulators (Hercules, zPDT) | | successor = '''IBM AT/370''' (1984); then '''IBM 7437 VM/SP Technical Workstation''' (1987–88); then '''P/370''' MCA card (~1989); then '''R/390''' RISC; eventually software emulators (Hercules, zPDT) | ||
| model = 5160 | | model = '''5160 Models 568, 588 and 589'''. IBM's card names are '''PC/370-P''' (processor, slot 4) and '''PC/370-M''' (512 KB memory, slot 3); older machines may also carry a '''PC/3277-EM''' card | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''IBM PC XT/370''' is a desktop System/370 workstation released by IBM in '''October 1983''' as a follow-on to the [[IBM 5100]]'s PALM-microcode-based mainframe emulation. | The '''IBM PC XT/370''' is a desktop System/370 workstation released by IBM in '''October 1983''' as a follow-on to the [[IBM 5100]]'s PALM-microcode-based mainframe emulation. IBM's own description is "an extended version of the 5160 XT with 256Kb of memory on the system board", carrying '''two''' XT/370 adapter cards that execute most System/370 instructions in hardware and let the machine run a single-user version of VM/CMS called '''VM/PC'''.<ref name="sim">IBM, ''IBM Personal Computer Family Service Information Manual'', SA38-0037-00, July 1989 — hosted on this wiki as [[IBM Personal Computer Family Service Information Manual]]. Chapter 6, "5160 PC XT": the 5160 model feature chart, which lists the PC/370-M, PC/370-P and PC/3277-EM cards against particular 5160 models; the "5160 XT/370" pages, which give the card complement, the slot assignments, the fixed-disk configurations and the unit specifications; and the 5160 power supply description, which gives the 130 W rating, the per-rail currents and tolerances, the existence of separate 120 V and 220/240 V supplies, and the automatic shutdown on dc overcurrent or overvoltage. Chapter 9 covers the AT/370; chapter 18 lists the card part numbers.</ref><ref name="kozuh">Kozuh, F. P., Livingston, B., and Spillman, R. J., "System/370 capability in a desktop computer", ''IBM Systems Journal'' 23(3):245, 1984, DOI 10.1147/sj.233.0245. The engineering paper by the team that built it, and the source for the performance figures quoted here. ''This wiki has not read the full text'' — it is behind a paywall — so those figures are recorded as attributed rather than verified.</ref> | ||
'''It is two cards, not three.''' IBM names them and gives their slots: the '''Processor card (PC/370-P) in expansion slot 4''' and the '''512 KB Memory card (PC/370-M) in expansion slot 3'''.<ref name="sim" /> A third card is often counted in descriptions of this machine, but IBM lists the '''PC/3277-EM''' as an ''option'', notes only that "older models of the PC XT/370 might contain" one, and offers the standard '''3278/79 Emulation Adapter''' or a '''Remote Display Terminal Device Emulation Adapter''' (which can go in slot 2) as the alternatives.<ref name="sim" /> Counting three cards as standard will send you looking for a card a given machine was never built with. | |||
The cards are listed as standard features of '''5160 Models 568, 588 and 589''' in IBM's 5160 model feature chart.<ref name="sim" /> | |||
The XT/370 is the architectural successor to the [[IBM 5100]] / [[IBM 5110]] / [[IBM 5120]]'s use of the IBM [[IBM PALM processor|PALM]] processor's System/360 emulator microcode to run an IBM-mainframe-flavoured interpreter (APLSV) as a self-contained personal computer. | The XT/370 is the architectural successor to the [[IBM 5100]] / [[IBM 5110]] / [[IBM 5120]]'s use of the IBM [[IBM PALM processor|PALM]] processor's System/360 emulator microcode to run an IBM-mainframe-flavoured interpreter (APLSV) as a self-contained personal computer. | ||
The XT/370 was '''withdrawn in April 1987''', | The XT/370 was '''withdrawn in April 1987''', at the same time as the IBM AT/370.<ref name="cbr87">''Computer Business Review'', "IBM Gives Up on the Personal XT/, AT/370", April 1987, at <code>techmonitor.ai</code>.</ref> Its eventual successor was the '''IBM 7437 VM/SP Technical Workstation''' (1987–1988), then the '''P/370''' MCA card for PS/2 systems (~1989), then the '''R/390''' for RS/6000 (mid-1990s). | ||
== Launch and Reception == | == Launch and Reception == | ||
Launch pricing was approximately '''$3,790 for the three emulation cards alone''', or '''$8,995 to $12,000 for a complete configuration''' including the XT | Launch pricing was approximately '''$3,790 for the three emulation cards alone''', or about '''$8,995 to $12,000''' for a complete configuration.<ref name="iths">IT History Society, "IBM Personal Computer XT/370", at <code>ithistory.org</code>. Secondary; the only source located for the launch pricing.</ref> | ||
''BYTE'' (Fall 1984, Ernest Sabine) called it "a qualified success", and ''Computerworld'' of 25 November 1985 reported sales below IBM's expectations.<ref name="cw85">''Computerworld'', 25 November 1985, page 25 (Google Books <code>ZUMIDEwANHgC</code>). Secondary.</ref> The XT/370 was '''withdrawn in April 1987''' along with the AT/370. | |||
== The XT/370 Cards == | |||
IBM's own list, with slots:<ref name="sim" /> | |||
<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" /> | |||
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:90%;" | |||
|+'''IBM XT/370 — cards and slots''' | |||
! Card !! Slot !! Status | |||
|- | |||
| '''PC/370-P''' — Processor card || Expansion slot '''4''' || Standard | |||
|- | |||
| '''PC/370-M''' — 512 KB Memory card || Expansion slot '''3''' || Standard | |||
|- | |||
| Remote Display Terminal Device Emulation Adapter || May be in expansion slot '''2''' || Option | |||
|- | |||
| IBM 3278/79 Emulation Adapter || — || Option | |||
|- | |||
| '''PC/3277-EM''' || — || Only on older machines: "older models of the PC XT/370 ''might'' contain a PC/3277EM card" | |||
|} | |||
Most secondary accounts, including the earlier version of this page, name the cards '''370PC-P''' and '''370PC-M'''. '''IBM writes them the other way round''' — PC/370-P and PC/370-M — in both the feature chart and the XT/370 description.<ref name="sim" /> Either form will be understood, but IBM's is the one on the parts lists. | |||
=== PC/370-P (Processor Card) === | |||
* '''Two modified Motorola 68000s''' — the microcode was rewritten to execute most System/370 fixed-point and non-floating-point instructions directly. An opcode the modified part does not recognise traps to a software interpreter running on the unmodified 68000. The custom part is usually called the '''Micro/370'''.<ref name="micro370">[https://www.cpushack.com/2013/03/22/cpu-of-the-day-ibm-micro-370/ The CPU Shack — IBM Micro/370] and [https://thechipletter.substack.com/p/motorola-intel-ibm-make-a-mainframe The Chip Letter — Motorola, Intel, IBM Make A Mainframe in a PC]. Community sources for the modified-68000 and modified-8087 story and for the "Micro/370" name. IBM's service manual names neither part.</ref> | |||
* '''A modified Intel 8087''' implementing System/370 floating point — excess-64 hexadecimal, not the IEEE 754 binary format a standard 8087 does.<ref name="micro370" /> | |||
* Bridging logic to the host ISA bus and a dedicated card-to-card connection to the memory card. | |||
'''IBM's service manual names neither the 68000 nor the 8087.''' It calls the card "the Processor card (PC/370-P)" and stops there.<ref name="sim" /> The chip-level detail above comes from community teardowns and from the engineering literature, and is recorded here as such. | |||
=== PC/370-M (Memory Card) === | |||
== The | * '''512 KB''', per IBM's own name for the card: "The 512Kb Memory card (PC/370-M)".<ref name="sim" /> | ||
* Dual-ported between the processor card and the host. | |||
* Of the 512 KB, about '''416 KB''' is usable by System/370 applications, the rest being emulator runtime.<ref name="kozuh" /> | |||
* The card also brings the host's memory up from the 256 KB on the system board.<ref name="sim" /><ref name="mueller">Mueller, S., ''Upgrading and Repairing PCs'', 2nd edition, 1992, pages 73–75 and 94. Secondary, for the host-memory contribution.</ref> | |||
=== PC/3277-EM and the emulation alternatives === | |||
The XT/370 needs a terminal-emulation path to a host to load VM/PC and to reach mainframe files. IBM offers three ways of getting one, and which one a given machine has depends on when it was built:<ref name="sim" /> | |||
* '''PC/3277-EM''' — the original, on older machines only. | |||
* '''IBM 3278/79 Emulation Adapter''' — the same card the [[IBM 3270 PC]] uses. | |||
* '''Remote Display Terminal Device Emulation Adapter''' — which IBM notes can sit in expansion slot 2. | |||
All of them attach to the control unit over '''coaxial''' cable, not twinax.<ref name="sim" /> | |||
== | == Fixed Disk Configurations == | ||
IBM offers two, and the difference is where the second drive lives:<ref name="sim" /> | |||
= | * '''10 MB system''' — one fixed disk drive in the system unit. | ||
* '''20 MB system''' — two fixed disk drives in a '''5161 Expansion Unit'''. The expansion unit has its own 130 W PC XT power supply and its own eight extension slots.<ref name="sim" /> | |||
== Unit Specifications == | |||
IBM's figures for the XT/370 system unit:<ref name="sim" /> | |||
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%;" | |||
|+'''IBM XT/370 system unit''' | |||
! Item !! Value | |||
|- | |||
| Height || 142 mm (5.5 in) | |||
|- | |||
| Length || 500 mm (19.6 in) | |||
|- | |||
| Depth || 410 mm (16.1 in) | |||
|- | |||
| Weight || '''14.5 kg (32 lb)''' | |||
|- | |||
| Power cable || 1.83 m (6 ft), 18 AWG | |||
|- | |||
| Heat output || '''650 BTU/hr''' | |||
|- | |||
| Noise level || 49.5 dBA, system unit with monochrome display | |||
|} | |||
== Performance == | == Performance == | ||
* ''' | * '''System/370 performance''' — around '''0.1 MIPS''' sustained when the working set fits in the usable System/370 memory.<ref name="kozuh" /> | ||
* When the working set exceeds 416 KB, VM/PC pages out to the XT's hard disk, supporting up to '''4 MB of virtual memory''' but with a heavy performance penalty | * When the working set exceeds 416 KB, VM/PC pages out to the XT's hard disk, supporting up to '''4 MB of virtual memory''' but with a heavy performance penalty.<ref name="kozuh" /> | ||
== Operating Environment: VM/PC == | == Operating Environment: VM/PC == | ||
| Line 75: | Line 133: | ||
== Hardware Configuration == | == Hardware Configuration == | ||
A 5160 PC XT chassis with '''256 KB on the system board''', the two XT/370 cards, a 5.25-inch 360 KB diskette drive, one or two fixed disks, an IBM 5151 monochrome or 5153 colour display, and the XT keyboard.<ref name="sim" /> Everything outside the two cards is stock XT. | |||
[[File:IBM XT 370 board.jpg|center|thumb|480px|One of the three 370PC emulation cards from an IBM XT/370. The full-length 8-bit ISA cards carry modified 68000s (Micro/370), modified 8087, and 512 KB dual-ported RAM. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)]] | [[File:IBM XT 370 board.jpg|center|thumb|480px|One of the three 370PC emulation cards from an IBM XT/370. The full-length 8-bit ISA cards carry modified 68000s (Micro/370), modified 8087, and 512 KB dual-ported RAM. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)]] | ||
| Line 89: | Line 139: | ||
== Service Documents == | == Service Documents == | ||
* ''' | * [[IBM Personal Computer Family Service Information Manual]] — '''SA38-0037-00''', July 1989, '''hosted here'''. Chapter 6 covers the XT/370, chapter 9 the AT/370, chapter 18 the parts.<ref name="sim" /> | ||
* '''IBM 6137739''' — ''Virtual Machine/Personal Computer User's Guide'' (December 1984). | * '''IBM 6137739''' — ''Virtual Machine/Personal Computer User's Guide'' (December 1984). | ||
* '''Kozuh, F. P., Livingston, B., Spillman, R. J.''' — "System/370 capability in a desktop computer," ''IBM Systems Journal'' 23(3):245, 1984. The canonical engineering paper. | * '''Kozuh, F. P., Livingston, B., Spillman, R. J.''' — "System/370 capability in a desktop computer," ''IBM Systems Journal'' 23(3):245, 1984. The canonical engineering paper. | ||
| Line 98: | Line 148: | ||
* '''RIFA mains-suppression capacitors''' in the PSU — vent and produce smoke / fish odour. Replace immediately as a preventive measure. | * '''RIFA mains-suppression capacitors''' in the PSU — vent and produce smoke / fish odour. Replace immediately as a preventive measure. | ||
* '''Tantalum bypass | * '''Tantalum bypass capacitor shorts''' on the planar — these pull the +5 V rail down and stop the machine posting. | ||
* ''' | * '''There is no real-time clock on a 5160 planar.''' Any battery in the machine belongs to an add-in card. | ||
XT/370-specific faults: | XT/370-specific faults: | ||
* '''The | * '''The XT/370 cards are effectively unobtainable.''' The modified 68000s and the modified 8087 are custom parts that nobody is making again. A machine with both cards present is museum-grade. | ||
* '''Card-to-card | * '''Check slots 3 and 4 before concluding a card is missing.''' IBM's slot assignment is fixed: processor in 4, memory in 3. A card found elsewhere has been moved. | ||
* '''VM/PC system | * '''Card-to-card connection''' between the processor and memory cards — oxidation here produces a machine that posts normally as an XT and then fails to start VM/PC. Reseat before suspecting the cards. | ||
* '''VM/PC system diskettes''' — rare, and the original installation route needed a working emulation card attached to a control unit. Image any set you find. | |||
== Architectural Significance == | == Architectural Significance == | ||
The XT/370 sits in IBM's long | The XT/370 sits in IBM's long line of System/360 and System/370 emulation in a personal computer:<ref name="wppc">Wikipedia, "PC-based IBM mainframe-compatible systems". Tertiary; used for the product chronology and the succession from the XT/370 through the 7437, P/370 and R/390.</ref> | ||
# '''[[IBM 5100]] / [[IBM 5110]] / [[IBM 5120]]''' (1975–1980) — PALM microcode S/360 emulator running APLSV. | # '''[[IBM 5100]] / [[IBM 5110]] / [[IBM 5120]]''' (1975–1980) — PALM microcode S/360 emulator running APLSV. | ||
# '''IBM PC XT/370''' (1983) — modified 68000 | # '''IBM PC XT/370''' (1983) — modified 68000 plus modified 8087, running VM/PC. | ||
# '''IBM PC AT/370''' (1984) — 16-bit cards (370PC-P2, 370PC-M2) on the AT chassis. | # '''IBM PC AT/370''' (1984) — 16-bit cards (370PC-P2, 370PC-M2) on the AT chassis. | ||
# '''IBM 7437 VM/SP Technical Workstation''' (1987–88) — separate enclosure, channel-attached. | # '''IBM 7437 VM/SP Technical Workstation''' (1987–88) — separate enclosure, channel-attached. | ||
| Line 132: | Line 183: | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | |||
{{Navbox-IBMComputers|state=collapsed}} | {{Navbox-IBMComputers|state=collapsed}} | ||