IBM System/34

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IBM System/34
IBM logo.svg
IBM System34.IsettAcres.jpg
IBM System/34 with 5251 terminal (left) and 5211 printer (right, with top opened)
Also known asS/34
ManufacturerInternational Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Product familySystem/34
Release dateApril 1977; 44 years ago (1977-04)
DiscontinuedFebruary 1985
Operating systemSystem Support Program
CPUMSP and CSP
Memory48K - 256K
PredecessorIBM System/32
SuccessorIBM System/36, IBM System/38
WebsiteOfficial website IBM Archives

The IBM System/34 was an IBM midrange computer introduced in 1977.[1] It was withdrawn from marketing in February 1985.[1] It was a multi-user, multi-tasking successor to the single-user System/32. It included two processors, one based on the System/32 and the second based on the System/3. Like the System/32 and the System/3, the System/34 was primarily programmed in the RPG II language.[2]

Hardware[]

The 5340 System Unit contained the processing unit, the disk storage and the diskette drive. It had several access doors on both sides. Inside, were swing-out assemblies where the circuit boards and memory cards were mounted. It weighed 700 pounds and used 220V power.[3] The IBM 5250 series of terminals were the primary interface to the System/34.

Processors[]

S/34s had two processors, the Control Storage Processor (CSP), and the Main Storage Processor (MSP). The MSP was the workhorse, based on System/3 architecture; it performed the instructions in the computer programs. The CSP was the governor, a different processor with different RISC-like instruction set, based on System/32 architecture; it performed system functions in the background. Clock speed of the CPUs inside a System/34 was fixed at 1 MHz for the MSP and 4 MHz for the CSP. Special utility programs were able to make direct calls to the CSP to perform certain functions; these are usually system programs like $CNFIG which was used to configure the computer system. These two processors worked in tandem.

Memory and storage[]

The smallest S/34 had 48K of RAM and an 8.6 MB hard drive. The largest configured S/34 could support 256K of RAM and 256MB of disk space. S/34 hard drives contained a feature called "the extra cylinder," so that bad spots on the drive were detected and dynamically mapped out to good spots on the extra cylinder. Disk space on the System/34 was organized by blocks of 2560 bytes.

The System/34 supported memory paging, referring to as swapping.[4] The System/34 could either swap out entire programs, or individual segments of a program in order to free up memory for other programs to run.

One of the machine's most distinctive features was an off-line storage mechanism that utilized "magazines" - boxes of 8-inch floppies that the machine could load and eject in a nonsequential fashion.[5][6][7]

Software[]

Operating System[]

Main article: System Support Program

The System Support Program (SSP) was the only operating system of the S/34. It contained support for multiprogramming, multiple processors, 36 devices, job queues, printer queues, security, indexed file support. Fully installed, it was about 5 MB.[8] The Operational Control Language (OCL) was the control language of SSP.

Programming[]

The System/34's initial programming languages were limited to RPG II and Basic Assembler[9] when introduced in 1977.[10] FORTRAN was fully available six months after the 34's introduction,[5] and COBOL was available as a PRPQ.[11] BASIC was introduced later.

Successor systems[]

The IBM System/38 was intended to be the successor of the System/34 and the earlier System/3x systems. However, due to the delays in the development of the System/38 and the high cost of the hardware once complete, IBM developed the simpler and cheaper System/36 platform which was more widely adopted than the System/38.[12] The System/36 was an evolution of the System/34 design, but the two machines were not object-code compatible. Instead, the System/36 offered source code compatibility, allowing System/34 applications to be recompiled on a System/36 with little to no changes. Some System/34 hardware was incompatible with the System/36.

A third party product from California Software Products, Inc. named BABY/34 allowed System/34 applications to be ported to IBM PC compatible hardware running MS-DOS.[13][14]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b IBM Corporation. "System/34". IBM Archives. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  2. ^ "System 34 RPG II Reference Manual" (PDF).
  3. ^ "3533 Spring Creek Road". The New York Times. March 1, 2019. Insulated Shop space, with 220V power.
  4. ^ "System/34 Concepts and Design Guide" (PDF). IBM. January 1982. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b System/34 Introduction (PDF). March 1978.
  6. ^ "the diskette magazine drive can process up to 23 diskettes without manual intervention. -p.11
  7. ^ "three slots for holding individual diskettes and two slots for holding magazines of 10 individual diskettes." -p.20
  8. ^ "IBM System/34 System Support Program Logic Manual" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Highlight Of IBM 34 Enhancements". Computerworld. September 26, 1977. p. 23.
  10. ^ Andrew Pollack (May 17, 1983). "I.B.M. introduces computer to replace System 34 model". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "potentially available ... special order"
  12. ^ Frank G. Soltis (1997). Inside the AS/400, Second Edition. Duke Press. ISBN 978-1882419661.
  13. ^ "BABY/34: Software enables you to run IBM System/34 RPG II programs on your IBM PCs" "BABY/34". Computerworld. March 18, 1985. p. 50.
  14. ^ "Product Briefs". InfoWorld. July 21, 1986. p. 47.

Further reading[]

  • Massoglia, Charlie. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the System/34 But Nobody Told You.
  • Massoglia, Charlie. Writing and Using System/34 Procedures Effectively.
  • Lee, Merikay. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About POP But Nobody Told You.
  • Massoglia, Charlie. System/3 and System/34 Disk Sort as a Programming Language.

External links[]

Preceded by
IBM System/3 		IBM System/34
1977 - 1985 		Succeeded by
IBM System/36
Preceded by
IBM System/32
Retrieved from ""