CDC 6500
|
Open panels of the CDC 6500 undergoing restoration at the LCM in Seattle. | |
| Manufacturer | Control Data Corporation |
|---|---|
| Product family | CDC 6000 series |
| Type | Supercomputer |
| Release date | 1967 |
| Introductory price | $8 million ~ equivalent to $61,141,631 in 2015 |
| Operating system | SCOPE |
| CPU | Dual 6400 up to 40MHz |
| Memory | 65,000 60-bit words |
| Weight | 10,000+ Lbs. |
The CDC 6500 was the third supercomputer in the 6000 series manufactured by the Control Data Corporation and designed by supercomputer pioneer Seymour Cray.[1] The first 6500 was announced in 1964 and was delivered in 1967.[2] It is considered to be part of the first generation of supercomputers.[3]
Specifications
The 6500 featured a dual CPU 6400.[4] It was a large-scale, solid state, general purpose digital computing system.[5] The 6500 featured at least eleven different independent computers. ten of which were peripheral and control processors. Each of the independent computers had a separate memory and could run programs separately from each other and the central processor.[5] Instead of having being air-cooled it had a liquid refrigeration system and each of the three bays of the computer had its own cooling unit.[6]
Peripherals
- CDC 6602/6612 Console Display
- CDC 6603 Disk System
- CDC 626 Magnetic Tape Transports
- CDC6682/6683 Satellite Coupler
- CDC 6681 Data Channel Converter[5]
Installations
- The CDC 6500 at the LCM was built in 1967 and used by Purdue University until 1989 when it was decommissioned. It was then given to the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology before being purchased by Paul Allen for the LCM.[1]
- Michigan State University bought a 6500 in 1968, meant to replace its CDC 3600, and it was the only academic mainframe on campus.[7]
- CERN upgraded from a CDC 6400 to a 6500 in April 1969.[8]
- A CDC 6500 was housed in the technical lab at the Patrick Air Force Base in 1978.[9]
References
- 1 2 "CDC 6500". Living Computer Museum. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "Control Data Corporation Collection - Historical Timeline". www.cbi.umn.edu. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ Courier, Hayleigh Colombo Journal &. "Museum restoring Purdue's 1st supercomputer". Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "CDC 6500". IT History. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 6400/6500/6600 Computer Systems Reference Manual (PDF). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Control Data Corporation. 1967. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "Museum to Resurrect First-Gen Supercomputer". HPCwire. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "CDC 6500". 60bits.net. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "The 6400 is ugraded to a 6500 | CERN timelines". timeline.web.cern.ch. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ Enterprise, I. D. G. (5 June 1978). "Computerworld". 12 (23). IDG Enterprise. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
External links
- GeekWire article on the restoration of a CDC 6500 at the LCM.
- Login into the Living Computer Museum, a portal into the Paul Allen collection of timesharing and interactive computers, including an operational CDC-6500