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B5500maxconfig

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Paul Kimpel edited this page Apr 4, 2015 · 3 revisions

A maximum configuration of the Burroughs B5500 allows for:

  • Two central processing units.
  • Eight independent memory modules (each 4,096 48-bit words).
  • Four floating input/output channels.
  • Sixteen magnetic tape drives.
  • Two billion characters (2GB) of on-line disk storage.
  • Two line printers.
  • Two card readers.
  • Two paper tape readers.
  • One card punch.
  • One paper tape punch.
  • One supervisory console.
  • 240 communication line buffers.

In October-1970, Burroughs renamed the B5500 to B5700 as part of the introduction of the 700-series family (that inluded the B6700 and B7700) and added new capabilities:

  • Support for B6700 DataComm for communications
  • Support for adding B6700 memory modules as auxiliary memory.

B5700 AuxMem was implemented primarily as an overlay mechanism, and the extra memory appeared as the deprecated B5000-era drum storage devices. These appear as devices DRA and DRB in the MCP. Use of the drum device interface limited the auxiliary memory to 32kWords each, for a total of 64kWords of AuxMem.

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