5890 Mainframe
Computer

5890 Computer
An amdahl 5890

Some 5890 Specifications:

400-circuit and 1,000 circuit large scale integration logic chips with a switching speed of 350 picoseconds. In addition, 4 kilobit random access memory (RAM) chips with a 3.5 nanosecond access time reside within each central processing unit.

A machine cycle time of 15 nanosecond.

A 14-layer board that can contain 121 logic and RAM chips for fast interchip communications.

Air cooled

Compatable with System/370, System/370-XA and Enterprise System Architecture (ESA/370). All are IBM trademarks.

Al Goddard and George Rette of the AT&T UNIX Technical Support District (UTSD) just before typing the UNIX command 'shutdown' to put the 5890 to rest.

After a short address by Lori Lesnefski and 'shutdown' ceremony each person present signed the inside of the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) door.

Thanks to AT&T InfoAge has an ECL Mainframe Computer

In October of 1997 AT&T donated an amdahl 42 MIP ECL processor built in 1987 and all the supporting equipment to set up a 1990 vintage datacenter. We have DASD, controllers, 3480 tape units and a motor generator. They even set up a bootable UNIX kernel. Thanks to the Army this equipment is stored at Camp Evans.

As computer technology continues it's advances in miniaturization and integration in what will be a few short years when the size of these 1987 processors will have to seen to be believed. When this machine was new it was sold to AT&T for over $6 million dollars, it was amazing it only took five or six technicians a full weekend to install it. If it broke, a support person at the manufactures headquarters could dial the machine and diagnose the failure over the phone.

"High-Performance Technology to Achieve Effective Operation and Quick Response Time"

In the future, we hope to secure information on how this machine was designed, manufactured, marketed, supported, and the work it performed for the corporations who used them. As time marches on this information will fade... Unless it is captured now when people can remember.

Thanks to the Lori Lesnefski and Bill Harrison of AT&T for making the donation possible.

Thanks to Dave Blasiak and Chris Wishbow of amdahl for de-installing the machine and preparing it for storage.

Thanks to Mike Ruane of Ft. Monmouth for securing storage space and fork lifts to unload the over 3 tons (yes, tons) of computer equipment.
Page updated December 29, 2003 page created September 02, 1998

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5890 Mainframe Computer

Thanks to AT&T InfoAge has an ECL Mainframe Computer

5890 Mainframe
Computer