NORDIC

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NORDIC (the Nord Integrated Computer System) was a multicomputer installation at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in Oslo, Norway. Development of the system started in 1971, and was completed in February 1972. The complete system consisted of three NORD-1 machines, connected to a NORD-5 compute module.[1]

Hardware

Telecommunications processor

One of the NORD-1 machines works as a telecommunications processor. It has 16K 16-bit core memory, a 256K drum as storage, and is connected to the national teleprinter net and international lines (via modem).

Job processors

The two other NORD-1 machines are the job processors. They share a common 64K memory pool (core memory), and have common peripheral equipment that can be connected by a multi-selector switch to any of the two NORD-1 machines. Peripherals consists of

  • two NCR Dual Disc units with capacity of 8 million 16 bit word, average access time 45 ms
  • one Vermont drum, capacity 256K 16 bit words, access time 10 ms average
  • three Magtape units, 9 track IBM compatible
  • Card Reader, 300 cards per minute
  • Line Printer, 1500 lines per minute
  • Paper Tape Reader 333 characters per second
  • Paper Tape Reader 2000 characters per second
  • Paper Tape Punch 60 characters per second
  • One Matrix plotter

The multi-selector switch can be operated manually, or program controlled.[1]

System software

The operating system for the NORDIC consists of the Real-time operating system SINTRAN II and a file oriented batch operating system NORD-OPS.[1]

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 ND-NYTT No 5, September 1972, article "NORDIC - The Multicomputer Installation at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute".