NORDIC

From NDWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

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".