IBM City of Santa Cruz System 38 Proposal free download

File name City_of_Santa_Cruz_System_38_Proposal.pdf

SYSTEM OVERVIEW ---- - ----- - - - - ---- - --- - - _... - ------ --- _.- 3) System Modularity IBM's System/38 is a general purpose data processing system designed to significantly improve the user's productivity in developing, maintaining and enhancing applications in an interactive workstation environment. The system provides 5l2K to 1 ,536K positions of main storage, 64.5 to more than 2672.6 million bytes of nonremovable auxiliary (disks) storage, a diskette magazine facility, and a system console with keyboard and display. A mUlti-function 96-columm card reader/punch, up to two 650 line per minute system printers and up to four 3410 magnetic tape subsystems may be attached. The system supports direct attachment of up to 40 local 5250 workstation displays and printers and a large number of remotely attached workstations through SOLe teleprocessing lines. The workstations can be placed where they are needed in the organization (in the offices, departments, plants and the warehouses) so that company personnel can share a common data base and the processing power of a computer. System/38 supports this workstation environment with the function required to maintain up-to-date business data available for retrieval on request by any of the workstation users. By providing these users with information that is current and accurate, the efficiency of an organization can be greatly improved. The workstation environment requires many unique functions such as the ability for workstation users to share programs, data files, and system resources without significant delays to any user. This environment also requires the ability to access data records by more than one access path (index). For example, one user may need to access inventory item records by item stock number while another user is accessing the same records by vendor number. On most current systems the unique functions required by the workstation environment have either been added on to the existing batch programming system or they are programmed by the user in the application programs. In contrast, System/38 is an entirely new system developed specifically for the workstation environment. The needed function has been designed into the system. Major advantages in the level of ---- - ----- - --- - - - - ---- ... - - --- ------ ---_. - 1 system function and ease of use of that function enable the System/38 user to develop workstation applications in a shorter time and with a lower level of expertise than was required on previous systems. System/38 can support a range of environments from one consisting almost entirely of batch processing to one that makes extensive use of workstation applications. System/38 is designed to allow the user to make easy transitions through this range of environments while making optim