Once upon a time ...
In 1983, Micro-Matic Research developed the first VTD/1 stand-alone module. This 'black box' already linked workstations at 9600 baud to any Honeywell Bull mainframe, using the synchronous VIP protocol. Each personal computer was connected to one VIP line through this module.
As a pioneer in connecting VIP based GCOS applications to Digital PC's (='VTD'), Micro-Matic Research had proven to be a reference in this market.
Soon after, the VTD/R cluster controller provided line multiplexing with up to eight VTD/2 modules inserted in this rack.
Four different VTD/R racks could be connected to one VIP line.
Advanced file transfers for user-friendly uploading and downloading towards DPS-4, DPS-7 and DPS-8 mainframes, including error detection and auto-recovery, were already one of the main features. VIP interface modules created synchronous VIP outputs to connect VIP devices to the VTD/R controller.
The modulair concept of the VTD/R allowed simultaneous connections to different devices: asynchronous terminals following the Ansi 3.64 VT220 norms, printers, VideoTex equipment for low-cost dail-in with full Questar emulation, modules with synchronous VIP output or asynchronous TTY output, full duplex modem connections, etcetera.
The VTD/3 product was the first PC compatible card to be inserted inside a personal computer, connecting VIP sessions to the GCOS system. An optional 'Boot Rom' allowed automatic restart in terminal mode. The VTD/3 worked autonomously from the computer, like a background application without having to start MS-DOS.
In the mid 80's, the VTD/4 card replaced its predecessors by adding even more functionalities. Menu driven file transfers for TP, TSS, MCS, TDS or IPS environments allowed up- and downloading of ASCII and binary data files. Printing to standard PC printers or to printers connected to the VTD/4 on-board printer port offered extended capabilities like background printing. Printer outputs originating from local print (hardcopy or screen), remote print (directly to printer) and logging (screen messages continuously logged on printer) can be sent to a file.
Another major step forward in the PC-to-Host communication environments was the birth of the multi-protocol VTD/5 board around 1987. This product had an on-board microprocessor, which enabled emulation to run independantly from other applications running on the PC.
The synchronous connection with the Bull DPS was direct in VIP, X25, or by a TCU/TCS cluster controller with transmission speeds reaching 19200 baud. The board was equiped with an auxiliary printer port which permitted remote printing in background. Several file transfer protocols were supported by this VTD/5, like the Bull's MicroFit, MMR's XFT file transfer, and several others.
A powerful program-to-program communication technique allowed the development of distributed applications executing automatic login and file transfers, remote data processing and intelligent data acquisition. The menu driven, dynamic configuration of each parameter stored in non-volatile memory, made the VTD/5 board an enormous success.
The VTD/6 and VTD/7 boards were the first to support AUI Ethernet, BNC Thin Ethernet and RJ45 telephone type connectors for Starlan and Twisted Pair Ethernet.
The VTD/X board was a fully featured DKU7107 and VIP7800 gateway for Bull hosts, and supported on MS-DOS, Windows 3.x and OS/2 platforms. Up to four gateways could be installed in one DOS or OS/2 server using only a minimum amount of precious computer memory. Sixteen simultaneous user sessions were available, each with a video session and printer session. These sessions were dedicated to individual users, shared among a group, or handled by the 'first come first serve' pooling technique. The menu driven installation, real-time statistiques and remote password-protected configuration inside the management software was the foundation for any later version.
Another major breakthrough was accomplished in the early 90's by the VTD/8 Standard ISO/DSA gateway. Installed as a dedicated communications server, it offered maximum performance and reliability. The board was equiped with one Ethernet connector at 10 Mb per seconde, two V24 connectors at 48 Kb/sec and one V35 connector at 64 Kb/sec. Based on the Intel 80386-SX16 processor and 4 Mb RAM memory, it was able to handle 30 transactions per seconde and 64 simultaneously connected users.
With an interval of only a few years, the Standard board was replaced by the more powerful VTD/8 Centro gateway, equiped with a 486DX-100 microprocessor, 8 Mb RAM and 512 Kb Cache memory. This board allows 250 simultaneous users, and at rate of 195 transactions per second. The VTD/8 Centro1000 gateway, equiped with 16 Mb RAM, allows 1000 simultaneous users.
And finally, the VTD/8 Optimo gateway, with a built-in Pentium 200 processor and 32 Mb memory, provides the optimal solution for your Bull mainframe : up to 1000 simultaneously connected users, a throughput rate of 625 TPS and a guaranteed 100 Mbps connection speed via the FDDI Fiber Optic link and 100 Mbps Full Duplex Fast Ethernet port !
|
)
)
)
)
)