Control Data Corp, Minneapolis, Minnesota, this month launches three new multiprocessing InfoServer systems in its 4000 series, which are sourced from MIPS Computer Systems Inc. The high-end 4680 – previously available only as a uni-processor machine – is Control Data’s variant of MIPS’ RC6280, based on the Sunnyvale, California-based company’s R6000A ECL implementation of the RISC. It comes with a SPECthruput rating of 205.5 in four-processor configurations. With two CPUs it reaches 112 transactions per second using the TPC-B test suite, supporting up to 820 users. A four-processor box with 128Mb memory is priced at $325,650 – upgrades from uniprocessor systems are available. New also are the R3000A-based 4370 – with up to four CPUs it has a SPECthruput rating of 112.8 – and the rack-mounted 4375, which comes with up to eight of the RISC parts and is rated at a SPECthruput mark of 184.8. A two-processor 4375 supports up to 491 users and is claimed to do 52 transactions per second using the TPC-B benchmark. A single-processor 4370 with 32Mb of main memory and a 663Mb disk is priced at $56,500: an eight-way 4375 with 128Mb memory and 633Mb disk comes in at $225,500. All run Control Data’s EP/IX version of MIPS’ RISC/os symmetric multi-processing Unix implementation, come with TCP/IP and support Open Systems Interconnection, FTAM and X400 applications. Control Data says the VMEbus DAS disk array subsystems – originally designed for its mainframes – are now available for the new multiprocessors: prices start at $18,400.
