A major mainframe announcement is expected from IBM on the April 14, but the company has so much stuff in the pipeline that it’s anyone’s guess which will be included in the announcement: two top-end short life models in the 4381 line rated at between 6 and 10 MIPS are strong possibilities – to dissuade 4381 users running out of steam from taking used 308X machines, and also to fend off inroads being made by VAXclusters; otherwise at least part of the array of developments on the disk drive side is likely, and its a case of taking your pick from a simple increase in density – in the 7Gb to 10Gb per drive range, or new 3880 controllers and high speed channels on the 3090s too.
