It is surely one of the user bases that Unisys Corp should have started migrating to Unix, but instead, the company, as reported briefly (CI No 1,352) has launched two entry level V Series mainframes, the V410 and V430, in the family that succeeded the old batch-oriented Burroughs B29-39-4900s. Unisys claims that the CMOS-based systems outperform comparable AS/400 machines, and that the entry level price brings document processing, imaging, and general financial applications within the reach of medium-sized businesses. The company has enhanced the V400 architecture by using pipelining and microprogramming techniques, and processor modules perform concurrent instruction pre-fetch, data addressing, instruction execution, and input-output operations. The input-output cabinet contains Data Link microprocessors that service peripherals connected to the system. The new design, says Unisys, facilitates data transfer rates of up to 16Mbytes per second. The V410 can be upgraded to a V430 which provides double the processing power. The maximum configuration is one CPU, two input-output processors, 40Mb of memory and four input-output cabinets with up to 64 Data Link Processors. An entry-level V410 includes one CPU and input-output processor, with 10Mb of memory expandable to 40Mb. Also included is a B28 workstation and an input-output cabinet with an input-output base module that connects to a maximum of eight data link processors. The V430 has one CPU and input-output processor, 20Mb to 40Mb of memory, a B28 workstation, and two input-output modules with up to 16 data link processors. The V430 will ship in the US in March, and the V410 will be available in the second quarter. The systems will be delivered in the UK shortly after the US, and costs vary between UKP100,000 and UKP500,000.
