REALTIME COMPUTER SYSTEMS

The requirement for a 'Realtime' computer stemmed from the industry's requirement for a computer system that provided repeatable predictability to externally driven events. Three architectures have dominated the Realtime computer scene over the last three decades.
The PDP-11 and VAX 'platforms', designed and manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), and the HP1000, designed and manufactured by the Hewlett Packard (HP) organization.

REALTIME COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

Each architecture overlapped the other to a greater or lesser degree. However each tended to their own areas of deployment.
The Original Equipment Manufactures (OEMs) that addressed the 'black fuel' power station C&I, logistics warehouse control, traffic control, mass transport safety and security systems, for example, tended to predicate their designs on the Q-bus or Uni-bus architecture of the PDP-11s . The OEMs employed the software tools made available by DEC to write device drivers for their own 'realtime' interface boards as well as for those boards from DEC such as the DRV11J, DRV11-WA etc.

Large organisations that had a requirement to incorporate the 'realtime' process into the overall enterprise chose the VAX s. Typical applications being the Distributed Processing and Integrated Processing Systems found in chemical and nuclear processing environments. The VAX employed the Q-bus architecture and hence OEMs were able to migrate their designs on a known platform. However, DEC provided their own propriety device drivers for the DRV11J, DRQ3B etc.

The HP1000 platforms, with their multiplicity of HP-IB compatible peripherals dominate the Computer Aided Design, Manufacturing Engineering, and Automated Test Equipment sectors.

Some enterprises employed all three architectures. Typical industries being the North Sea Oil and Gas platforms, Nuclear Reprocessing plants, and Military 'weapons systems' calibration facilities.

Emulation Solution Providers

'Digital Systems' engineering team have many years experience in the provision of PC based Emulation solutions that seamlessly migrate PDP11 , VAX or HP1000 Applications. Al l solutions supplied by Digital Systems & Service are installed on a 'Turn Key', 'On-Site', basis. The 'solutions' are based on COTS equipment. Re-engineered or Re-designed service is also available where the customer wishes a more bespoke solution. (See 'Re-Engineered' and 'Re-Design' Services).