Software:IBM Remote Access Computing

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Remote Access Computing (RAX)
IBM logo.svg
DeveloperIBM
OS familyRACS
Working stateDiscontinued
Initial release1966; 58 years ago (1966)
Marketing targetIBM mainframe computers
Available inEnglish
PlatformsIBM System/360
Preceded byRACS
Succeeded byMUSIC

IBM Remote Access Computing (RAX) is a discontinued early time-sharing system for IBM System/360 introduced in 1966.[1] RAX was based on an earlier system, RACS. developed jointly by IBM and Lockheed Aircraft in Marietta, Georgia in 1965. The system influenced a number of other timesharing systems including MCGILL-RAX from McGill University,[2] McGill's MUSIC,[3] and Reactive Terminal Service (RTS) from ITT Data Services.[2][4] In the 1970s Boston University used RAX as the basis of its VPS system, which ran as a guest operating system running on VM/370.[3]

Hardware

RAX was available from IBM as program number 360A-CX-17X, and runs on System/360 Model 30 and above.[1]As announced, it runs on systems with as little as 64 KB of main storage, and supports a mix of up to 63 IBM 1050 typewriter terminals and IBM 2260 display terminals. The languages supported are BASIC, FORTRAN IV, and IBM Basic assembly language.[note 1] In a minimal system with 64 KB memory, user programs can be up to 32 KB, with larger programs allowed on larger systems.[5]

Users

In 1968 RAX was used by the United States Department of Agriculture for their Washington Data Processing Center.[6] It was used in a number of colleges, universities, and corporations, including McGill, Boston University, St. Andrew's in Scotland,[7] The University of Rhode Island, and Bell Aerosystems.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ RTS also supported COBOL.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 IBM Corporation (23 January 2003). "DPD chronology". https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/dpd50/dpd50_chronology3.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Miller, Roy Watt. "MULTIPLE REGIONS FOR THE MCGILL-RAX TlME-SHARING SYSTEM". https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=TC-QMM-50353&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=895199506. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Boston University's RAX Library". 12 January 2012. https://cryptosmith.com/2012/01/12/bu-rax/. 
  4. ↑ "(advertisement)". The Pittsburgh Press. June 15, 1969. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/148087863/. 
  5. ↑ IBM Corporation (August 1967). Catalog of Programs for IBM System/360 August 1967. p. 5. http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/ibm/360/programCatalog/C20-1619-3_360pgmCat_Aug67.pdf. Retrieved Apr 25, 2023. 
  6. ↑ Department of Agriculture Appropriations for 1971. 1970. p. 17. https://books.google.com/books?id=U144AAAAIAAJ&dq=ibm+rax+timesharing&pg=PA17. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021. 
  7. ↑ "Thirty years ago . . .". https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/itsnew/newsletter/2008/06/thirtyyears.html. 



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