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From: jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: IBM 4331
Keywords: Technical Details
Message-ID: <124064@linus.mitre.org>
Date: 22 Oct 90 19:35:10 GMT
References: <11919@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
Sender: usenet@linus.mitre.org
Reply-To: jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Organization: The Mitre Corporation
Lines: 43

In article <11919@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> ali99@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Mohammad Ali) writes:
 
>Looking for some details on the IBM 4331 series of mini computer...
> 
>      1. What OS is used..?
  VM or VSE.  MVS would probably run, but very slowly...which is a redundant
  statement.
>      2. How many users...?
  Depends on the workload.  It's not fast or big, but for small card-wolloper
  shops it was a good machine for its day.
>      3. Object compatible with s/370.
  It *is* a member of the s/370 architecture line.  With a few machine-
  specific features (and excluding XA and ESA goodies) the S/370, 43xx, 937x,
  303x, 308x, 3090, and now S/390 all share the same basic architecture
  and binary compatibility.
>      4. Size of the computer.
  In what terms?  The machine type (4331) says only what basic electronic
  design was used.  Model numbers are used to distinguish CPU speed and
  memory sizes.  Some representative numbers:

   Model    Memory (MB) range    Max channels   MIPS   Max channel speed

   4331-1      .5 - 1.0              ?          .25        .5 MB/sec
   4331-11      1 - 4                2          .38       1.25 MB/sec
   4331-2       1 - 4                4          .50       1.86 MB/sec
>      5. Processing power in MIPs or processor speed.
  See above.
>      6. DASD units
  Whatever DASD would fit the rather anemic channel speed limitations.  My
  notes say that 3310, 3350, and (for the -2) 3370/3375 would work.
>      7. Any other info
  The boxes included optional under-the-covers TP interface options and maybe
  an integrated disk controller as well.
 
>Also going to network this with PC's...any suggestions hints...??

Why?  The unit is an antique, and for a trivial amount of money you can
get newer, more powerful IBM boxes from brokers.   A 4381-P2, for example,
is listed as available for $13,500: it's got a MIPS rating (whatever that's
really worth) of 2.8 with 8 MB of memory and 3 MB/sec channels.   Smaller
machines are available for what seems to be little more than shipping cost.

Joe Morris