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From: grunwald@uiucdcsm.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: OS co-processor ??
Message-ID: <3300010@uiucdcsm>
Date: Fri, 9-Oct-87 11:44:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsm.3300010
Posted: Fri Oct  9 11:44:00 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Oct-87 04:33:54 EDT
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Nf-From: uiucdcsm.cs.uiuc.edu!grunwald    Oct  9 10:44:00 1987


If I'm not mistaken, the Convex C-1 architecture has a PPU-like setup with
68000 based systems managing I/O & interrupt handling.

Also, doesn't the Alliant FX have IOPs?

Cybers have had PPUs built from barallel-processors for eons -- all I/O
and context switching requests for Cybers was done by these. A local
group (Computer Based Education research Lab -- a.k.a. PLATO) is building
cyber-CPUs which use 68000s as PPUs.

Even the lowly Intel 310 has a quasi-OS processor -- the ethernet board in
our system manages the rlogin & telnet sessions, freeing the main CPU of
interrupts.