 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(February 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Compaq SystemPro | |
| Developer | Compaq |
|---|---|
| Type | Server |
| Released | 1989 (1989) (as SystemPro) 1992 (as SystemPro XL) |
| Discontinued | 1993 (1993) |
| Successor | Compaq ProSignia (as mid-range) CompaqProLiant (as hi-end) |
| Related | Compaq Deskpro |
TheSystemPro fromCompaq, released in November 1989, is a computer capable of running server-based computeroperating systems and was arguably the first truePC based server[citation needed]. It supportsIntel's486 chip, a32-bit bus, RAID disk and dual-processor support well before its main rivals.
The SystemPro, along with the simultaneously released CompaqDeskpro 486, was one of the first two commercially available computer systems containing the newEISA bus. The SystemPro was also one of the first PC-style systems specifically designed as a networkserver, and as such was built from the ground up to take full advantage of the EISA bus. It included such features asmultiprocessing (the original systems wereasymmetric-only), hardwareRAID, andbus-mastering network cards. All models of SystemPro used a full-height tower configuration, with eight internalhard drivebays. As well as the provision for an80387maths coprocessor chip, the processor card also included a socket for aWeitek maths coprocessor chip. Support for the Weitek function needed to be especially provided in the application, it did not use the sameinstruction set as the 80387 chip. The Weitek socket (empty) is the multi-pin triple-row socket to the right on the CPU-board closeup.
At its initial release in November 1989, the SystemPro supported up to two 33 MHz386 processors, but early in 1990, 33 MHz486 processors became an option (the processors were housed on proprietarydaughterboards). Because the system was asymmetric, 386 and 486 processors could be mixed. Single processor configurations were also available.
The only operating system which fully supported the SystemPro's asymmetric multiprocessing was a custom version ofSCO Unix, sold by Compaq. However, when runningOS/2, certain applications (notablySybaseSQL Server) could be offloaded to the second processor, and later,Novell NetWare SFT-III was able to offload its I/O engine. The original versions ofWindows NT (3.1) included ahardware abstraction layer specifically for the SystemPro; despite NT'ssymmetric multiprocessing design, this HAL could offload somekernel tasks to the second CPU. This made Windows NT 3.1 the only version of Windows to support multiprocessor 386-based machines.
The system used a state-of-the-art shared memory bus design, called Tri-Flex Architecture, to facilitate its multiprocessing capabilities.[citation needed] The original SystemPro shipped with 4MB 80nsDRAM, expandable up to 256MB using proprietary memory modules.
The SystemPro also offered one of the first implementations ofRAID (includingRAID 5) available on a PC-based system. The original RAID card, called the IDA (Intelligent Drive Array) used a proprietary form ofIDE, supporting up to 4 drives internally. At its release, the largest drive available was 210 MB. Two IDA cards could be installed, allowing all 8 hard drive bays to be filled (each IDA controller array would appear as a separate logical drive to the operating system, however), providing a grand total of 1.2 GB using RAID 5, or 1.6 GB using non-redundant striping (RAID 0). Another option called the IDA Expansion Array provided support for up to 7 drives in a single array (housed in an external tower chassis looking virtually identical to the SystemPro itself), using an early (and very proprietary) form of differentialSCSI. Note that all hard drives in the SystemPro or the Expansion Array were internally mounted drives;hot swapping was not an option. System for RAID performance and health monitoring patented in 1993.[1]
The SystemPro was marketed for those who had scaled up to the top end of LAN hardware, or those who were scaling down fromminicomputers — and its pricing was set accordingly. At the time of launch, the "low-end" SystemPro (a single 33-MHz 386 CPU, 4 MB RAM, and two 120-MB hard drives) listed for $15,999 (USD); the same machine with 840 MB of storage (four 210-MB hard drives) listed for $25,999 (USD). A second 386 processor card cost $3,500 (USD), and an additional 32 MB of RAM was $21,999 (USD).
The SystemPro line continued for several years, ending with the SystemPro XL, which was introduced in 1992.[2] The XL was the only model that supported symmetric multiprocessing. It was replaced, also in 1992, by Compaq's ProSignia[3][4] line, and later theProLiant series, which introduced hot swappable drives and therack mount chassis now popular indata centers. However, the SystemPro is notable for having established the PC-based server market, and setting a high-water mark for the servers that followed.
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corporate aspects |
|  | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Hardware |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Software | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
