Convex Computer: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:17, 5 December 2019

Revision as of 13:03, 26 February 2020

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Another speed boost used in the '''C3''' and '''C4''', which moved the hardware implementation to [[GaAs]]-based chips, following an evolution identical to that of the Cray machines, but the effort was too little, too late. Some considered the whole C4 program to be nothing more than chasing a business in decline.{{sayswho|date=July 2017}} By this time, even though Convex was the first vendor to ship a [[GaAs]] based product, they were losing money.

In 1994, Convex introduced an entirely new design, known as the '''Exemplar'''. Unlike the C-series vector computer, the Exemplar was a parallel-computing machine that used HP [[PA-7200]] microprocessors, connected together using [[Scalable Coherent Interconnect|SCI]]. First dubbed '''MPP''', these machines were later called '''SPP''' <ref>{{cite conference|first1=R. |last1=Cataneda|first2= Xiaodong |last2=Zhang|first3= J. M., Jr. |last3=Hoover|title=A comparative evaluation of hierarchical network architecture of the HP-Convex Exemplar|conference=IEEE International Conference on Computer Design|year= 1997|url= https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/628877|doi=10.1109/ICCD.1997.628877}}</ref> and '''Exemplar''' and sold under the '''SPP-1600''' moniker. The expectation was that a software programming model for parallel computing could draw in customers. But the type of customers Convex attracted believed in [[Fortran]] and brute force rather than sophisticated technology. The operating system also had terrible performance problems which could not easily be fixed. Eventually, Convex established a working partnership with HP's hardware and software divisions. Initially it was intended that the Exemplar would be binary-compatible with HP's [[HP-UX]] operating system but eventually it was decided to port HP-UX to the platform and sell the platform as standalone servers.

[[File:BSC-HP-V-Class.JPG|right|thumb|250px|HP V-Class computer.]]