Convergent Technologies Operating System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:29, 12 November 2011

Revision as of 05:29, 5 December 2011

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It was possible to custom-link the operating system to add or delete features.

CTOS supported a transparent peer-to-peer network carried over serial [[EIA-422|RS-422]] cables (daisy-chain topolgytopology) and in later versions carried over twisted pair (star topology) with RS-422 adapters. Each workgroup (called a "cluster") was connected to a server (called a "master"). The workstations, normally [[diskless workstation|diskless]], were [[Network booting|booted over the cluster network]] from the master, and could optionally be locally booted from attached hard drives.

The [[Inter-process communication]] (IPC) is primarily based on the "request" and "respond" messaging foundation that enhanced the Enterprise Application Integration among services for both internal and external environments. Thus CTOS was well known for the message-based Micro-Kernel Architecture. Applications are added as services to the main server. Each client consumes the services via its own mailbox called "exchange" and well-published message formats. The communication works on "request codes" that are owned by the service. The operating system maintains the exchanges, message queues, scheduling, control, message passing, etc., while the service manages the messages at its own exchange using "wait", "check", and "respond" macros.

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==Usage==

[[Convergent Technologies (Unisys)|Convergent Technologies]]' first product was the IWS (Integrated Workstation) based on the [[Intel 8086]] processor, which had CTOS as its operating system. This was a modular operating system with built -in [[local area networking]]. CTOS supported multiple processes or threads, and message-based interprocess communication.

Companies that licensed CTOS included [[Groupe Bull|Bull]] (STARSYS), and [[Burroughs Corporation|Burroughs]] (BTOS) and who later merged with Sperry to become [[Unisys]]. Unisys was the single largest customer with whom Convergent Technologies merged to become one company in 1988. At its peak, CTOS had over 800,000 users worldwide. Diskless workstations (e.g., ''Bull'') used the [[Intel 80186]] processor, a processor seldom used by standard PCs.

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CTOS is no longer marketed to new customers; former major customers included police forces, banks, airlines, the [[U.S. Postal Service]], the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]], the [[U.S. Army]] and the [[United States Coast Guard]]. The Coast Guard used the operating system from approximately 1986 until 2000. In Australia, CTOS/BTOS was used by the Trade Practices Commission, NSW Auditor-General's, CSIRO, Commonwealth Electrol Office and many commercial banks.

Though CTOS was not used in the modernized world, most of the concepts such Messaging, Request/Respond, Service, Exchange, etc. are the foundation bricks of the SOA stylish architectures. The plug-and-play evolved from CTOS.

==References==