Jump to content

Honeywell System 700

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Honeywell System 700 is a family of discontinued 16-bit minicomputers from Honeywell, Inc..

The System 700 was introduced in 1972 and was intended for use as "key elements in a complete functional system rather than as small 'bare bones' central processors."[1]

As announced, the line comprises eight systems. Two systems use the older Honeywell 316 processor, and either the OP-16 or the BOS operating systems. The remaining six systems use the newer 716 processor, and the OS/700 operating system, which can be either disk- or memory-resident, or OP-16 or BOS. Systems came pre-configured as "a terminal control system, a peripheral control system, a multi-purpose system, a batch processing system, two sensor-based systems, a remote line concentrator and a remote message concentrator." A minimal system had a monthly rental as low as $1000 per month (equivalent to $7,300 in 2023), or could be purchased for $30,000 (equivalent to $219,000 in 2023).[1]

"Both hardware and software place emphasis on the real-time processing required for process control, data collection, and data communications environments."[2]

Processor

[edit]

The 716 processor in the System 700 is backwards-compatible with the 316 and 516 processors, but adds features unavailable in these older processors. It is 20% faster than the DDP-516 and more than twice as fast as the H316.[2]

Users

[edit]

The System 700 was the standard remote terminal for the US military's Worldwide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS) systems, which were built around Honeywell 6000 series mainframe systems.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Minicomputer Communications Systems". New Products. IEEE Computer. Vol. 5, no. 4. July–August 1972. p. 58. doi:10.1109/C-M.1972.216945. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Honeywell System 700 Report". Auerbach Guide to Minicomputers. Auerbach. 1975. pp. 209–213. ISBN 0-87769-211-4. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  3. ^ Wadman, Kenneth W. "WWMCCS System 700 Remote Terminal Test and Diagnostic Software Utilization" (PDF). Defense Technical Information System (DTIC). WWMCCS ADP Directorate. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  • Honeywell Information Systems (1972). Honeywell System 700 Programmers' Reference Manual, Document #70130072575A. Waltham, Massachusetts: Honeywell, Inc.
[edit]