AG>Hi David,
-=> On 29 Mar 98  21:06:04 David Page said to Jonathan de Boyne Pollard <=-
 DP> Jonathan de Boyne Pollard wrote in a message to Robert Klose:
AG>
 DP> Just think; an TRUE example of multiproccesing, since the keyboard
 DP> procesor can run at the same time as the system processor. Imagine
 DP> what just a little more of this kind of thinking could do. An 80186
 DP> compatible processor is very cheap as part of an ASIC, and blows away
 DP> the original keyboard processor, which was markedly inferior to an
 DP> 8088. Such a processor could run a whole array of serial ports, for
 DP> example.
AG>That is what Apricot did (in the F1 and portable, I think). It broke all
AG>manner of software, and they never got past DOS 2.x as a result.
AG>The success of the PC is due to one thing, and one thing only: it is a
AG>standard.
AG>(lets face it, there is not much else in its favour).
AG>Of couse Seymour Cray used PDP8s as the interface to the CDC6400 and 6600
AG>machines, and they were great. Theyn worked something like SCSI channels.
AG>A PDP8 has about the same power as a 8088 I would say (but most of the
AG>software for it was better written). I think you can still get them on a
AG>single chip too!
AG>To return to topic ... if you are going to have IO processors on a PC the
AG>only standard way to do it is SCSI ... Lets pray for SCSI keyboard
AG>and mouse (and printer) support (but don't hold your breath).
Err,that is not the way it is heading exactly.  Guys have you looked at
the I2O initiative which basically uses an i960 on the motherboard as an
I/O processor off loading all the interrupt handling?  OS/2 has a driver
for it and Supermicro makes 2 models of PPRO boards and a dual P-II
board with one on it.  See http://www.supermicro.com/i2o/index.htm.
OS/2 is on the list with all the other OS's that support it.
If you guys are really that interested in I/O processors then you
probably should go to Intels site and look up all the activity on I2O
and the i960.  It is the big new thing, mostly by the big names in
servers Acer, Dell, HP etc. as the PC finally moves further into 1970's
mainframe system level architecture. However Supermicro will gladly sell
you a motherboard so that you can put your own mini mainframe together.
Actually considering the performance of the current dual P-II
motherboards, memory capacities, and disk sizes, what you would be
putting together is your own Cray 1 for a tiny fraction of its original
cost.  I wonder how a Cray 1 would have done with OS/2 SMP, NT or Quake.
:-)
Supermicro's P6DLH is a real monster.  "SUPER P6DLH is full AT size and
is based on Intel's 440 LX chipset.  It supports dual Pentium II 333 MHz
processors, i960 RD IOP, up to 1 GB EDO or 512 MB SDRAM memory, 9 PCI
slots, 3 ISA slots, an 8 Mb Flash I/O BIOS, local IOP memory of 64 MB,
and support for PC 98 specifications, Advanced Configuration and Power
Interface (ACPI), and PC Health Monitoring."  I guess with the 440BX due
in a month or two that there will probably be new models if intel has a
100MHz i960 on queue.
The P6PDLH has 4 DIMM slots plus 2 Simm slots for the IOP's memory.
It costs roughly $700 U.S.  with the i960 mounted. It is not
that far out in the blue sky for a single user. Aberdeen, one
of Supermicro's distributors sells one loaded with two 333MHz P-II's for
$2100.  One of those expensive AMI RAID controllers would get you
another i960. That would be independent but you could still claim it
was an I/O Channel or Data Link Processor. As far as SCSI keyboard
support, if this board is any indication, future keyboard support will
be the realm of USB.  USB does have a command set similar to SCSI so
that is close to your wish.  Supermicro appears to have a couple of
pretty nice cases to stick it in, a normal full tower suitable of a
power user and a monster for server use.
--Lynn
 * SLMR 2.1a * I can't diet for medical reasons, it makes me HUNGRY!
--- DB 1.39/004485
---------------