Summary of IBM PS/2 model 80

This is a high-level summary of general characteristics of the machine. For details (which are of course subject to change) the machine itself, and the manuals concerning it, must be consulted.

Since this machine was for some time the most powerful the project had (most memory, fastest, most slots, etc.) it was used as the project's principal development machine, and most systems and library work wound up being contained on it, including some which was never moved to the network.

Owner, if known:

UC Irvine.

CPU:

16MHz 80386

Operating system:

PC-DOS 3.3, 128K BIOS

Bus architecture:

MicroChannel

Physical memory:

1024K conventional + 1024K extended
(-64K for 128K BIOS)
Should be extended to at least 8MB physical, but appropriate SIMMs (and possibly extender board, motherboards slots probably all used) for this type of model 80 must be bought. Have so far been too expensive.
Alternative is to reconsider whether this machine should still be the principal development machine. It is recommended, though, that any replacement for it have a number of expansion slots similar to what the model 80's tower design supplies.

"High" ("adapter", trans-640K) memory usage:

EMS page frame buffer
WD8003E/A shared RAM

Memory management:

Have tried 2 major schemes to free enough memory for compiling with Turbo Pascal:

• Quarterdeck QEMM
• Qualitas' 386 to the Max

At the times these were tried, QEMM seemed to yield the more stable configuration. Neither, at the time was compatible with Windows 3.1 . This prevented Windows from even starting up. Later versions, conforming to the DCPI (the DOS Control Program Interface) for coordinating 386-based protected mode usage, would probably have fared better with Windows.

Qualitas' BlueMax should also have been attempted, but was not available.

It was hoped these schemes would free enough memory for Turbo Pascal 6 to compile programs using Ports, which is very demanding of compile- time memory.

Local storage:

70MB ESDI hard disc, observed to be noisy and somewhat slow.

Important local Software or Data:

Turbo Pascal 6, DOS dialogue library development and release.

Graphics adapter:

IBM VGA, no enhancements.

Network:

PC-NFS on the WD8003E/A Note that the WD8003E/A is not the same model as the WD8003E.

Remote drives (by network):

Special notes:

May be subject to thermal disfunction: have in the past needed to shift internal boards to get more space between them. Hard disc has on some occasions appeared to freeze with access light on, refusing (or else waiting a long time) to release for other operations to resume.

Its housing requires a key to release the side panel, so it can be unscrewed. The key is located on the bookshelves with the reference discs.

The external 5.25" floppy drive sitting on top of the tower is in fact connected internally, to the connector for drive B:. The system therefore addresses it as B: (under DOS) or #5: (under the p-System). It is reliable for writing and formatting 360K discs. Since it does not connect to the bus, it is usable on either ISA-bus or microchannel machines.

In order to be certain of the correctness of doing so, no update to PC-DOS 5 or MS-DOS 5 has been attempted on this machine until other, less essential PS/2's have demonstrated it can be done safely. (It is in any case increasingly likely a proprietary IBM PC-DOS 6.x would be required).