Minicomputer

Once requiring minicomputers and worksta tions many molecular mechanics programs are avail able for personal computers The information that strain energy calculations can provide is so helpful... 

The cheat/server model oftea allows easier iategratioa with other aetwork apphcatioas (eg, fiaance, project management, or human resources) which typically operate ia the environment of the server component of the cheat/server system. Gheat/server can be gradually iatroduced ia an existing minicomputer environment, often with httie adverse incremental impact ia terms of retraining and additional cost. 

Three types of computer control systems are commonly used for pilot-plant instmmentation. The first is a centralized system, usually based on a minicomputer or occasionally a mainframe. These systems have large storage capacities, substantial memories, and much associated equipment. They typically control all the pilot plants in an area or faciUty. Centralized systems are economical if a large number of units are involved but are becoming less common due to their high installation and maintenance costs as well as the limitation that any failure of the central system shuts down all pilot plants involved. 

The years since pubHcation of the third edition of the Eniyclopedia (1978—1984) have brought the rise and fall of the minicomputer, the worldwide ascendancy of microprocessor-based personal computers, the emergence of powerhil scientific work stations, the acceptance of scientific visualization, further advances with supercomputers, the rise and fall of the rninisupercomputer, and the realization that the future Hes in parallel computing. 

The Digital VAX rose to prominence as a departmental minicomputer and became a virtual standard in the world of chemistry. The VAX offered a user-friendly flexible environment, together with what was then considered good computational throughput. Much computational chemistry methodology was developed on the VAX. 

Vendors such as SUN and MIPS introduced lines of computers based on RISC (reduced iastmction set computer) chips. These computers offered significant performance advantages over the CISC (complex iastmction set computer) minicomputers, at least for CPU-bound work. Although there are stiU active debates about what RISC and what CISC are, the essence of RISC is simplicity. 

MIMD Multicomputers. Probably the most widely available parallel computers are the shared-memory multiprocessor MIMD machines. Examples include the multiprocessor vector supercomputers, IBM mainframes, VAX minicomputers. Convex and AUiant rninisupercomputers, and SiUcon... 

Most EDS systems are controlled by minicomputers or microcomputers and are easy to use for the basic operations of spectrum collection and peak identification, even for the computer illiterate. However, the use of advanced analysis techniques, including deconvolution of overlapped peaks, background subtraction, and quantitative analysis will require some extra training, which usually is provided at installation or available at special schools. 

Sponsor/Developing Organization Pacific Northwest Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, Custodian Marcel Ballinger, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352. Phone (509) 373-6715 Computer The original code was written in FORTRAN, to run on a VAX minicomputer, but can be rewritten to run on most any platform. Cost None. 

Most monitors are display terminals that use cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays, which function by exciting a layer of phosphors with an electron gun. These devices include monitors used with PCs and terminals used with mainframes or minicomputers. Features such as color, resolution, and size influence power requirements. Most PC monitors are... 

The numerical approaches to the solution of the Laplace equation usually demand access to minicomputers with fast processing capabilities. Numerical methods of this sort are essential when the electrolyte is unconfined, as for an off-shore rig or a submarine hull. However, where the electrolyte is confined, as within essentially cylindrical equipment such as pipework and heat-exchangers, or for restricted electrolyte depths, a simpler modelling procedure may be adopted in the case of electrolytes of good conductivity, such as sea-water . This simpler procedure enables computation to be carried out on small, desk-top microcomputers. 

Sejnowski and Rosenberg used two different sets of words for training (1) 1024 words taken from phonetic transcriptions of informal continuous speech by children and (2) a subset of the 1000 most commonly used words selected from Miriam Webster s Pocket Dictionary. NETtalk was trained on a DEC VAX 11/780 minicomputer. 

The spectrometer was a Physical Electronics Model 548 modified for emplacement in a glovebox so that actinide samples could be examined. Spectra were taken using AIK radiation (1486.6 eV). The overall energy resolution of tne spectrometer was 1.2 eV using an analyzer pass energy of 25 eV. The spectrometer control was interfaced to a Nicolet 1180 minicomputer providing automatic data acquisition and analysis capability. 

The minicomputer based system for Instrument automation at Glidden has been prevlousj.y reported (1). since that system predates the availability of low cost personal computers and data acquisition hardware, most of the hardware and software was designed and assembled in-house. ... 

T.F. Niemann, M.E. Koehler, and T. Provder, "Microcomputers Used as Laboratory Instrument Controllers and Intelligent Interfaces to a Minicomputer Timesharing System," in Personal Computers in Chemistry> p- Lykos, Ed,... 

The labor-intensive nature of polymer tensile and flexure tests makes them logical candidates for automation. We have developed a fully automated instrument for performing these tests on rigid materials. The instrument is comprised of an Instron universal tester, a Zymark laboratory robot, a Digital Equipment Corporation minicomputer, and custom-made accessories to manipulate the specimens and measure their dimensions automatically. Our system allows us to determine the tensile or flexural properties of over one hundred specimens without human intervention, and it has significantly improved the productivity of our laboratory. This paper describes the structure and performance of our system, and it compares the relative costs of manual versus automated testing. 

Group 2 Minicomputer-based systems with real multitasking operating... 

One Important aspect of the supercomputer revolution that must be emphasized Is the hope that not only will It allow bigger calculations by existing methods, but also that It will actually stimulate the development of new approaches. A recent example of work along these lines Involves the solution of the Hartree-Fock equations by numerical Integration In momentum space rather than by expansion In a basis set In coordinate space (2.). Such calculations require too many fioatlng point operations and too much memory to be performed In a reasonable way on minicomputers, but once they are begun on supercomputers they open up several new lines of thinking. 

Because the CDS used a dedicated hardware and wiring system, it was relatively expensive to install. It was also difficult to scale up because more minicomputers would be needed with increases in the number of users. 

Commercial LIMS appeared on the market in the early 1980s. These operated on then state-of-the-art minicomputers such as the 16-bit Hewlett-Packard 1000 and 32-bit Digital VAX system. By the late 1980s, several DOS-based PC LIMS operating on the primitive PC network were available. By the early 1990s, most LIMS started using commercial relational database technology and client/server systems, which operated on UNIX or the new Windows NT platform. The most advanced LIMS utilize server-based architecture to ensure system security and control. 

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