 | |
| Developer | IBM |
|---|---|
| OS family | RACS |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Initial release | 1966 |
| Marketing target | IBM mainframe computers |
| Available in | English |
| Platforms | IBM System/360 |
| Preceded by | RACS |
| Succeeded by | MUSIC |
| History of IBM mainframe operating systems |
|---|
IBM Remote Access Computing (RAX) is a discontinued early time-sharing system for IBM System/360 introduced in 1966. [1] RAX was based on an earlier system, RACS. developed jointly by IBM and Lockheed Aircraft in Marietta, Georgia in 1965. The system influenced a number of other timesharing systems including MCGILL-RAX from McGill University, [2] McGill's MUSIC, [3] and Reactive Terminal Service (RTS) from ITT Data Services. [2] [4] In the 1970s Boston University used RAX as the basis of its VPS system, which ran as a guest operating system running on VM/370. [3]
Hardware
RAX was available from IBM as program number 360A-CX-17X, and runs on System/360 Model 30 and above. [1]As announced, it runs on systems with as little as 64 KB of main storage, and supports a mix of up to 63 IBM 1050 typewriter terminals and IBM 2260 display terminals. The languages supported are BASIC, FORTRAN IV, and IBM Basic assembly language. [note 1] In a minimal system with 64 KB memory, user programs can be up to 32 KB, with larger programs allowed on larger systems. [5]
Users
In 1968 RAX was used by the United States Department of Agriculture for their Washington Data Processing Center. [6] It was used in a number of colleges, universities, and corporations, including McGill, Boston University, St. Andrew's in Scotland, [7] The University of Rhode Island, and Bell Aerosystems. [2]
Notes
- ^ RTS also supported COBOL.
References
- ^ a b IBM Corporation (23 January 2003). "DPD chronology". IBM Archives. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c Miller, Roy Watt. "MULTIPLE REGIONS FOR THE MCGILL-RAX TlME-SHARING SYSTEM". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Boston University's RAX Library". Cryptosmith.com. 12 January 2012. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021.
- ^ "(advertisement)". The Pittsburgh Press. June 15, 1969. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ IBM Corporation (August 1967). Catalog of Programs for IBM System/360 August 1967 (PDF). p. 5. Retrieved Apr 25, 2023.
- ^ Department of Agriculture Appropriations for 1971. 1970. p. 17. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021.
- ^ "Thirty years ago . . ". University of St. Andrews. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021.
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| Server, mainframe | |
| Desktop, workstation | |
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