foonly 19840410

This document from Foonly Incorporated, dated April 10, 1984, introduces their MODEL F1B and MODEL F4 systems, both designed to be compatible with the DEC PDP-10 architecture.

Key Highlights:

1. PDP-10 Lineage: The systems are presented within the "Phylogeny of the PDP10," tracing their origins through DEC's PDP-6, KA10, and KL10, as well as Stanford's Superfoonly and F1 designs. Foonly's F1B is described as a modification of the earlier F1.

2. Performance:

   • Model F1B: Positioned as a high-performance system, offering approximately four times the performance of a DEC KL10, with significantly faster floating-point operations.
   • Model F4: Provides about two-thirds the performance of a KL10.
   • Detailed instruction timings demonstrate F1B's substantial lead over KL10 (300-800% faster for many instructions), while F4 is generally slower than KL10.

3. Compatibility: Both models are fully compatible with Digital Equipment's TOPS20 and TOPS10 operating systems and the KL10 instruction set.

4. Technical Characteristics (F1B vs. F4):

   • F1B: Features an 8K-word cache, 8K Translation Buffer, up to 32MW main memory, uses 6,000-10,000 ECL logic packages, requires 5KW of power, and measures 30"x90"x72".
   • F4: Lacks a cache, has a 4K Translation Buffer, up to 4MW main memory, uses 2,000 TTL series logic packages, requires 1.5KW of power, and is physically smaller at 24"x30"x72".
   • Both offer advanced debugging features like History Memories and Hardware Breakpoints.

5. I/O Capabilities: All Foonly systems use a standard FBUS, supporting a wide range of peripherals including large capacity disks (300-450MB), high-density tape drives, serial lines, printers, electrostatic plotters, Ethernet, ARPANET, TYMNET (via a PDP-11 interface), and a color bit-map display (Foovision).

6. Instant Expert Service (IES): A major focus is Foonly's remote maintenance system, designed for rapid and effective problem resolution.

   • Remote Diagnosis: Foonly's Support Center (SC) experts connect to customer systems via dedicated modems in the Console Computer (CC).
   • Advanced Tools: The CC (a 68000-based system in F1B, 6502-based in F4) integrates a logic analyzer, history memories (recording the last 1k machine cycles), and hardware breakpoints.
   • Efficiency: The IES allows for deep system introspection, single-stepping, and disabling functional units to isolate bugs, claiming to solve 90% of problems remotely. This minimizes downtime and the need for on-site field service, with a support engineer dispatched only if a hardware issue is confirmed, often arriving with a pre-diagnosed understanding and necessary parts.