Unisys Finally Retires CMOS Mainframe Processors

Peter Judge,
UnivacOperatorConsole unisys mainframe data centre

Older mainframes can be replaced with compatible models based on x86 chips

Venerable IT supplier Unisys is finally phasing out its proprietary CMOS mainframe processors, completing a years-long migration process to take its ClearPath mainframes to more powerful systems based on Intel x86 chips.

Unisys has won plaudits for a smooth ten-year transition which leaves its customers still able to run the company’s long-established OS 2200 and MCP operating systems, alongside more recent Windows and Linux loads on new Dorado and Libra machines built using Intel’s Xeon processors. The systems also support cloud and virtualisation.

grace hopper at the Univac - image from Hagley Museum and LibrarySunset for CMOS

Unisys was formed from the 1988 merger of former mainframe giants Burroughs and Sperry, whose Univac machines pioneered computing in the 1950s. The Univac 1, shown here with Cobol inventor Admiral Grace Hopper, was first shipped in 1951, and predicted the US election result in 1954.

The OS 2200 operating system, currently running on Unisys’ ClearPath machines, descends directly from Univac machines of the 1960s, while MCP (Master Control Program) dates back to Burroughs of the same era.

Unisys has announced twelve new ClearPath mainframes using a software-based fabric and Intel Ivy Bridge E5 2600 v2 Xeons which are more powerful than the last CMOS chips it produces while still being – Unisys promises – more reliable and secure than rival machines.

The systems use secure partitioning (s-Par) to combine the different operating systems. Each workload has its own “container” and communications are implemented in software rather than hardware.

There are two flavours of ClearPath: Dorado systems support the Sperry heritage OS 2200 system, while Libra machines support Burroughs’ MCP, alongside more modern environments.

The systems also offer Unisys Stealth, an encryption and data protection scheme designed to mitigate attacks and keep data private from any intruders that get into the system.

The final end, or “sunsetting” of the CMOS processors will take place during the next several months, with Libra’s CMOS processors going in August and Dorado servers keeping them on till the end of 2015, a spokesperson told IDG News Service.

The Dorado 6300 starts at $2 million, with smaller models coming down to $325 thousand. The Libra series extends from $5.6 million down to $900 thousand.

Are you old school? Try our IBM quiz!