AN
Introduction a File- Computer
System
*Registwed in U.S. Patent Office
General O u t l i n e o f Com~onentU n i t s
The Univac File-Computer System i s an e l e c t r o n i c computer system which
p r o v i d e s f o r magnetic f i l i n g combined w i t h e l e c t r o n i c computing f o r
random a c c e s s p r o c e s s i n g o f unsorted d a t a . It has common language
v e r s a t i l i t y and many t y p e s o f i n p u t - o u t p u t may be used simultaneously.
Input-Output u n i t s , and s t o r a g e u n i t s can be p u t t o g e t h e r as b u i l d i n g block u n i t s t o produce a system s a t i s f y i n g i n d i v i d u a l requirements.
Such a system i s expandable a t any time.
The f i v e components o f any computer system a r e i n p u t , s t o r a g e , a r i t h m e t i c ,
c o n t r o l and output. The Univac File-Computer System h a s t h e s e components
b u t t h e t y p e number and c a p a c i t y o f some o f t h e s e u n i t s i n any grouping
o f equipment i s determined by t h e i n d i v i d u a l a p p l i c a t i o n requirements.
The f o l l o w i n g i s a g e n e r a l o u t l i n e o f t h e b u i l d i n g b l o c k s i n t h e s e
components:
A c t u a l l y , t h e File-Computer System i s u n i v e r s a l i n s o f a r a s i n p u t i s
concerned. Up t o 24 u n i t s o f i n p u t , input-output, o u t p u t could be
p u t i n a system and t h e s e u n i t s could be working simultaneously.
Such d e v i c e s include:
-
Input/Output Card Sensing and Punching Unit
10 Key Keyboard w i t h I n p u t P r i n t e r s 10 Key I n q u i r y Keyboard w i t h Inpiit-Output P r i n t e r Key Actuated T a b u l a t i n g Card Punch Input-Output E l e c t r i c Typewriter Input-Output P e r f o r a t e d Paper Tape Input-Output (5, 6 , . o r 7 Channel Tape) Magnetic Tape Input-Output Storaae
The File-Computer System has s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f i n t e r n a l s t o r a g e :
Input-Output Intermediate Storage Section High Speed General S t o r a g e Unit Large-Capacity General Storage Unit I n ~ u t - O u t ~ uS t o r a a e
The purpose o f t h i s u n i t i s t o a c c e p t d a t a from and d e l i v e r
d a t a t o t h e input-output d e v i c e o r d e v i c e s , t o s t o r e t h e
i n p u t d a t a u n t i l i t is c a l l e d i n t o t h e system, t o s t o r e
o u t p u t d a t a u n t i l it i s accepted by t h e r e l a t e d o u t p u t
dev-ices,
The I@ezmediate Storage u n i t p r o v i d e s a method o f seoritig
e i t h e r wastant- information o r developed information. -mter-mediate s t o r a g e h a s a c a p a c i t y of 20, 11 d i g i t d a t a f i e l h s plus
signs.
Building- block versatility
I
-I
card sensing
-
punching unit
t1
I '
ARlTH METlC PROCESSING SECTION *
b
k e y punch unit I
perforated tape unit ,I'
PROGRAM CONTROL SECTION i
High-capacity
storage units
as needed
3
High-speed storage unit as needed INTERMEDIATE
STORAGE
SECTION
electric typing unit INPUT-OUTPUT
STORAGE
SECTION
Up to 24 units, as needed, in any combination of types BASIC COMPUTER UNIT Multiplex monitoring unit b
Not required if only one input- output unit is to be operated i -
L
--
*
p i a h - S ~ e e d General S t o r a a e Unit
A High-speed General Storage u n i t o f t h e random access t y p e may
be included a s a b u i l d i n g block i n a system. Such a s t o r a g e may
be used e i t h e r f o r s t o r e d i n s t r u c t i o n s d i r e c t i n g t h e program,
f o r r e g u l a r d a t a s t o r a g e , o r a combination o f both. High-speed
General Storage Units can be e i t h e r one o f two c a p a c i t i e s : 190,
11-character f i e l d s ; 990, 11-character f i e l d s . I n each f i e l d
t h e r e i s an a d d i t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r f o r s i g n value.
L a r a e C a ~ aict v Gener a 1 S t o r a a e Un
A Large Capacity General Storage Unit o f t h e random access type
can be included i n any system. T h i s s t o r a g e can be i n c r e a s e d
by adding from 1 t o 9 Large-Capacity General S t o r a g e Expansion U n i t s a s required. Each s t o r a g e u n i t h a s a c a p a c i t y o f
180,000 alphanumeric c h a r a c t e r s f o r a p o s s i b l e t o t a l Large-Capac i t y s t o r a g e o f 1,800,000. According t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l a p p l i c a t i o n a l requirements, t h e s e c h a r a c t e r s can be grouped i n u n i t s
w i t h i n c e r t a i n l i m i t a t i o n s . These groupings are c a l l e d Unit
Record Areas and such a grouping i s analogous t o a punched c a r d
a s a u n i t record. These e s t a b l i s h e d Unit Record Areas can be
d i v i d e d i n t o f i e l d s a t t h e w i l l o f t h e programmer similar t o
t h e d i v i s i o n o f a punched c a r d i n t o f i e l d s .
Arithmetic Unit
I n t h e File-Computer System, t h i s u n i t h a n d l e s a l l d a t a e n t e r i n g o r
l e a v i n g t h e system o r going from one u n i t t o another. It performs
t h e p r o c e s s o f a d d i t i o n , s u b t r a c t i o n , m u l t i p l i c a t i o n and d i v i s i o n .
In performing t h i s p r o c e s s i t t a k e s two v a l u e s , V 1 and V2, t o g e t h e r
w i t h t h e i r s i g n s and a r r i v e s a t a r e s u l t , R, w i t h i t s sign. The
necessary decimal alignment is made f o r each s t e p i n c a l c u l a t i o n s .
The a r i t h m e t i c u n i t a l s o is used i n comparison o f alphanumeric d a t a ,
t r a n s f e r r i n g d a t a t o d i f f e r e n t l o c a t i o n s , and it p r o v i d e s a method f o r
s e a r c h i n g f o r d a t a on t h e Large Capacity General S t o r a g e Unit.
Control S e c t i o n
The purpose o f t h e c o n t r o l s e c t i o n i s t o guide t h e Computer through
t h e r o u t i n e o f s t e p s necessary t o a r r i v e a t t h e d e s i r e d r e s u l t .
T h i s d i r e c t i o n on t h e Univac File-Computer i s accomplished by two
major means: connection p a n e l w i r i n g which i s e x t e r n a l programming;
and s t o r e d i n s t r u c t i o n s which i s i n t e r n a l programming. The e x t e r n a l
o r i n t e r n a l programming i s developed t o handle t h e i n d i v i d u a l requirements.
Because t h e File-Computet System can o p e r a t e w i t h many i n p u t / o u t p u t
u n i t s working simultaneously some method must be employed t o avoid a
t r a f f i c jam. T h i s c o n t r o l is. accomplished by t h e Multiplexing Unit.
There a r e many t y p e s of o u t p u t d e v i c e s on t h e File-Computer System.
Some of t h e s e o u t p u t d e v i c e s a r e i n t u r n used a s i n p u t devices. The
following output d e v i c e s are used:
-
Input/Output
Card Sensing and Punching Unit
10 Key Inquiry Keyboard with Input-Output P r i n t e r
Key Actuated Tabulating Card Punch Input-Output
E l e c t r i c Typewriter Input-Output
P e r f o r a t e d Paper Tape Input-Output (5, 6, o r 7 channel tape)
Hagnet i c Tape Input-Output
p o s s i b l e Wavs of O s e r a t i o g
The Univac File-Computer System can be p u t t o g e t h e r i n v a r i o u s comb i n a t i o n s of u n i t s t o provide a system most s u i t a b l e t o i n d i v i d u a l
requirements. And how each system a c t u a l l y o p e r a t e s w i l l be determined by t h e problem t o be solved; however, t h e r e a r e two main
ways of operation: On-line and off-line.
On-Line
In an on-line operation an o p e r a t o r p u t s information i n t o t h e system
by d i r e c t key e n t r y . As an example of an on-line operation, l e t us
take an a p p l i c a t i o n involving B i l l i n g , S a l e s and Inventory. The Elect r i c Typewriter can be an input-output device i n t h e Computer System.
Invoices can be typed on t h e E l e c t r i c Typewriter, and automatically
extensions of q u a n t i t y times u n i t p r i c e can be made i n t h e a r i t h m e t i c
u n i t of t h e Computer System. The extension a s c a l c u l a t e d can be outp u t and automatically p r i n t e d on t h e invoice. Invoice t o t a l s and d i s counts can be automatically c a l c u l a t e d and p r i n t e d . In a d d i t i o n t h e
q u a n t i t i e s and d o l l a r s could be s t o r e d i n t h e Large-Capacity Random
Access Drums as S a l e s and inventory information.
O f f -Line
In, an o f f - l i n e operation t h e o p e r a t o r t r a n s c r i b e s t h e source d a t a t o
another media, such a s punched cards. Information i s e n t e r e d i n t o t h e
system from t h e t r a n s c r i b e d media. An example of an off-line use would
be extending a b i l l of m a t e r i a l and t e s t i n g inventory a v a i l a b i l i t y a s
a s i n g l e operation. The inventory a v a i l a b l e balance by p a r t number
can be s t o r e d on t h e Large Capacity Drums. The q u a n t i t y on o r d e r is
m u l t i p l i e d by t h e p a r t s usage. As each p a r t is extended on t h e b i l l
of m a t e r i a l s , t h e t o t a l is deducted from t h e a v a i l a b l e balance. If a
c r e d i t balance occurs, a p a r t s shortage e x i s t s ,
Cards could be punched t o s i g n a l a shortage condition.
-
M v a n t a a e s of t h e Univac F i l e Com~u
t er Svstem
With some broad o u t l i n e of t h e components of t h e system and t h e ways
of operation i n mind, we can be more s p e c i f i c about t h e purpose and
advantages of t h e File-Computer.
The primary reason f o r engineering
t h e Univac File-Computer System i s t o enable one t o keep a c u r r e n t
balance f o r a l a r g e number of items with high volume a c t i v i t y . On
e i t h e r an on-line o r o f f - l i n e operation, e n t r i e s a f f e c t i n g t h i s balance
could come from many types o f i n p u t equipment and answers d e l i v e r e d
through d i f f e r e n t types of output.
ON-LINE OPERATION direct keyboard input of data to be processed
FILE
-
COMPUTER
random processing w i t h
immediate output
previous keyboard entry of data to be processed
OFF-LINE OPERATION Previous systems of maintaining a balance, whether by completely
manually posted records, bookkeeping machines, punched cards, o r
general purpose E l e c t r o n i c Data Processing equipment have c e r t a i n
disadvantages. I n these systems where t h e r e f e r e n c e f i l e i s l a r g e
it i s necessary t o accumulate batches of items f o r processing bef o r e t h e information can be economically handled.
In maintaining a manually posted record it i s o f t e n t h e p r a c t i c e
t o use s o r t i n g d e v i c e s t o group documents f o r s e q u e n t i a l p o s t i n g
s i n c e random p o s t i n g i s slow and expensive. Sometimes, following
s o r t i n g , groups a r e t o t a l e d on an adding machine and t h e group
t o t a l posted. Often t a b u l a t i n g machines have been employed f o r
s o r t i n g and adding information i n preparation f o r s e q u e n t i a l p o s t i n g
of records.
In maintaining a record on a bookkeeping machine where t h e ledger
f i l e is e x t e n s i v e and a c t i v i t y high it i s common p r a c t i c e t o prepare ledger s h e e t s o r o f f s e t them t o make t h e p o s t i n g process
f a s t e r . S t u f f i n g t h e ledger i s an accepted p r a c t i c e f o r f a s t e r and
more economical o p e r a t ion.
In a t a b u l a t i n g system although many o p e r a t i o n s are mechanized a
series of s t e p s punchiag, s o r t i n g and t a b u l a t i n g a r e necessary
f o r balance forward applications. I f one has an e x t e n s i v e f i l e
and r e l a t i v e l y few e n t r i e s it i s hardly economical t o punch, s o r t ,
c o l l a t e , t a b u l a t e and summary punch new balance forward cards. I f
t h e e n t r i e s a r e g r e a t i n number and it becomes more economically
f e a s i b l e t h e r e s t i l l remains a time i n t e r v a l between g e t t i n g o r i g i n a l media and securing a balance. Most of t h e E l e c t r o n i c Computers p r e s e n t l y a v a i l a b l e have t h e same problem a s t a b u l a t i n g i n
securing balance f i g u r e s .
-
-
In any of t h e above systems not only do we have an economic problem i n g e t t i n g a balance b u t we cannot g e t a t r u e c u r r e n t balance because of t h e time l a g i n handling t h e necessary informat i o n , For example l e t us take inventory on punched cards. A
c u t o f f time would have t o be e s t a b l i s h e d , a l l t h e source media
c o l l e c t e d , punched, s o r t e d , c o l l a t e d , tabulated and subnary punched
t o a r r i v e a t a balance t h a t was t h e c u r r e n t balance a t t h e time of
c u t o f f . The a c t u a l c u r r e n t balance may be q u i t e a d i f f e r e n t f i g u r e
than indicated i n t h e tabulated report.
Besides t h e i n a b i l i t y t o keep a c u r r e n t balance on higtf volume
a c t i v i t y f o r a number of items, p r e s e n t methods do n o t permit
access t o t h e record by more than one person simultaneously. This,
of course, c o n t r i b u t e s t o t h e f a c t t h a t we cannot maintain a c u r r e n t
balance but, i n a d d i t i o n t h e f a c t s of t h e record a r e n o t a v a i l a b l e
t o more than one person a t a time.
Under previous methods it was d i f f i c u l t t o handle l a t e items and
rush items. For example, let us take Inventory and Pre-Billing
where o r d e r s a r e checked t o inventory balances p r i o r t o invoicing.
If we had been o u t of stock and merchandise came i n a s h o r t time
ago o r d i n a r i l y t h e r e i s a time l a g before t h e merchandise can be
recorded a s inventory. I f o r d e r s a r e passed over t h e inventory
MULTIPLEXER
MULTIPLEXER
/4
V
FREE
STORAGE
- RUNNING
OPERATION
record and t h e new inventory has n o t been recorded then we have a
s h o r t shipment with consequent l o s s of income. If we had rush
o r d e r s , we would have problems of inventory checking a s well a s
handling t h e invoicing individually.
The Univac F i l e Computer System provides many advantages over previous methods:
Random access f e a t u r e provides l a r g e f i l e of information
r e a d i l y a c c e s s i b l e t o many types of input-output devices,
Eliminates n e c e s s i t y of batching items a s i n previous systems.
Information can be f e d i n t o the system a t any time with ready
access t o balances.
Random access f e a t u r e e l i m i n a t e s many i n t e r i m s t e p s a s s o c i a t e d
with o t h e r methods such a s s o r t i n g and c o l l a t i n g . P o s t i n g s can
be made from source doczrments which a r e kept i n t h e i r o r i g i n a l
sequence
.
Same record f i l e d magnetically i s a v a i l a b l e t o a l l input-output
d e v i c e s simultaneously. Then a l l o p e r a t o r s can p o s t t o t h e same
record even making e n t r i e s t o t h e same items a t t h e same time.
Keyboard e n t r i e s can be nade d i r e c t l y i n t o t h e system.
Eliminates searching f o r a record card.
Gives freedom i n handling l a t e items.
Gives freedom i n handling r u s k items.
Cirmulative t o t a l of a l l e n t r i e s i s c o n s t a n t l y a v a i l a b l e .
Through on-line and o f f - l i n e operation, t h e system, can handle
s e v e r a l a p p l i c a t i o n s siraultaneously and use cammon information
according t o d i f f e r e n t a c t i v i t i e s .
.
I
DRUM
I
DRUM
.2
DRUM
3
\
100 channels per section, addressed 00-99.
5 to 5 0 unit records per channel: addressed 00-49.
Channel 9 8
Channel 99
REVOLVER
/
Up to 20 selection fields per unit record area.
Maximum of II characters plus sign (2)per field.
I
ITEM DESCRIPTION
l INVENTORY BALANCE^
SALES TO-DATE
I
HIGH-CAPACITY GENERAL STORAGE CHARACTERS PER UNlT RECORD
*There are 600 characters per channel,
divided into standard areas of 12, 15,
20, 24, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, or 100
characters each.
12 15 20 24 30 40 SO 60 75 100 120
50 40 30 25 20 15 12 10 8
6
5
UNlT RECORDS PER CHANNEL
HIGH = SPEED
GENERAL = PURPOSE STORAGE
EITHER OF TWO
Each numbered area represents one location of 12 character capacity -
4 8 716 3 2 4 1 5 0 2 . 2
W I DIGE T 3 7 1 9 -+
1 3 019 9 1 8 5 0 3 6 Z
7
T
T
Operation ~ a l u e # l value #2
ADDRESSES
v
Result
~
~
~
~
R
'
c
ALPHANUMERIC+
DESIGNATION
~
~
~
~
~
o
-
ON-LINE BILLING WITH TYPEWRITER INPUT OUTPUI'
Combined b i l l i n g , inventory c o n t r o l and s a l e s a n a l y s i s
i n a s i n g l e high-speed operation
-- a l l
-- is a f e a t u r e d a p p l i c a t i o n of
the
new Univac F i le-Computer System.
Providing millisecond access t o any d e s i r e d information from a
mass of d a t a f i l e d on high-capacity magnetic drums, t h e File-Computer
e l i m i n a t e s most of t h e manual o r machine s t e p s u s u a l l y required f o r matching up t h e customer o r d e r d a t a w i t h r e l a t e d master d e s c r i p t i o n , inventory
balances, p r i c e s , sales-to-date
t o t a l s , and o t h e r d a t a required i n t h e
processing.
In p r a c t i c a l terms, t h i s means t h a t customer o r d e r s can be
processed immediately and completely
t h a t up-to-the-minute
-- i n the o r d e r of t h e i r a r r i v a l -- and
f i g u r e s on inventory and s a l e s a r e a v a i l a b l e i n s t a n t l y
j u s t by p r e s s i n g a key.
The unique Multiplexer u n i t of t h e File-Computer system permits
t h e simultaneous operation of up t o 24 d i f f e r e n t input-output u n i t s .
In t h i s
way, up t d 100,000 invoice l i n e items o r o t h e r input d a t a may be processed
i n a six-hour day
-- each handled
according t o i t s own program i n s t r u c t i o n s .
Input-output u n i t s may be any combination of 80 o r 90 column punched card,
paper o r magnetic tape, typewriter o r ten-key tape p r i n t i n g devices
-- permitting
g r e a t f l e x i b i l i t y of procedure i n alpha-numeric d a t a processing.
The Univac File-Computer can a l s o provide up-to-the-minute
transaction
and c o n t r o l d a t a f o r p a y r o l l , general ledgers, c o s t accounting, production
c o n t r o l and o t h e r needs.
It may be used f o r either a s i n g l e l a r g e a p p l i c a t i o n o r
f o r s e v e r a l smaller a p p l i c a t i o n s handled simultaneously.
A s with t h e o t h e r data-processing systems of t h e Univac s e r i e s ,
the File-Computer 's r e s u l t s are assured of accuracy by built-in s e l f checking f e a t u r e s ,
Programs do n o t have t o be run twice t o be proved,
Because of the high-speed random access, no s o r t i n g , merging,
c o l l a t i n g , reproducing, o r p u l l i n g of cards from a tub f i l e i s required
before t h e processing can begin.
Nor is there any need t o wait u n t i l an
economic batch o r d a t a has been accumulated.
Master and c o n t r o l d a t a is f i l e d on magnetic drwns i n u n i t record
areas of a standard s i z e , determined i n planning t h e application.
I f , for
instance, the application r e q u i r e s 40 c h a r a c t e r s of f i l e d d a t a f o r each item,
then a s i n g l e magnetic drum would hold t h e d a t a f o r 4500 item records.
Up t o
ten drwns may be used, f o r amaxirrmm of 45,000 item records of t h i s size.
For a b i l l i n g application, t h e u n i t record area can be subdivided
as needed f o r item number, i t e m name, warehouse location, one o r more u n i t
p r i c e s , inventory balance, sales-to-date
u n i t cost-of-sale,
t o t a l , s a l e s by customer type,
etc.
From the above d a t a , many computations can be made a t millisecond
speed f o r each l i n e item.
backorders.
The p r i c e
The inventory balance can be checked t o determine
can be s e l e c t e d according t o customer type.
can be made f o r p a r t i a l o r complete shipment.
Extensions
And t h e invoice t o t a l can be
accumulated.
In the same operation, of course, a new inventory balance and one
o r more new sales-to-date
t o t a l s can be computed and r e f i l e d on t h e magnetic
drum.
One f e a t u r e of t h i s computer is t h a t it permits t r u e on-line operation.
For instance, with typewriter input-output, a s the operator makes t h e o r i g i n a l
e n t r i e s from customer order, -the d a t a would be entered d i r e c t l y i n t o the. computer
-. --
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Magnetic file
inputoutput
lnvoice
typing
inputoutput
I
INVENTORY AND SALES
RECORD I
Item number
Item name
..... II
Warehouse
location
..... 4
Unit prices
wholesale. ... 5
d e a l e r . . ... . 5
l i s t . . ...... . 5
Inventory
balance.. ... 5
Sales to-date ..
7
-
lnvoice
input-
inputoutput
Inquiry
keyboard
printer
... 8
Characters
3600 RECORDS
PER DRUM
(
h
50
FILE-COMPUTER
and t h e i n v o i c e f i g u r e s would be a u t o m a t i c a l l y typed o u t on t h e same i n v o i c e
line.
I n such an on-line o p e r a t i o n , t h e t y p i s t would e n t e r t h e code f o r
customer type o n l y once on each invoice.
Then, immediately a f t e r s h e had
e n t e r e d t h e item number and q u a n t i t y ordered f o r each l i n e item, t h e machine
would a u t o m a t i c a l l y type o u t d a t a such as t h e item d e s c r i p t i o n , t h e warehouse l o c a t i o n , t h e q u a n t i t y shipped and/or backordered, t h e s e l e c t e d u n i t
m i c e , and t h e line-item extension.
A t t h e end o f t h e i n v o i c e , t h e machine
would a u t o m a t i c a l l y type o u t d a t a such a s d i s c o u n t s and n e t t o t a l ,
An o f f - l i n e b i l l i n g o p e r a t i o n might be handled on t h e same computer.
For i n s t a n c e , suppose t h a t some customer o r d e r s a r e r e c e i v e d from branches
on p e r f o r a t e d paper tape.
Data from t h e s e t a p e s could be f e d d i r e c t l y i n t o
t h e system and processed, w i t h complete i n v o i c e s w r i t t e n a u t o m a t i c a l l y on
typewriters.
T h i s t a p e b i l l i n g could be handled simultaneously w i t h t h e
on-line b i l l i n g .
Another i n s t a n c e o f t h e programming v e r s a t i l i t y o f t h i s system
would be t h e use o f t a p e i n p u t f o r continuous checking o f inventory and s a l e s
performance simultaneously w i t h b i l l i n g .
I n t h i s case, t h e t a p e would c o n t a i n
information on each i t e m such as s a l e s quota and r e - o r d e r p o i n t .
Automatic
computations could be made t o determine which items v a r y s i g n i f i c a n t l y from t h e
s a l e s quota and which items have reached t h e re-order p o i n t .
Each such e x c e p t i o n
would be typed o u t , supplying condensed r e p o r t s on items r e q u i r i n g e x e c u t i v e
attention,
In a n o t h e r c a s e , magnetic t a p e might be used f o r i n p u t and o u t p u t ,
p r o v i d i n g f o r common-language communication between t h e File-Computer System
and a l a r g e Univac System handling t h e c e n t r a l r e c o r d s o f a l a r g e company.
Where punched c a r d s a r e used f o r i n p u t and o u t p u t , t h e File-Computer
p r o v i d e s t h e f a s t e s t means o f p r e p a r i n g t h e complete c a r d s which can then be
used o v e r and o v e r f o r producing v a r i o u s documents and r e p o r t s .
Similarly, orte typewriter (or a ten-key tape printing device)
n i g h t brr aged f o r making inquiries whenever information is needed on t
inventory o r sales s t a t u s of a partictllar item, with the F i b - G a q u t e l :
supplying answers bmedfately,
This i r t q i r y unit might also be used t o
adjust Inventory f o r shigm@ats reQttivd aad t o compute n m average prices.
As atatad b f o m , up t o 100,000 items can be promsaed ia
a sing'kar
day -- dspesdiag only on t h e n m b r of computaations requimd per item.
Of
oomss, the number and type of ~nput-ontput mitr rill d e t e r d m whether the
systmi is w e d t o its f u l l capacity,
to
IXn nimy cases, it w i l l be p o s s i b b
arom applications, even including
~ C i e h t i f ia ~~
de n ~ i n e e r l n gmathe~liltics,
in order t o get f u l l saturn on the inues%.mmt,
The urluslaal v e r s a t i l i t y of the Fib-Computer has bees achieved through
inatf on of computer eagiseering ski11s sJrd buainesa recordhaping
odfed i n the Bedngfon Bstnd organization,
The m g n e t i ~drum
teohniqruas, on which t h i s system $s based, were pioneered by Englneerfng II%semch
b s ~ ~ i a t eDivirioa
8
of blaington Rand Inc., whiuh today i s rmognized as
maaufwturex of the mst dependable magnetic drums for industry asld government.
Operating a t IIliflisecond speeds, the Univac FileIC6quter System may
be safd t o t
tha s h o r t e s t mute from the mume figure8 t o t h e t x ~ o ~ t E o n
record d t h e namagemxat repgrt,
In addition t o savings %n o p e r a t b g cserts,
f t w i l l provide nanagemnt with timely a d ~ S g n i f i c a n tfigmess which are the
h a ~sf of making mMd d m 1 s i o g ~ , In both ~ a y a ,the Unirac File-Caputer
System w i l l prove an e f f e c t i v e maas f o r m a y fizm t o gain t h a t c a n r t m t
at: a d e f i n i t e edge on competition,
flEW APPROACHES TO PRODUCTION CONTROJ.
New random-entry procedures which e l i m i n a t e long, c o s t l y work on
production c o n t r o l a r e made p o s s i b l e by t h e Univac File-Computer, a v e r s a t i l e
new type of alpha-numeric d a t a processing system.
The File-Computer system f e a t u r e s immediate access t o large-scale
magnetic f i l e s of machine loading and operation scheduling d a t a .
T h i s new
approach saves valuable hours o r days i n producing t h e f i g u r e s r e q u i r e d t o
e l i m i n a t e machine b o t t l e n e c k s before they occur, meet manpower requirements
economically, and i n v e s t i g a t e immediately any v a r i a t i o n from schedule a t any
s t a g e of a job i n t h e manufacturing process.
Manv unusual f e a t u r e s
A1L production d a t a can-be processed i n i t s o r d e r of a r r i v a l t o t h e
t a b u l a t i n g room, e l i m i n a t i n g t h e manual p u l l i n g of c a r d s o r e l a b o r a t e s o r t i n g
o p e r a t i o n s u s u a l l y required i n o r d e r t o match new d a t a w i t h previous t o t a l s
and tnaster data.
i n a six-hour day.
Up t o 100,000 job c a r d s and move t i c k e t s can be processed
In a s i n g l e pass of t h e c a r d s , complete computations can
be made f o r both machine loading and operation scheduling of new work.
The Multiplexer u n i t permits simultaneous operation of up t o 24 inputoutput u n i t s , which can be any combination of card, keyboard p r i n t i n g , and
magnetic o r p e r f o r a t e d tape u n i t s .
Examples f o r production c o n t r o l would be t h e
use of two high-speed card sensing-punching u n i t s t o do t h e same work twice a s
f a s t , o r t o handle d i f f e r e n t t a s k s i n t h e same program.
. .the
use of an
e l e c t r i c 'typing o r ten-key p r i n t i n g u n i t f o r i n q u i r i n g a t a n y t h e about t h e c u r r e n t
s t a t u s of machine loads and operation schedules...and
even t h e use of a magnetic
tape u n i t f o r i n t e r c o m u n i c a t i o n with a l a r g e Univac System f o r company-wide
The File-Computer p r o v i d e s automatic v e r i f i c a t i o n o f e v e r y a r i t h m e t i c
result
-- a b u i l t - i n
f e a t u r e which r e q u i r e s no programming s t e p s .
Similarly,
automatic means a r e provided f o r e l e c t r o n i c checking t o i n s u r e c o r r e c t t r a n s f e r
o f each alpha-nwneric c h a r a c t e r on e v e r y p r o c e s s i n g step.
Available i n building-block u n i t s , each F i l e Computer system can be
designed t o meet t h e needs o f t h e p a r t i c u l a r a p p l i c a t i o n s planned f o r it.
h l e c a ~ a c i t va v a i l a b l e
F i l i n g on l a r g e - s c a l e magnetic drums p e r m i t s maintenance o f a complete
r e c o r d on each scheduled o p e r a t i o n
-- w i t h
alpha-numeric i d e n t i f i c a t i o n by j o b
number, p a r t number, work c e n t e r and operation.
Production c o n t r o l information
may i n c l u d e t h e t o t a l o f e s t i m a t e d o r standard hours and t h e scheduled s t a r t
d a t e f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n , w i t h q u a n t i t y ordered and q u a n t i t y completed t o d a t e ,
etc,
Cost d a t a may a l s o be included i n t h e same r e c o r d , f o r up-to-the-minute
c o n t r o l o v e r t h i s phase o f p l a n t o p e r a t i o n s , too.
The u n i t record s i z e f o r each scheduled o p e r a t i o n may be from 12 t o
120 c h a r a c t e r s a s needed.
For a t y p i c a l u n i t o p e r a t i o n schedule o f 40 c h a r a c t e r s ,
a s i n g l e l a r g e c a p a c i t y drum w i l l hold t h e r e c o r d s f o r 4500 o p e r a t i o n s .
Up t o
t e n such drums may be used w i t h o u t l o s s of a c c e s s speed, so t h a t a s i n g l e system
may be used t o schedule a s many a s 45,000 s e p a r a t e o p e r a t i o n s .
The v e r s a t i l i t y of t h e File-Computer system i s i l l u s t r a t e d by t h e f a c t
t h a t accumulated machine load t o t a l s by week f o r each work c e n t e r may be s t o r e d
on t h e same l a r g e - c a p a c i t y magnetic drums, o r on a s p e c i a l high-speed drum u n i t
which p r o v i d e s f l e x i b l e multi-purpose s t o r a g e f o r c o n s t a n t s , i n t e r m e d i a t e r e s u l t s ,
in-process d a t a , a d d i t i o n a l i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r complex programs, e t c .
Automatic s c h e d u l i n q
P r o c e s s i n g new o r d e r s is s i m p l i c i t y i t s e l f .
Input c o n s i s t s o f merely
a c a r d f o r each o r d e r , c o n t a i n i n g j o b number, p a r t o r component code, q u a n t i t y
r e q u i r e d , and due d a t e , w i t h an e s t i m a t e deck o r reproduced master deck o f c a r d s
f o r each o p e r a t i o n .
\
The o r d e r c a r d is o n l y sensed.
Its d a t a is s t o r e d i n t h e system f o r
a p p l i c a t i o n t o t h e succeeding o p e r a t i o n s c a r d s , which are i n r e v e r s e sequence
from t h e
a c t u a l manufacturing sequence o f o p e r a t i o n s .
From t h e f i r s t o p e r a t i o n c a r d , an e x t e n s i o n i s made o f q u a n t i t y ordered
times t h e u n i t o f s t a n d a r d o r e s t i m a t e d machine hours f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n .
The
scheduled machine hours a r e then d i s t r i b u t e d by week t o t h e accumulated machine
loads o f t h e work c e n t e r where t h e o p e r a t i o n i s t o be performed.
Converting t h e machine hours i n t o machine days, and working back from
t h e due d a t e , a scheduled s t a r t d a t e f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n i s computed and punched
i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s c a r d with t h e machine hours and reproduced d a t a from t h e
o r d e r card.
A t t h i s p o i n t , it i s p o s s i b l e t o s t a r t a s e p a r a t e high-speed
sensing-
punching u n i t t o work c r e a t i n g t h e r e q u i r e d number o f j o b c a r d s (number o f
machine days, p l u s one), each w i t h complete i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n .
(For t h i s purpose, t h e new dual-feed sensing-punching u n i t may be used, w i t h
blank j o b c a r d s i n one feed.)
I n any e v e n t , t h e e n t i r e d a t a f o r t h e scheduled o p e r a t i o n i s a l s o f i l e d
magnetically i n an open u n i t r e c o r d area l o c a t e d by random search.
w i l l be i n s t a n t l y a v a i l a b l e f o r each f u t u r e r e f e r e n c e .
There it
'Store ordu data tempomrily
Exfend scheduled hours
Compute start dates
,&cumwlate machine loads
File the operations schedule
Punch the vhedule cards
Reproduce required job
I
Magnetic file
I MACHINE
I
/1
LOADS
by week per
work center
Mametic file
SCHEDULE
-1
PRODUCTION
Jab number.. . 4
Part number.. . 8
Work center
.a
Operation
number
.3
Start date. , , , . 3
Scheduled hours . 4
Quantity
scheduled.
.5 campleted.
5
To assign.,.
6 Chamcters
40 ..
....
..
...
. ..
FILE COMPUTER
4500 SCHEDULED OPERATIONS PER DRUM The start d a t e o f t h i s o p e r a t i o n becomes t h e due d a t e f o r t h e n e x t
scheduled o p e r a t i o n , and s o on u n t i l t h e e n t i r e j o b i s scheduled.
From t h e processed o p e r a t i o n c a r d s , complete production schedules
can be t a b u l a t e d immediately on each new job.
I n t h i s way, t h e e n t i r e t a s k
o f machine loading and production scheduling can be reduced t o a few simple
s t e p s , handled i n t e r m i t t e n t l y whenever t h e File-Computer time i s a v a i l a b l e .
)lutomatic unload i n q
As j o b c a r d s r e t u r n , punched w i t h q u a n t i t y completed, d a t e , employee
number, a c t u a l hours and r a t e , t h e y a r e f e d immediately i n t o t h e system without sorting.
I n s t a n t l y , t h e machine load i s reduced f o r t h e week and work
c e n t e r a f f e c t e d , and a new t o t a l is accumulated f o r t h e q u a n t i t y completed i n
t h e production schedule
f i l e f o r t h e j o b and o p e r a t i o n a f f e c t e d .
A t t h e same
time, an e x t e n s i o n i s made of hours times r a t e , which is t h e n punched i n t o
t h e j o b c a r d f o r c o s t and p a y r o l l uses.
Move c a r d s i n d i c a t i n g job, p a r t , o p e r a t i o n and d a t e a r e a l s o processed
by t h e File-Computer system and punched w i t h t h e complete production d a t a from
t h e magnetic f i l e f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n completed, producing c a r d s f o r r e p o r t i n g
purposes.
This processing a l s o c l e a r s the f i l e location f o r the
operation
completed, making it a v a i l a b l e f o r re-use on an incoming work o r d e r .
(A s p e c i a l
programming technique o f random s e a r c h p e r m i t s such v e r s a t i l e use o f t h e f i l e
capacity.)
l i f i e d ~ l a n ct o n t r o l
Since production f i g u r e s a r e kept c u r r e n t a s f a s t a s j o b t i c k e t s r e t u r n
t o t h e t a b u l a t i n g department, keyboard i n q u i r y w i l l always produce up-to-the-minute
d a t a on machine loads and o p e r a t i o n schedules.
anytime.
Complete r e p o r t s c a n be read o u t
Also, s e l e c t i v e f i g u r e s can be taken o u t f o r r e p o r t i n g overload and
underload c o n d i t i o n s by week and work c e n t e r , scheduled o p e r a t i o n s which are
ahead o r behind schedule, e t c .
When re-scheduling i s i n d i c a t e d , d e t a i l e d f i g u r e s
,-)
Extend earnings (and costs)
Reduce machine loads
-
3
1
Input -output
1
Reduce scheduled hours
Total the quantity completed
Punch pay and cost data
Computer)
processing
Transfer orperation data
_
fia card
Clear the file space for re-use
PROblllCTION
UNIVAC
FILE COMPUTER
Magnetic file MACHINE LOADS by week per werk center Magnetic file PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
Job n u m b e r . . . 4 Part nwmber
.8 Work center , a
..
..
Operation
number ..,,. 3
Start d a t e . . . . . 3
Sheduled hours , 4
Quantity
sekeduled
5
completed.
,5
To assign.
,6
Characters
40
....
..
... .-
4500 SCHEDULED
OPERATIONS
PER DRUM
can be taken from t h e schedule f i l e f o r a f f e c t e d work c e n t e r s .
Then t h e
complete re-scheduling job can be e f f e c t e d by t h e File-Computer according
t o new i n s t r u c t i o n s .
The File-Computer can a l s o handle t h e more o r less i n t e r - r e l a t e d
a p p l i c a t i o n s of c o s t c o n t r o l , m a t e r i a l s c o n t r o l , finished-goods inventory,
s a l e s s t a t i s t i c s , and engineering design problems.
Some of these records
may be processed and s t o r e d simultaneously w i t h production c o n t r o l f i g u r e s .
Others may be handled by c l e a r i n g t h e magnetic drwns, f i r s t t r a n s f e r r i n g a l l
f i l e d a t a t o t a p e s o r c a r d s f o r temporary storage.
Considering t h e s i m p l i c i t y and speed of operation, with t h e tremendous
scope of a p p l i c a t i o n , it may be s a i d t h a t t h e Univac File-Computer System
o f f e r s many manufacturers t h e f i r s t p r a c t i c a l opportunity of achieving
-
c o n t r o l over a l l phases o f p l a n t operations.
J
iR&-@-D I V I S I O N OF
S P E R R Y RAND CORPORATION
UNlVAC FILE-COMPUTER SYSTEM
3 1 5 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 1 0
Canadian Head Office, Toronto 1, Ontario
TM960 Rev. 3
???
- Sales and Service Offices in Principal Cities of the World