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Mini-computers SM. Detailed review

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Dr. Evgeny N. Filinov

Translated by Alexander Nitusov.

In 1974, by the decision of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation in computing (ICCC) between the socialist countries', research and engineering INstitute of Electronic COntrol Machinery (INECOM) of Moscow received the status of the parent enterprise on development of minicomputers SM.  B.N. Naumov – the director of INECOM, was appointed the chief designer of the SM computers family. Dr. N.L. Prokhorov replaced him as new INECOM director in 1984. He was also appointed the SM chief designer in the same year.

More than thirty research institutes and industrial enterprises from the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, GDR, Cuba, Poland, Rumania and Czechoslovakia were engaged in that program.

Minicomputer SM was designed and composed as aggregate system of computer hard- and soft-ware, which also included methodical, regulatory and maintenance support, and applied standards.  As the result, this complex provided rational compatibility and unification of various systemic, architectural, circuitry and design solutions.

Proposed basic principles, technologies and standards for SM minicomputers, encompassed all aspects of their components, units, devices and software systems unification, for all SM models and complexes based on them. Availability of national technologies and power of industrial production were also taken into account. All that made possible establishing of large-volume production and development of applied systems based on new minicomputers SM.

Regulatory framework for SM computers was developed in the beginning of the project by the Council of Chief Designers (CCD SM). Without these regulations it would be impossible to establish large-scale industrial manufacturing of the SM computers at various enterprises located in different countries.

Several general principles were adopted as the basic ones for development of minicomputers SM, the most important of them were:

Measuring and computing complexes (MCC), created on the basis of minicomputers SM, technical means of CAMAC or ACEMT, were aimed at automation of complex experiments performing in real-time mode in various fields of science and engineering. Flexibility and modular hardware structure of SM computers, availability of advanced computer interfaces for conducting experiments according to the CAMAC or ACEMT standards and a wide range of problem-orientated (both system and applied) SM software ensured the widespread use of Measuring Computing Complexes (MCC) in scientific research automation systems, primarily at the institutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Emergence of the SM computers made it possible to basically improve concept development of CAD workplaces. Previous CAD systems were based on large multi-terminal computers, working usually in a batch mode. That explained low efficiency of design process.

Implementation of computer-based workstations essentially increased performance by ensuring a dialog design mode, obtaining design results in a convenient form and also extending possibilities of graphic images, diagrams and drawings input, editing and output. The CAD workplaces (Automated WorkPlaces – AWP) incorporated wide range of basic software supporting machine graphics, e.g. Geographic Information Systems – GIS, Graphic Information System – GRIS, etc.

The most widely used ones were automated workstations developed at the Institute of Electronic Control Machinery (INECOM) jointly with enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Radio Industry, the USSR Ministry of Aviation Industry, the USSR Ministry of Defense Industry and the USSR Ministry of Instrument Making for radio and electronics (AWP-R), mechanical engineering (AWP-M), construction design (AWP-S), economic information processing (AWP-E).

The development of minicomputers SM was carried out along two architectural lines. The first one included wide range of control computing systems based on micro-computers of SM-1800 family, built on the trunk-modular principle. The first models of that line were 8-bit microcomputers (microprocessor KR580), built on the trunk-modular principle with internal interface I41 Multi-bus.

The first 16-bit model of this family – SM-1810 (micro-processor K-1810) was developed and its serial production started in 1986. Six СМ-1810 modifications for general use and four SM-1814 for industrial applications, altogether ten, were transferred to market. In 1986 development of the 32-bit computing complex SM-1820 was completed. It was based on micro-processor Intel-80386.

Altogether 26 modifications of the SM-1800 family computers were developed and produced.

This line of SM computers included wide range of external devices, devices for communication with objects, network tools, adapters for various interfaces: S-2, RS-422, ILPS, BITBUS, IRPR, etc.

The bus and modular computer organization principles were adopted and implemented in all developments of the SM-1800 family, which made it possible to ensure a virtually continuous process of evolutionary development of all modules of the family, both in terms of increasing productivity and satisfying the functional requirements of the application area.

System software of the SM-1800 family included operating systems (DOS-1810, BOS-1810), real-time executive operating systems (OS SFP, BOS-1810), general-purpose operating systems (Micros-86, Demos, MDOS).

Possibility of using a fairly wide range of serially produced technical and software means of the computer family SM-1800 made it possible to meet the requirements of such application areas as automated process control systems (APCS), computer-assisted research systems (CARS), GPS, Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS), economic and text information processing systems etc.

Co-executors at all stages of the SM-1800 family development were manufacturing plants: production association (PA) “Electronmach” of Kiev, and PA “Orel plant of Control Computing Machines, named after K.N. Rudnev” of the city of Orel.

The second architectural line of the SM-1800 family was represented with a line of software compatible mini-computers of various performance. Junior models of the line included 16-bit computers (SM3, SM-4, SM-1300, SM-1420) based on system interface “Common Bus”.

Computing complex SM-1425 became further development of SM-1420. 22-bit trunk parallel system interface was implemented in its structure. It had more advanced architectural capabilities.

32-bit mini computers of the SM-1700 family with interface “Common Bus”, and SM-1702 with interface “Parallel Bus Interface” (in more general sense – MPI, i.e. “Message Passing Interface”), took special place in this architectural line. Architecture of this family supported virtual memory, soft- and hardware compatibility with 16-bit models of mini-computers, and also advanced diagnostic system.

Software of this line was presented with a wide range of operating systems (DOS, FOBOS, DIAMS, RAFOS, DOS KP, OS RV, DEMOS, MOS VP, etc.), of the network software for creating local and distributed computer networks (MAGISTER, RELOKS, MMK, network SMM, “Kolos”/Ear/), information systems (MIRIS, BARS, MIS, KATS, etc.), and also application software packages for various purposes.

All models of the architectural line were mass-produced in factories of Kiev production association “Elektronmach”, Moscow plant “Energopribor” and Lithuanian production association “Sigma” in Vilnius. These enterprises also actively participated in development process.

During development of SM computers new original foundations of construction of systems with functional separation have been laid. Thanks to that it was possible to produce dual-processor computing systems on the basis of -then available- electronic components. That also ensured software compatibility with earlier produced computers of “MIR” (MEC – “Machine for Engineering Calculations”; Russ.: Mashina dlia Ingenernyh Rasschetov) series and of M-5000 series (for commercial applications).

A large part of the SM computers nomenclature was occupied by controllers and peripherals, as well as special processors, which provided significant increase in computer performance for a specific class tasks to be solved. The first of them was the work of special processor for Fourier fast transforms, developed and produced in cooperation with the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronic of the USSR Academy of Sciences (AS USSR). The Fourier processor was implemented for processing of the radar images of the planet Venus surface.

That large-scale research, performed by the AS USSR under guidance of the Academy member academician Vladimir A. Kotelnikov, needed computing power equivalent to supercomputers which were not available at that time. However, the problem was solved with the use of mini-computer extended with special Fourier processor.

Another example – parallel matrix processor (PMP) for solving filtering problems, performing Fourier transforms, etc. Logic simulation processor, which itself was a special computer for accelerated simulation of digital circuits, is one more example. The scope of this special processor application - computer aided (automated) design systems for VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration). Original streaming (pipeline) architecture of this special processor provided, in average, 1000 times acceleration of modelling, in comparison with general-purpose computers.

From 1974 up to 1990 more then 60 000 produced computing and control complexes SM were based on INECOM developments. The number also included measuring and computing complexes, and automated workstations based on SM computers.

It should be also mentioned that SM computers industry was supported with developed infrastructure of technical maintenance and personnel professional education and training, available all over the Soviet Union.

The work with SM computers has been good school for many thousands of specialists beginning their career in the field of digital computer technologies.

Original Russian article was published 19.07.2002.

Translated by Alexander Nitusov.


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