Distributed processing with iAPX 186 microprocessor systems

ABSTRACT

In most early computer systems, large central computers, minicomputers, or microcomputers were used to perform all the necessary data processing activities in the system. The overall performance of the entire system was limited by the ability of the central CPU to bring in data, process it, and output it in some usable format. This often resulted in large data input/output bottlenecks in I/O-intensive applications where the CPU time required to service I/O functions left little time for data processing. The obvious result is a slow, nonoptimum data processing system. Now many applications are moving in the direction of simpler and easier-to-use distributed systems, where a central CPU delegates some of the processing tasks to distributed processing subsystems. Not only are costs lower with the distributed system approach, but the time needed to implement such systems is substantially less.

For example, a network transaction processing system can now use numerous automatic tellers to process data at a variety of dispersed geographic locations. The tellers, or distributed nodes, can then collect, process, output, and eventually pass on necessary information to the central host computer, located at some detached location, without burdening the central computer with handling each simple transaction. The host becomes involved with an individual node only when the intelligent node requires the timely interaction. The heart of a distributed node itself must be an intelligent processing device capable of handling all the processing and I/O requirements needed by the node.

The iAPX 186 is a new highly integrated 16-bit microprocessor. It combines 10 of the most common microprocessor system components onto one. The 80186 is essentially a 16-bit CPU board integrated onto a single silicon chip. By combining a limited number of peripheral support components with memory together with an iAPX 186, one can achieve a condensed, cost-effective system on one board, making the 80186 an optimal microprocessor for distributed processing nodes. This high level of integration is accomplished through an advanced HMOS II silicon gate technology. For the first time it provides a system cost saving significantly greater than that of the previous 16-bit microprocessor design alternatives. The 80186, an upgrade from the industry standard iAPX 86 and 88, offers two to three times the system throughput of a standard iAPX 86. The iAPX 186 adds 10 new instruction types to optimize existing iAPX 86 or 88 application code or streamline new iAPX 186 application code. All these hardware and software attributes make distributed processing with iAPX 186 systems a cost-effective, easy 16-bit microprocessor solution.

REFERENCES

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