Emulation of the IBM system/360 on a microprogrammable computer

摘要

In recent months, several microprogrammable computers (MCs) have become available. By development of a suitable microprogram, it is possible to extend the basic instruction set of an MC to include special purpose instructions designed to facilitate the processing of a frequently executed application.

This paper presents the results of a study of the technical and economic feasibility of the development of an S/360 emulator on an MC. It was concluded that such an emulator could be developed, that the performance of the emulator would equal or exceed the performance of the S/360 in most applications, and that the cost of the MC, it's software, and amortized emulator development costs would be less than the S/360 Model 30 costs.

An approach to implementation of the emulator is outlined, anticipated problems and their solutions are indicated, timing and storage estimates are developed, and the interface with the operating system for the MC is defined.