Communications Computer Language Comtran

摘要

The purpose of this effort was to provide Rome Air Development Center with a communications-oriented compiler system which would accept statements in a language that would be convenient for test engineers, producing programs that would operate the test facilities computer in accordance with engineering requirements. The result of this effort is the COMTRAN System described in this technical report. The COMTRAN System accepts communication oriented statements of a very high level which describe a set of communication line units combined in such a manner as to constitute a real-time online communications test. A relatively small amount of source statements generate a complex communications test program complete with a real-time coordinating executive tailored to the immediate task. Error data resulting from execution of generated test program are passed through several report generators, or post processors. One or more of a set of fixed reports can be requested via parameter cards. The parameter cards are of a convenient format to the user engineers. The entire COMTRAN system is maintained on a single system tape by a versatile edit program. The COMTRAN system was designed with flexibility and future expansion in mind, however, several limitations are noted and discussed in this report. (Author)