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In article <26.UUL1.3#5131@mvac23.UUCP> mvac23!thomas@udel.edu writes:

}Obviously, the AP101's are fairly small, but how do they fit in with the
}rest of what IBM produces.  Is it a mini-mainframe, a specialized design-
}to-spec. machine, or what?

From foggy memory:

The principles of operation of the AP-101 are (is?) similar to the System
370.  The major exception is the AP-101 has two sets of 8 general purpose
registers instead of the 370's one set of 16. (This is based on my
experience with their respective assembler's).

Physically, each AP-101 consists of two metal boxes (very) roughly 1' x
1.5' x 3', each and weighing about 90 lbs, each.  My memory gets much
foggier here, but I recall one box is the CPU and the other is sort of a
giant math co-processor.  The boxes are connected by a 2" diameter cable.

Memory is non-volatile (a source of much confusion to novices [i.e.:  Me]
and much amusement to old hands at Rockwell's Avionics Development Lab).
Mass data storage is provided by the Main Memory Unit (MMU), a mag-tape
based device that would put Rube Goldberg to shame.  Each program the
Shuttle computers need to run is stored on the MMU in triplicate.

IBM expended a _lot_ of effort (and NASA's money) to insure that each and
every AP-101 is as near exactly like each and every other AP-101 as
possible.

Disclaimer:

The above is what I remember from working in the ADL over 6 years ago.  My
memory is probably a bit degraded and some things may have changed since
then.

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@ttidca.tti.com)  Illegitimati Nil
Citicorp(+)TTI                                                 Carborundum
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