00100	Facilities
00200	
00300		Our computer facility contains the following units acquired at
00400	the indicated times:
00500	
00600		1. The original system was a PDP-6 processor,
00700		   64K of core from D.E.C., I-O bus,
00800		   line printer (114 character set), and dectape
00900		   units.						1966
01000	
01100		2. PDP-10 processor					1968
01200	
01300		3. 64K Ampex memory					1968
01400	
01500		4. Librascope disc file for swapping			1967
01600	
01700		5. IBM 2314 disc for file storage (rented)		1968
01800	
01900		6. Information International display system
02000			(6 consoles)					1967
02100	
02200		7. 2 IMLAC display consoles for remote use		1970
02300	
02400		8. Data Disc display system (24 consoles)		1971
02500	
02600		Besides this, 131K additional core is to be acquired under
02700	the Mathematical Theory of Computation contract, and, in connection with
02800	that contract, it may also be possible to replace the D.E.C. core
02900	which is the cause of most of the crashes of the present system.
03000	
03100		During the period of the proposed contract, we see the need
03200	for additional upgrading of the computer facility as follows:
03300	
03400		1. The IBM 2314 disc file should be replaced by an IBM 3330
03500	with about four times the capacity.  Our experience is showing the
03600	need to keep in the computer substantial files of pictures for use in
03700	the vision project.  In particular, the new work of Lynn Quam on using
03800	his correlation techniques developed on Mariner 6 and 7
03900	pictures of Mars to find parallax edges in terrestrial pictures
04000	requires extensive picture files in the computer.  Our
04100	general files of user programs and reports are also growing.
04200	
04300		2. The Librascope disc file is in danger of crashing
04400	and destroying itself, and the manufacturer has given up his
04500	capability of repairing it.  As ARPA has been informed, this is one
04600	of the reasons Stanford is suing Librascope on the government's
04700	behalf, but if the disc crashes irrevocably, it will be cold comfort
04800	to know that it is Librascope's fault.  
04900	
05000		Besides this there is another reason why the Librascope disc
05100	should be replaced.  While the transfer rate between disc
05200	and core is quite adequate (600 000 words/sec), the latency
05300	time averages 32 msec per access.  This is good enough for a time-sharing
05400	system with only a few users, but as the number of users on at once
05500	goes past 20 which will happen as soon as the
05600	new display system is operational, swapping will start imposing
05700	important delays in system response.
05800	
05900		Therefore, we have put in a letter of intent to rent an IBM 2305
06000	fast swapping disc which will become available early in 1972, and
06100	have requested funds for this in the proposal.  However, there is a
06200	technically superior alternative which may be available in time and
06300	we are preparing an RFP for it.  This is MOS shift register storage.
06400	At presently advertised prices of about $.01 per bit, a minimal
06500	swapping storage system of 500 000 words could
06600	be purchased for $200,000.  This would be too small in the
06700	long run, but unlike a drum or disc would be readily extended.  There
06800	is also a strong possibility that in the face of an actual RFP,
06900	competition among suppliers would get us a substantially lower price.
07000	
07100		3. In the last two years, we have developed a system of keeping
07200	reports in the disc file.  This permits their easy updating, and
07300	will also permit the retrieval through the ARPA network by other
07400	ARPA users and other laboratories with suitable equipment.  We expect
07500	that other ARPA users will be developing similar facilities.  A major
07600	problem in developing such facilities arises from difference in
07700	character set and from the presence of diagrams in the reports.  This
07800	requires a printer that can print an arbitrary character set
07900	and can also print diagrams.  Such printers are beginning to come onto
08000	the market and we would like to buy two of them.  One of them would
08100	be located at the Project and the other would be located
08200	in the Computer Science Department in Polya Hall on campus.  
08300	Together with locating the two IMLAC displays on campus, this will
08400	considerably aid the participation of computer science faculty
08500	and graduate students in the work of the Artificial Intelligence 
08600	Project.
08700