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[Discussion] Processor Architectures that exists and used to exist in server domain space
Currently most prevalent CPU architectures are x86 ( ia32 ) and x64.
ARM and ARM64 are getting popular both in consumer and server space.
MIPS and MIPSEL are generally popular in embedded systems including Sony Playstation and Tesla Model S.
RISC-V also popular in embedded systems including IOT boards and Single Board Computers.
PPC and PPC64 are popular in AIM alliance.
S390 used to be popular among IBM servers.
SPARC based servers are popular in Sun Microsystems ( acquired by Oracle Corporation ) servers.
There can be more CPU architectures that are general available to business usage and specific large scale custom implementations of processor architectures.
Thread discussion purpose is to know about more CPU architecture that are active in production servers as per 2022 and processor architectures that used to be dominating the market but are now mostly replaced by currently popular server space implementations.
Reference Link ( for CPU architectures ):
- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70312624/what-are-the-most-common-cpu-architectures-and-system-platforms-for-personal-com
- https://nodejs.org/api/process.html#processarch
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_instruction_set_architectures
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_CPU_microarchitectures
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecture_processors
- https://www.sifive.com/risc-v-core-ip
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduced_instruction_set_computer
Comments
That's more for a stack website or Slashdot than here.
What I see above is a confusing mix of processor architectures. Some are current while others are obsolete and poorly supported.
There are many obsolete systems that are still in use. A former coworker earned a good living replacing obsolete mainframes and other old servers with ordinary PCs that emulated the original architectures, so the customers can continue running ancient software. His company writes the emulators as needed. His customers are large financial institutions and government agencies.
I know at least one large agency that had a full-time dedicated team of five people whose sole job was to search the country for spare parts to keep their ancient (but critical) systems running. Lives depended on those systems.
Years ago, I was invited to visit a system/server installation in a third-world country where I was working. The people who ran it were very proud of it. It was the most powerful system in the country. It was maintained with loving care. One person was dedicated to keep the cases clean, polished, and dust free. The place was spotless, and the cabinets gleamed like new. I did not have the heart to tell them that their system was utterly obsolete. In the US, it would have been replaced and in the landfill years earlier.
I worked on many processor architectures. They are obsolete now, but were current back then. There may be servers operating in obscure corners of the world, but who knows? Here is a small sample of processors I have worked on, which were not mentioned above. Does anyone remember:
DEC Alpha?
... and did you know that Microsoft Windows ran on DEC Alpha and PowerPC? (Windows also ran on MIPS, but someone else on my team worked on MIPS, not me.)
Bonus Credit: Have you heard of Yuk 20 or Yuk 44? (Nope, not Russian.) Search for "AN/UYK20" or "AN/UYK44".
Extra Extra Bonus Credit: Has anyone here ever seen a Rational R1000? I worked on them, too.
I have worked on processors with 18 bit words. I have worked on processors that used 1's complement notation. I helped design, build, and deliver a custom multiprocessor computer that was part of a larger specialized system, but it is no longer in use. Among other tasks, I wrote the POST (power-on self test).
That's a good start. Let's see how far down the rabbit hole you want to go ...
Thats a piece of GEM.
To know about Computer History i do visit here ( online ):
Here are more links to know about vintage computers:
There are lots of youtube creators that a actively testing and uploading content related to retro computers and various types of digital embedded platforms that used to be mainstream systems ( circa 1980 and earlier ) including:
Great links in the post above. Allow me to comment about this one ^^^^.
I highly recommend a visit to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, USA. It is so worth a trip to see it. It is a wonderful passage through time, covering the history of computers and computing. It is one of the best designed museums I have ever seen.
I visited the Computer History Museum with my family a few months before the pandemic. I kept pointing out to them - "I worked on this!" ... "I worked on that!" ... you get the point. What fun!
Go! It is so worth it. (But ... make sure you verify operating days and hours, COVID protocols, etc.)
https://computerhistory.org
https://computerhistory.org/visit/
Both times I spent time in SCV recently, I didn't even know that was there, so didn't go. I've quit that job now, so no idea when I'll be back in the area.
Shame, I knew there was a famous Microsoft owned one in Seattle, but didn't realise there was one in Mountain View.
Bummer, dude. Sorry to hear that.
I have visited Microsoft's Visitor Center in Seattle, Washington, USA but not Paul Allen's Living Computer museum there.
If you ever get to the Mountain View, California, the Computer History Museum is a must see. Even the non-computer people in the family enjoyed it.
While you are in the area, take the time to visit the Intel Museum in nearby Santa Clara as well. It is a short drive away. The people reading this thread will enjoy the Intel museum. I enjoyed it, but my family was bored at Intel.
+1
I live in the Bay Area and the Computer History Museum is one of the first places I went when I first moved here. My wife enjoyed it too.
I'd love to go to these. Unfortunately the Living Computer Museum is closed at the moment. It closed due to COVID-19 but I haven't heard anything about it reopening.
Sounds like half the servers used for VPSes advertised on this forum
im going to sleep now good night
Explaining Computers a youtube channel by content creator Christopher Barnatt today ( 8 May 2022 ) uploaded a video about current state of RISC-V ( circa 2022 ) and exponential growth of RISC-V in consumer computers including desktops as well as servers and other embedded SOCs and SBCs.
RISC-V relevant info links are available in Video Description.
Here is the reference link ( Video ):
Reference Links: