[ih] Memories of ITS [was: Flag Day]?

[Lars Brinkhoff]

Greg Skinner wrote:
> There was a TCP/IP implementation for ITS.

I tried to locate hard evidence for when the ITS machines started
running TCP/IP, so I checked the binary files called @ ITS which is the
"kernel".  According to the timestamps, I can see MIT-MC was running
TCP/IP in December 1982, MIT-ML in January 1983, and MIT-DMS in June
1983.  Unfortunately the backup tape archive doesn't cover everything
and I don't see any MIT-AI file.  However, there is this message:

  "ITS implementation of TCP-IP was begun on November 10, 1982, nearly
   single-handedly by Ken Harrenstien, and MIT-MC was doing TCP on
   December 19th.  The other machines began running the TCP version of
   ITS on flag day: MIT-AI started running ITS 1312 on December 31 at
   21:03-EST and it all worked."

It bears repeating what a heroic feat Harrenstein pulled off.


> MIT-MC was accessible via its ARPAnet attachment using TCP/IP for some
> time afterwards.

The KA10 incarnations of MIT-AI [1], MIT-DMS [2], and MIT-ML developed
hardware problems and were shut down permanently during 1983-84.  DEC
donated KS10 computers [3] to MIT, so AI [4], ML, MD, and MX were
revived after a while.  MIT-MC soldiered on until 1988 [5], albeit in
declining health.  The ARPANET IMP connections were lost at some point,
after which the ITS machines were only available through Chaosnet.  The
KS10 machines gradually succumbed to hardware issues and were shut down
in 1990.

Today ITS runs again in fully glory on emulators that support KA10,
KL10, KS10 processors, as well as most of MIT's quirky custom hardware
devices.  The first emulator running ITS was written by the very same
Harrenstien mentioned above.


[1]
  "Date: 05/02/83 13:51:15
   From: CSTACY @ MIT-MC
   The AI KA10 has been flushed, please update your programs."

[2]
  "Date: 11/02/83 19:20:51
   From: KMP @ MIT-MC
   Re: I see no DM here.
   A few moments ago (7:05:50pm), the MIT-DMS machine was officially
   powered down for the last time. It is the second of four ITS
   machines to be retired, being survived by MIT-ML and MIT-MC."

[3]
  "Date: 27 June 1984 09:52-EDT
   From: J. Noel Chiappa
   Re: MIT-AI (sub 2) arrives!
   On the very loading dock at 545TS there is a monster moving van
   unloading a large collection of large boxes manifested to one
   M. Roylance, Esq. The THING seems to be here..."

[4]
  "Date: Wed,17 Apr 85 17:19:39 EST
   From: Alan Bawden ALAN at MIT-MC
   Subject: AI ITS 1514
   So today I typed ^Z on AI's system console and ITS started a job,
   loaded SYS:ATSIGN HACTRN which contained a program that opened the
   TTY: and did trivial terminal IO. Wow. Multi-processing and
   everything..."

[5]
  "Date: Thu, 8 Sep 88 21:39:25 EDT
   From: "Pandora B. Berman" CENT at AI.AI.MIT.EDU
   Subject: The end of the world as we used to know it

   Once there was a KL-10 called MIT-MC which belonged to the Macsyma
   Consortium.  It provided Macsyma, the symbolic algebra system, to
   researchers all over the world, and mail gatewaying and mailing list
   support to a large fraction of the Arpanet.  Things continued in this
   fashion from 1975 to 1983.

   When the Macsyma Consortium dissolved in 1983, MC turned to providing
   cycles for MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science, and continued
   supporting much of the Arpanet's mail service.  But the machine
   itself was growing old and cranky.  In 1986, the mail services were
   moved to a smaller, more maintainable machine (a KS-10), and the name
   "MC" was moved with them.  But the KL-10 continued to run under the
   new name "MX".

   Now the end has come.  MX was down cold for several months, and has
   only been revived recently to copy some old 7-track tapes.  LCS can't
   keep MX any longer -- it needs the space for other purposes.  So the
   KL is being sent to the Home for Aged But Beloved PDP-10s; a crack
   team of hardware hackers will arrive next week to dismantle it and
   take it back with them to Sweden."