Peripheral Processors
The central processor shares access to central memory with ten peripheral processors. Each peripheral processor is an individual computer with its own 1 μs memory of 4K words, each with 12 bits. (They were somewhat similar to CDC 160A minicomputers, sharing the 12 bit word length and portions of the instruction set.) Peripheral processors are used primarily for input/output: the transfer of information between central memory and peripheral devices such as disks and magnetic tape units. They relieve the central processor of all input/output tasks, so that it can perform calculations while the peripheral processors are engaged in input/output functions. This feature promotes rapid overall processing of user programs. Each peripheral processor can add, subtract, and perform logical operations. Special instructions performed data transfer between processor memory and peripheral devices at up to 1 μs per word. The peripheral processors were collectively implemented as a Barrel processor. Each executes routines independently of the others. (For comparison, on the IBM 360 series of machines, these processors were called channels.) They are a loose predecessor of bus mastering or Direct memory access.
Nearly all of the operating system ran on the PP's; thus leaving the full power of the Central Processor available for user programs.
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