The structure of SYSTEM/360, Part III: Processing unit design considerations

The design objectives laid down for SYSTEM/360 included requirements for large memory capacities, simple program relocation, flexible storage protection, and general supervisory facilities. Also required were a variety of data formats, an extensive set of processing operations, and machine-language compatibility among models of widely varying performance. This paper comments upon the addressing, sequencing, monitor control, and central processing solutions that were adopted to reconcile these requirements and to meet the needs of diverse computer applications.