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DeskStation Technology was a manufacturer of
RISC In electronics and computer science, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) is a computer architecture designed to simplify the individual instructions given to the computer to accomplish tasks. Compared to the instructions given to a comp ...
-based computer
workstation A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or computational science, scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating syste ...
s intended to run
Windows NT Windows NT is a Proprietary software, proprietary Graphical user interface, graphical operating system produced by Microsoft as part of its Windows product line, the first version of which, Windows NT 3.1, was released on July 27, 1993. Original ...
. DeskStation was based in Lenexa,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
.


AMD Am29000-based systems

DeskStation announced a range of
motherboard A motherboard, also called a mainboard, a system board, a logic board, and informally a mobo (see #Nomenclature, "Nomenclature" section), is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expandable systems. It ho ...
s for systems based on the
AMD Am29000 The AMD Am29000, commonly shortened to 29k, is a family of 32-bit RISC microprocessors and microcontrollers developed and fabricated by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Based on the seminal Berkeley RISC, the 29k added a number of significant impr ...
processor in 1991. These ranged from the Model 162 with a 16 MHz processor achieving a claimed 9 MIPS and costing $2,495 to the Model 252 with a 25 MHz processor achieving 14 MIPS and costing $3,495.


MIPS-based systems

In late 1991, DeskStation announced a workstation based on the MIPS R3000A CPU, the IceStation 3000, that was to be the basis of a product compliant with the
Advanced Computing Environment The Advanced Computing Environment (ACE) was defined by an industry consortium in the early 1990s to be the next generation commodity computing platform, the successor to personal computers based on Intel's 32-bit instruction set architecture. T ...
(ACE) specification, with this workstation already existing in prototype form and with early production models to be made available for beta-testing within a matter of weeks. However, at that time, none of the operating systems featured in the ACE specification were available: Windows NT being expected in early 1992 and the ACE-targeted
SCO Unix Xinuos OpenServer, previously SCO UNIX and SCO Open Desktop (SCO ODT), is a closed source computer operating system developed by Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), later acquired by SCO Group, and now owned by Xinuos. Early versions of OpenServer were ...
product expected in late 1992. Consequently, DeskStation hoped to license Ultrix from Digital as an interim measure, aiming to provide
binary compatibility Binary-code compatibility (binary compatible or object-code compatible) is a property of a computer system, meaning that it can run the same executable code, typically machine code for a general-purpose computer central processing unit (CPU), ...
with the eventual SCO product. The workstation featured a system architecture incorporating ISA and
TURBOchannel TURBOchannel is an open computer bus developed by DEC by during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although it is open for any vendor to implement in their own systems, it was mostly used in Digital's own systems such as the MIPS-based DECstation ...
buses, along with a "private peripheral bus" offering 32-bit data transfers. A range of ports were provided - serial, parallel, audio and mouse ports - along with floppy and hard drive controllers.
SCSI Small Computer System Interface (SCSI, ) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices, best known for its use with storage devices such as hard disk drives. SCSI was introduced ...
ports and drives, a
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...
drive, modem ports, internally fitted modems, and an
Ethernet port Ethernet ( ) is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...
were to be offered as options. 8 MB of RAM was specified, upgradeable to 64 MB. Two configurations were to be offered: a lower-priced configuration and a standard configuration, respectively offering 25 MHz and 33 MHz R3000A CPUs, hard drives of 150 MB and 210 MB, being delivered with 14-inch and 17-inch colour monitors, and being priced at $4,995 and $7,995. Although the workstation's CPU could not be upgraded, a future product with an upgradeable CPU module and using the EISA bus was planned. Subsequently, in 1993 and with Windows NT in
beta testing Software testing is the act of checking whether software satisfies expectations. Software testing can provide objective, independent information about the quality of software and the risk of its failure to a user or sponsor. Software test ...
, DeskStation introduced a range of workstation models in the Evolution RISC PC line, such as the rPC/40 and rPC/44, based on the R4000 and R4400 CPUs respectively. Configured with 16 MB of RAM, 512 KB of secondary
cache memory In computing, a cache ( ) is a hardware or software component that stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster; the data stored in a cache might be the result of an earlier computation or a copy of data stored elsew ...
, floppy drive, and 200 MB hard drive, the systems were fitted with a video adapter from
S3 Graphics S3 Graphics, Ltd. was an American computer graphics company. The company sold the S3 Trio, Trio, S3 ViRGE, ViRGE, S3 Savage, Savage, and S3 Chrome, Chrome series of graphics processors. Struggling against competition from 3dfx Interactive, ATI T ...
and were bundled with 14-inch colour monitors. The rPC/40 was priced at $3,995 and the rPC/44 at $4,995, aiming to compete with similarly priced
Intel 80486 The Intel 486, officially named i486 and also known as 80486, is a microprocessor introduced in 1989. It is a higher-performance follow-up to the i386, Intel 386. It represents the fourth generation of binary compatible CPUs following the Inte ...
-based machines running Windows NT. The most highly-specified model upon review in 1993, the rPC 444e/100, came with 64 MB of RAM, a 21-inch monitor, 500 MB SCSI hard drive and CD-ROM drive, costing $9,995. These models conformed to the ARC computer specification (and implemented the associated
firmware In computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, h ...
), but ARC was used by vendors like DeskStation "only as a starting point", with the Evolution models incorporating more traditional PC technologies such as the EISA peripheral bus, on which peripherals and the main system RAM would reside. The CPUs employed by the range were the 50 MHz R4000PC and R4400PC variants, clocked internally at 100 MHz, but only offering on-chip primary cache memory and not built-in support for secondary cache memory. Consequently, DeskStation provided a custom chipset to support the secondary cache and the necessary interfacing to the EISA bus chipset. In late 1993, DeskStation announced a new chipset called LogiCore and a new range of Windows NT workstations with the Tyne branding, integrating MIPS-based CPUs with ISA and
VESA VESA (), formally known as Video Electronics Standards Association, is an American standards organization, technical standards organization for computer display standards. The organization was incorporated in California in July 1989To retrieve ...
technologies. The entry-level Tyne V4600 employed the R4600 CPU clocked at 100 MHz and was fitted with 16 MB of RAM, expandable to 256 MB, a 240 MB hard drive, offering VGA graphics and costing $2,995. It was complemented by two higher-end models, the V4433 and V4450 offering 133 MHz and 150 MHz R4400 CPUs respectively. These models were fitted with 32 MB of RAM, incorporated
SCSI-2 Parallel SCSI (formally, SCSI Parallel Interface, or SPI) is the earliest of the interface implementations in the SCSI family. SPI is a parallel bus; there is one set of electrical connections stretching from one end of the SCSI bus to the o ...
peripherals including a 500 MB hard drive and a CD-ROM drive, supported
Super VGA Super VGA (SVGA) or Extended VGA is a broad term that covers a wide range of computer display standards that extended IBM's VGA specification. When used as shorthand for a resolution, as VGA and XGA often are, SVGA refers to a resolution of 800& ...
graphics, and were bundled with a 17-inch monitor. Pricing was accordingly higher at $9,495 and $10,495 for the respective systems which were to become available in the first quarter of 1994. DeskStation was commissioned by
NewTek NewTek, Inc., is a San Antonio, Texasbased hardware and software company that produced live and post-production video tools and visual imaging software for personal computers. The company was founded in 1985 in Topeka, Kansas, United States, by ...
to produce a hardware rendering accelerator for its
Video Toaster The NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of NTSC standard-definition video. The plug-in expansion card initially worked with the Amiga 2000 computer and provides a number of BNC connect ...
and
LightWave 3D LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics program developed by LightWave Digital. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualization ...
products, but this partnership was dissolved with only "a handful" of units delivered to industry customers. This accelerator, known as the Video Toaster Screamer, was specified with four R4400 CPUs and had been announced in late 1993, but following the product's cancellation, DeskStation followed up in 1994 with a cut-down version of the product, known as the Raptor, featuring two R4400 CPUs each with 64 MB of RAM and running "a limited version of Windows NT", this having a total cost of $13,900. An updated version, the Raptor Plus, featuring faster 133 MHz R4600 CPUs each with 128 MB of RAM, cost $16,900. These solutions formed the basis of a complete workstation, the Raptor II, featuring a single 133 MHz R4600 CPU, 32 MB of RAM, 500 MB SCSI hard drive, CD-ROM drive, Ethernet port,
24-bit colour Color depth, also known as bit depth, is either the number of bits used to indicate the color of a single pixel, or the number of bits used for each color component of a single pixel. When referring to a pixel, the concept can be defined as bits ...
graphics adapter and 17-inch colour monitor, selling for $10,000. The Raptor II supported the TRIANGL
OpenGL OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a Language-independent specification, cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D computer graphics, 3D vector graphics. The API is typic ...
accelerator card made by Oki for use with Windows NT.


Alpha-based systems

Later, when Windows NT was ported to the
Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...
architecture, DeskStation created a flexible computer platform known as Uniflex that allowed CPUs and other elements of the system to be swapped either during production or by the end-user, thus supporting MIPS and Alpha CPUs, and thereby providing the possibility of upgrading a MIPS-based system to use an Alpha CPU. The platform employed the
PCI PCI may refer to: Business and economics * Payment card industry, businesses associated with debit, credit, and other payment cards ** Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a set of security requirements for credit card processors * Prov ...
bus. The machines offering these capabilities were introduced as part of the Raptor series and included the Raptor 3, along with various Raptor Reflex models. DeskStation introduced its Ruffian RPX line of workstations and servers in 1997, based around the Digital Semiconductor 21174 core logic chip, permitting the initially supported 600 MHz
Alpha 21164 The Alpha 21164, also known by its code name, EV5, is a microprocessor developed and fabricated by Digital Equipment Corporation that implemented the Alpha instruction set architecture (ISA). It was introduced in January 1995, succeeding the Al ...
CPU to be replaced with faster parts from Digital,
Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
or
Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
, with the motherboard offering six PCI slots, Ultra-Wide SCSI, a total memory capacity of up to 768 MB of RAM and up to 2 MB of "fast synchronous cache". Systems were fitted with a Matrox Millennium graphics card as standard, upgradeable to a
S3 Graphics S3 Graphics, Ltd. was an American computer graphics company. The company sold the S3 Trio, Trio, S3 ViRGE, ViRGE, S3 Savage, Savage, and S3 Chrome, Chrome series of graphics processors. Struggling against competition from 3dfx Interactive, ATI T ...
or OpenGL-capable card, and were priced from $5,995. DeskStation also initiated an OEM strategy, selling its RPX 164-2 motherboard to such systems manufacturers for $1,350 and aimed to license the technology to other systems developers. In 1998, DeskStation licensed its motherboard designs and chipsets to Samsung, a DEC (
Digital Equipment Corporation Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC ), using the trademark Digital, was a major American company in the computer industry from the 1960s to the 1990s. The company was co-founded by Ken Olsen and Harlan Anderson in 1957. Olsen was president until ...
) Alpha licensee, following on from a previous initiative "promoting and expanding the market for Windows NT systems based on Alpha processors", with DeskStation having been developing systems based on Samsung's Alpha 21164 processor module.


Fate

DeskStation encountered difficult trading conditions in the late 1990s. Despite expansion and extension of their real estate lease in 1996, the company experienced a period of "financial turmoil" in 1997 due to decreasing systems prices, partially driven by Digital reducing its own Alpha system motherboard prices, leading to the company cancelling a planned
initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
. Further difficulties in 1998 led DeskStation to scale back manufacturing operations and to focus on "building customised computer products". In 2000, DeskStation was sold to Singapore-based Tri-M Technologies, with founder Don Peterson having moved on to found Framecast Communications, a company offering advertising-funded e-mail, scheduling, chat and search services for integration with university Web sites.


See also

*
Acer PICA The M6100 PICA is a system logic chipset designed by Acer Laboratories introduced in 1993. ''PICA'' stands for ''Performance-enhanced Input-output and CPU Architecture''. It was based on the Jazz architecture developed by Microsoft and supported th ...
*
MIPS Computer Systems MIPS Tech LLC, formerly MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. and MIPS Technologies, Inc., is an American fabless semiconductor design company that is most widely known for developing the MIPS architecture and a series of RISC CPU chips based on it. MIP ...
*
MIPS Magnum The MIPS Magnum was a line of computer workstations designed by MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. and based on the MIPS series of RISC microprocessors. The first Magnum was released in March, 1990, and production of various models continued until 19 ...
* ShaBLAMM! NiTro-VLB


References


Further reading

* * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deskstation Technology American companies established in 1989 American companies disestablished in 2000 Computer companies established in 1989 Computer companies disestablished in 2000 Defunct computer companies of the United States Defunct manufacturing companies based in Kansas Defunct computer hardware companies Defunct computer systems companies