IBM Hardware Series: mainframe and mid-range systems, 1963-2018

In the table below, a w at the top a vertical line indicates the year the system was withdrwan from marketing. That’s IBM’s way of indicating they would no longer sell new systems in that line, but would continue to support them for a few years afterwards.

  2018                           │              ║                            │
                               IBM Z            ║                            │
                                 │              ║                            │
  2015                         (z13)            ║                            │
                                 │              ║                            │
                                 │              ║                            │
                                 │              ║                            │
                                 │              ║                            │
  2010                         (zEnterprise)    ║                            │
                                 │              ║                            │
                             ? (z10)            ║                       ┌IBM Power┐
                             │   │              ║                       │ Systems │
                             │   │              ║                       │         │
  2005                       │ (z9)             ║                       │         │
                             │   │              ║                       │         │
                             │   │              ║                       │         │
                             │   │              ║                       │         │
                             │   │              ║                       │"eServer"│
  2000                       │ z/Architecture   ║              w     iSeries  pSeries
                             │                  ║              │        │         │
                             │                  ║              │        │         │
                             │                  ║              │        │         │
                             │                  ║              │        │         │
  1995                       │                  ║              │        │         │
                             │                  ║              │        │      RS/6000
                             │                  ║              │        │         │
                     w       │                  ║              │        │         │
                     │       │                  ║              │        │         │
  1990       w       │   S/390(ES/9000)         ║           ?  │        │         │
             │       │       │                  ║           │  │        │         │
             │       │       │                  ║           ├──│─────AS/400       │
             │       │   w   │                  ║           │  ├────────┘         │
             │       │   │   │                  ║           │  │               IBM RT
  1985       │  w    │   ├─3090                 ║  w        │  │
             │  │    │   │                      ║  │  w     │  │
             │  │    │   │                      ║  │  │  w──│─S/36 
             │  │    │   │                      ║  │  │  │  │
             │  │    │   │                      ║  │  │  │  │
  1980       ├──│────│─308x                     ║  │  │  │  │
             ├──│──43xx                         ║  │  │  │  │
         w   │  │                               ║  │  │  │ S/38
         │   ├─303x                             ║  │  ├─S/34
         │   │                                  ║  │  │
  1975   │   │                                  ║  ├─S/32
         │   │                                  ║  │
         │   │                                  ║  │
         │   │                                  ║  │
         │   │                                  ║  │
  1970   ├─S/370                                ║  │
         │                                      ║ S/3
         │                                      ║
         │                                      ║
         │                                      ║
  1965   │                                      ║
  1964 S/360                                    ║

I worked for a large company from 1983 to 2001, and they initially had a 4341 mainframe, which was at one point upgraded to a 4381. By 2000 they had replaced the entire mainframe with a surplus(!) HP/9000 that was just a little larger than a standard tower conputer.

As far as the S/390 mainframe goes, to date the best I have been able to find about when it was no longer available for purchase is this annoucement from 2008: WITHDRAWN: IBM Operational Support Services for S/390 Service Update Facility

As far as the System/36 goes, I haven’t been able to find any “Withdrawn from Marketing” announcements for it on the IBM archives site. I found an extensive list of IBM model numbers, and in there it indicates the S/38 came in two models: 5381 and 5382. In June 1986, IBM announced 5381 Models 100 and 200, and 5382 Models 300, 400, 600, and 700, but I haven’t found any Withdrawn from Marketing annoucements for these systems. As can be seen from the chart above, the AS/400, the successor to the System/36 and System/36, appeared in 1988.

As for the AS/400, it came in an astonishing variety of models. This announcement lists 35 models:

This RPQ is used to order a Exx/Fxx All Models MULIC tape that provides all the MULIC required for the E04, E06, E10, E20, E25, E35, E45, E50, E60, D70, E80, E90, E95, F04, F06, F10, F20, F25, F35, F45, F50, F60, F70, F80, F90, F95, F97, P01, P02, 100, 135, and 140 models all on one tape. MULIC is not required on the A02, E02, and F02 models.