Mainframe Operating Systems of 1970s
In this post, we will see some Mainframe operating systems which were released in the 1970s and can be run on an emulator.
1970
TOPS-10
In the year 1970, an operating system called TOPS-10 (pictured above) was released for the DEC PDP-10 mainframe computer. You can follow the instructions here to install it. You can download manuals from bitsavers.
1972
OS/VS1
OS/VS1 was an operating system for IBM System/370 mainframes. You can run it in an emulator using the instructions from this GitHub repository. The manuals are available from this website.
VM/370
Another operating system for IBM System/370 and related mainframes in VM/370. You can run it on Hercules emulator by following these instructions. Manuals are available from bitsavers.
1974
MVS
MVS (Multiple Virtual Storage) was yet another operating system for IBM System/370 and related mainframes. The instruction on how to install it are available from this page. Manuals are available from bitsavers.
1975
NOS
NOS (Network Operating System) was an operating system which ran on the CDC 6000 series of mainframe computers and their successors. You can install it in an emulator from these instructions. Manuals are available from bitsavers.
1976
TOPS-20
TOPS-20 was an operating system for PDP-10 and other DEC's 36-bit mainframe computers. Instructions to install it on SIMH are available from here. Manuals are available from bitsavers.
That's it. Of course there are many more Operating Systems which I have not covered, but these are all of them which I was able to find and run in emulators. If you know of more, please let me know in the comment section.
Stay tuned!
Tell us about what you liked/disliked about this page on Discord. Are you facing any problem in following any of the tutorials? We will help you. We love to chat with people interested in old software:
