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AIX

IBM’s UNIX-based operating system, unified disparate hardware platforms under a single software standard defined by System V and 4.3 BSD, with initial pricing at $2295 for AIX 1.1.

The Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) was IBM’s entry into the standardized UNIX marketplace, designed not as a single monolithic product but as a family of implementations spanning three distinct hardware architectures: 386-based Personal System/2s, the RT workstation, and the System/370 mainframe line3. This cross-platform ambition was codified in the AIX Family Definition, a formal specification encompassing the Base System, User Interface, Programming Interface, Communications Support, Distributed Processing, and Applications, intended to ensure binary and source compatibility across machines that otherwise shared little in common37. The Base System itself provided operating system calls, commands, and utilities aligned with UNIX System V Release 2 and 4.3 BSD, while incorporating IBM-specific enhancements and 8-bit ASCII National Language Support7.

AIX 1.1 shipped after February 17, 1987, and carried a unit price of $229514. Customers who purchased it during a narrow promotional window, from April 15 to July 31, 1987, received a certificate allowing them to apply the full purchase value toward the New Model Series Upgrade Kit14. The product line evolved through versions including AIX 2.2, documented in September 198825, and AIX 4.1, whose release history includes ten distinct iterations culminating in AIX 4.1.5r26. By AIX 4.3, the system supported 64-bit hardware with LP64 data model (32-bit integers, 64-bit longs and pointers), allowed concurrent execution of 32- and 64-bit applications, scaled to 32,786 threads or processes, and addressed up to 16GB of real memory9. System administration became accessible via any Java 1.1- and AWT 1.1-enabled browser, and a Configuration Assistant automatically launched TaskGuide post-installation9.

The implementation language for the RT-DDN package was C10, with programming interfaces for C and VS FORTRAN designed to comply with IBM’s Systems Application Architecture (SAA) definition, encouraging third-party developers to port or create applications within the AIX Family framework37. Communications capabilities for the RT-DDN package included TCP/IP, FTP, TELNET, and SMTP, layered atop Frontier Technologies Corporation’s DDN driver implementation for the RT platform10. The AIX Family Definition explicitly included Distributed Services and the Network File System (NFS), reinforcing its orientation toward networked, heterogeneous computing environments7.

Jim DeRoest, a key figure in IBM’s UNIX efforts, contributed to the lineage from IX/370 through AIX/ESA and AIX V3, later authoring a widely used administration guide for AIX on RS/6000 systems1. IBM positioned AIX within a broader industry trajectory: in 1989, the company projected that UNIX-equipped systems would more than double in sales between 1987 and 1992, and actively participated in POSIX standardization to strengthen interoperability37. The PS/2 variant, AIX PS/2, was offered with components including X-Windows, DOS Merge, usability services, text formatting, and development tools for C, Pascal, and VS FORTRAN13. Despite this breadth, the surviving documentation is silent on specific hardware requirements such as RAM, storage, or clock speeds, and does not confirm whether AIX for RS/6000 was formally part of the AIX Family Definition.

Specifications

Full Name Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) Operating System12
Manufacturer IBM312
Base System UNIX System V Release 2 and 4.3 BSD7
Implementation Language C10
Programming Languages C, VS FORTRAN3
Hardware Architectures 386-based PS/2, RT, System/3703
AIX 4.3 Scalability 32,786 threads/processes9
AIX 4.3 Memory Support Up to 16GB real memory on 64-bit hardware9
AIX 4.3 Data Model LP64 (32-bit int, 64-bit long and pointer)9
AIX 1.1 Price $229514

References

  1. SunExpert-v09n09-1998-09 (1998)
  2. SC23-2081-1 AIX 2.2 Operating System Commands Reference Volume 2 Sep88
  3. AIX Brochure 1989 (1989)
  4. SC23-2011-1 AIX 2.2 Commands Reference Volume 2 198809 (2011)
  5. FXRNA IS2 AIX 4.1 Release Notes Jul97
  6. GC23-2002-0 AIX Family Definition Overview Jul88 (2002)
  7. GC24-3381-0 AIX Communications Handbook Jun89
  8. GG24-3376-05 TCP-IP Tutorial and Technical Overview 199810 (1998)
  9. NIC50002 February1989 (1989)
  10. IBM Personal System 2 and IBM Personal Computer Publication Reference Jan89
  11. G320-9781-00 PS2 and Printers Sales Advisor 198905 (1989)
  12. PS2 and IBM PC Product Reference Version 4.0 Apr87