1980 

Package - AS/6100 - UNT purchased an AS/5000

National Advanced System AS/5000 4 megabyte CPU and 3.5 billion byte disk storage subsystem purchased; Academic disk storage was set to 1.1 billion bytes, 4.7 times that available on the IBM 360/50 which was retired.

Contents of first Benchmarks Newsletter

First issue of Benchmarks is published with Claudia Putnam (now Claudia Lynch) as editor.  Sandy Franklin (now Sandy Burke) typed it and Lynne Adkins (now Lynne Rutherford) created the logo.

VM/370 installed – memory requirements no longer used to determine job class

SAS installed for the first time

MUSIC acquired as the academic interactive operating system for the AS/5000. 

The College of Business and Computer Science “Computer Centers” were formed.

1981 – Tom Madron, Ph.D, hired as head of Academic Computing

Computing Center RJE installed in the ISB (now Sycamore Hall)

TI-745 Silent 700 terminals available for check-out from the Computing Center to faculty members.

TI-745 Silent 700 Terminal

Steve Minnis becomes head of Technical Support after Jerry Waldon leaves

1982 – Construction of the cable television-based local area network begins

Automated tape library management system (TMS) acquired

1983 – Construction completed on the computer rooms on the 5th floor of the General Academic Building (GAB)

Steve Glick in GAB 550 - 1986

Three VAX 11/780s purchased and installed in the 5th floor GAB rooms

A VAX 6310 - UNT purchased three VAX II/780s

National Advanced Systems AS/8040 (for instruction and research) and AS/6650 (for administrative computing) purchased; AS/5000 is retired

SIMS (Student Information Management System) development begins

Sytek local area network becomes operational

SPSS X is released

Computing Center reorganization:  Coy Hoggard is Manager of Information Systems; Tom Madron is Manager of Computer Services.  The Manager of Academic Services (vacant), Manager of Technical Support (Steve Minnis) and Computer Operations Manager (Ray Sanders) report to Tom Madron.

HP2680A laser printer capable of printing 45 pages per minute installed

HP2680A Laser Printer

“Protocol Converted” ports added to the AS/8040.  Eight metro lines installed.

Sixty-four terminals installed on the 5th floor of the GAB and in the Business Administration Bldg

Twenty-four terminals replace IBM 029 keypunch machines in the ISB

1984 – Four megabytes of memory added to the AS/8040 bringing the total capacity to twelve megabytes

Dr. Bob Brookshire becomes Manager of Academic Computing

The first Help Desk – located in ISB 110 – is established.

Dave Molta hired as a part-time employee to administer the HP-2000 and do statistical consulting

Dave Molta today

1985 – NTSU becomes a node on the Tager microwave network

Tager Network Operator

HRMIS, Human Resources Management Information, development begins

City power outages result in battery fire in the GAB

AS/8040 upgraded to sixteen megabytes of memory , making it an AS/8043

NTSU becomes a BITNET site

Richard Harris promoted to associate vice president for computing

1986 – VAX 11/780s upgraded to 785s and configured into a cluster.

A Graphics Lab opens in the basement of the ISB

AS/8043 upgraded to a dual processor NAS/8083 increasing academic CPU power 80 percent and administrative CPU power 211 percent

Key punch machines replaced with microcomputers in the Data Entry section of the Computing Center

IBM 029 keypunch machine

HP-2000 moved to the Physics Department

1986 – Tom Madron and Bob Brookshire leave the Computing Center

Dave Molta becomes acting head of Academic Computing Services

Coy Hoggard (Administrative Information Systems) and Steve Minnis (Computing Services) report to Richard Harris

HP-2680A laser printer installed in the Business Administration Bldg

NTSU joins TEXNET

Richard Harris and Philip Baczewski circa 1987

1988 – Dave Molta named head of Academic Computing Services

Billy Barron hired as VAX System Manager

UNT BBS implemented on the VAX cluster

Project Eagle – the NTSU and GTE voice response project – begins

North Texas State University becomes the University of North Texas (UNT)

Eight 2400/1200/300 BPS modems installed on the metro lines

UNT becomes an ARPANET node

Arpanet circa 1980

1989 – Title changes:  Steve Minnis becomes Director of Computing Technical Services; Coy Hoggard becomes Director of Administrative Computing; Dave Molta becomes Director of Academic Computing

Official count of Computing Center Employees is 76.75 full time equivalent (FTE)

Total operating budget for the Computing Center is $3, 776,270

Microcomputer Support Group – reporting to the Director of Academic Computing – formed from a consolidation of academic and administrative support groups

HP ScanJet installed in the ISB Graphics Lab

Six IB AT-compatible PCs and six Macintosh SEs linked to a file server on a Novell Local Area Network installed in ISB110.

A Macintosh SE computer

Desktop laser printing available from ISB 110 to an Apple Laserwriter II and an HP LaserJet II.

Apple Laserwriter II

The last keypunch machine available for public use is removed from the area near the ISB RJE.

ANUNEWS and Netware VMS installed on the VAX cluster

VAX cluster connected to USENET

Sixteen 2400 baud modems installed on local dial-up lines

A 24 baud modem

Eppy the Eagle at UNT - 1988

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