Solving Computer Access Needs - A Local Area Network Approach

In the realm of modern oceanographic research or ocean engineering, the ability to access state-of-the-art computer systems is as important as any other phase of the research program. The choices for accessing and interconnecting computer systems are varied and the selection of a proper solution is as important as the task of selecting the computer system itself. During the past two years, Harbor Branch Foundation, an oceanographic and ocean engineering research center located at Fort Pierce on the east coast of Florida, has developed and installed a computer facility that includes a PRIME super-minicomputer with a combination of communications systems suited to a research facility with the need for computer access in several separate laboratories. This paper will outline the installed system as well as the reasons for its success.