1997 after the mainframe computer.

There are two sets of photographs here, the first dates from 22nd July 1997 and
the other taken on the 23rd September 1997 after a new piece of furniture was installed
to house the operator's consoles. (TB)

22nd July 1997

To begin with computers were placed on or under tables, each having its own monitor and keyboard.
An exception was 7 HP unix machines in a brown rack, a portent of what was to become.

The arrangements for dealing with the cables were various.

This is the operator's consoles area, 4 screens in front and 3 beyond.
The person on the phone is Dave Alderson, a computer operator. (TB)

This is the 3 beyond.

The far end of the machine room was three rows of tables and benches housing a variety of servers.

this is the new furniture to replace the tables. 4 on top, 3 below, 7 in the space of 4 before.

A more distant view.

T

23rd September 1997

This is the new operator's consoles furniture. An "L" shaped double decker.

The black EXIT sign glowed in the dark, it was powered by a (hopefully) low level
radioactive source - said to have a half life 0f several years. It has gone now. (TB)

The Federation machines, that now number 12, are on the double deck furniture.

All the monitors and keyboards are on the top deck,
no more sitting down.
An indication that more maintenance was being done remotely.

But Terry Betteridge says that he and Ian Nicholson
who maintained these machines used to just stand up to do so (TB).

The cables are in two horizontal cable troughs.
The network and power cabling rising up the legs.
Much neater and more compact than the tables.

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