Stuff that was expensive in the past, it's free now

[rrrr]

That was probably McAuto(McDonnell Douglas automaton) I spent my first years with IBM there. Was the biggest data center in Ca at the time.

I think you're correct. Was it located at the Long Beach plant or near there? I'm trying to remember details about the facility, but I was traveling all over the US and seeing multiple data center sites every week. My company performed engineering, design, and build services for large data centers.

It's crazy to look up the processing power and memory of mainframes like the IBM 3090-600J or the storage capacity of 3390 DASD and compare that to a cheap Chromebook. Then there were the cooling and power requirements for the big 3090s. Each side needed a 30 ton chiller providing 53° CHW and two 75 kVA 3089 motorgenerators producing 208 volt 3 phase 400 Hz power.

 

[mjc]

I think you're correct. Was it located at the Long Beach plant or near there? I'm trying to remember details about the facility, but I was traveling all over the US and seeing multiple data center sites every week. My company performed engineering, design, and build services for large data centers.

It's crazy to look up the processing power and memory of mainframes like the IBM 3090-600J or the storage capacity of 3390 DASD and compare that to a cheap Chromebook. Then there were the cooling and power requirements for the big 3090s. Each side needed a 30 ton chiller providing 53° CHW and two 75 kVA 3089 motorgenerators producing 208 volt 3 phase 400 Hz power.

Yes it was inside bldg 1 of the plant next to the Long Beach airport. I was one of the guys that installed and maintained all that equipment. McDonnell Douglas was as cutting edge as any IT company out there back then. We everything first that IBM made.

 

[rrrr]

Yes it was inside bldg 1 of the plant next to the Long Beach airport. I was one of the guys that installed and maintained all that equipment. McDonnell Douglas was as cutting edge as any IT company out there back then. We everything first that IBM made.

I recall seeing seeing several USAF C-17 Globemaster III transports on the ramp during that visit, which was around 1991. They were the first I had seen. McDonnell Douglas was still six years away from being acquired by Boeing.

This was during winter, and my flight back to Texas was scheduled to depart after sunset. The big Fly DC Jets neon sign on one of the plant buildings was still in operation, and it was very cool to see that piece of history lighting up the ramp.

 

[lbhsbz]

I recall seeing seeing several USAF C-17 Globemaster III transports on the ramp during that visit, which was around 1991. They were the first I had seen. McDonnell Douglas was still six years away from being acquired by Boeing.

This was during winter, and my flight back to Texas was scheduled to depart after sunset. The big Fly DC Jets neon sign on one of the plant buildings was still in operation, and it was very cool to see that piece of history lighting up the ramp.

That sign is still there, and it still works, even though Mercedes Benz has taken over the property.

 

[rrrr]

That sign is still there, and it still works, even though Mercedes Benz has taken over the property.

Thanks for the update. Stuff like that is a nice link to history.

 

[lbhsbz]

Thanks for the update. Stuff like that is a nice link to history.

I read somewhere that part of the deal with Mercedes moving in was that they had to repair and maintain that sign...not sure how much truth was to that, but it's what they seem to be doing.

 

[mjc]

I recall seeing seeing several USAF C-17 Globemaster III transports on the ramp during that visit, which was around 1991. They were the first I had seen. McDonnell Douglas was still six years away from being acquired by Boeing.

This was during winter, and my flight back to Texas was scheduled to depart after sunset. The big Fly DC Jets neon sign on one of the plant buildings was still in operation, and it was very cool to see that piece of history lighting up the ramp.

Our building was a building inside a large hanger building. Right out side our door was a plywood c17 used for mockup and test fitting. Saw all kinds of different tanks and stuff show up and be rolled inside it.
I used to go to Rockwell and the shuttle mockup was outside there computer room.