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Zeus

OSM Computer Corporation, based in Santa Clara California, produced several multi-user CP/M computers called Zeus.

The first Zeus system was released in 1981. It looks like a mini-computer with a fairly big case that can house mutimple user boards. Each user has a dedicated Z80A-base-single board that fits into the system mainframe.

The modular, stackable system can expand up to 64 users. To add a user, you need a dumb terminal and a user "microcomputer" module added into the mainframe.

The Zeus computer use modular hard disk storage giving a capacity from 34 Mb to 600 Mb. It also features tape backup and shared printers with spooling and queuing.

One singularity of the Zeus is that it is equiped with a battery/recharger system that provides up to 20 minutes of operating power in case of power failures, lightning ot voltage variations.

Zeus uses MUSE as its operating system, a CP/M compatible OS for multi-user computers.

One difference between OSM's approach and that of other manufacturers is that OSM does not require the individual CPU/memory cards to share the same S100 bus. The OSM design approximates that of a local network, in that the only real connection between the users is a data bus carrying information to and from the master CPU, which handles the disk chores.

OSM also differs from some of the other multi-user systems in that each user's CPU/memory combination also includes terminal and printer I/O. Thus, except for the disk drive, each user has a complete computer system responding to his commands, and the only contention among users is the disk drive itself. OSM resolves this problem by providing 32Kb of memory for the master processor, which acts as a buffer between user requests and the disk drive.