Search
  • Videos
  • Windows 10
  • 5G
  • CES
  • Best VPNs
  • Cloud
  • Security
  • more
    • AI
    • TR Premium
    • Working from Home
    • Innovation
    • Best Web Hosting
    • ZDNet Recommends
    • Tonya Hall Show
    • Executive Guides
    • ZDNet Academy
    • See All Topics
    • White Papers
    • Downloads
    • Reviews
    • Galleries
    • Videos
    • TechRepublic Forums
  • Newsletters
  • All Writers
    • Preferences
    • Community
    • Newsletters
    • Log Out
  • Menu
    • Videos
    • Windows 10
    • 5G
    • CES
    • Best VPNs
    • Cloud
    • Security
    • AI
    • TR Premium
    • Working from Home
    • Innovation
    • Best Web Hosting
    • ZDNet Recommends
    • Tonya Hall Show
    • Executive Guides
    • ZDNet Academy
    • See All Topics
    • White Papers
    • Downloads
    • Reviews
    • Galleries
    • Videos
    • TechRepublic Forums
      • Preferences
      • Community
      • Newsletters
      • Log Out
  • us
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • India
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • ZDNet around the globe:
    • ZDNet France
    • ZDNet Germany
    • ZDNet Korea
    • ZDNet Japan

Colossus Mk 2

1 of 4 NEXT PREV
  • Colossus Mk 2

    Colossus Mk 2

    Published: March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT)

    Caption by: Rupert Goodwins

  • colossusmk2.jpg

    From the 'Station Z' archives, April 1 1945...
    Innovations in computing and communication are the lifeblood of the industry, and so we are delighted to be given the chance to review Colossus Mk 2, a new device from those industrious inventors at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill.

    Colossus Mk 2, installed at the Bletchley Park datacentre: sales are expected to break double figures

    Checking in at twelve full-height bays, not including the power supply, Colossus Mk 2 isn't quite as portable as other cryptographic equipment such as the Lorentz SZ40/42 console, with which it's now (after some teething problems) largely compatible. However, head designer Tommy Flowers says this isn't an issue as the Colossus Mk 2 is designed to be used for CaaS (Cryptanalysis as a Service) with input supplied by Y station reception and output distributed by the SCU network.

    Colossus Mk2 increases the valve count from 1,500 in Mk 1 to 2,400, resulting in a five-fold performance boost

    With 2,400 valves, mostly Mullard EF36 pentodes but including 6J5 triodes, 6V6 and 807 tetrodes and GT1C thyratrons, plus a 25Kbps tape input stream, Colossus Mk 2 is the most capable programmable electronic computer on the market — a claim that's easy to verify as it's the only programmable electronic computer on the market. Not that there's much of a market: Bletchley Park remains the only customer for this product, with global sales expected to peak at around ten units.

    (According to Flowers, the Colossus marketing department has encountered some problems in creating and executing on the mind-share campaign he was anticipating. "We had hoped for parallel advertising campaigns on the wireless, the newspapers and in cinemas across EMEA", he explained, "but our marketing director vanished after he'd made the pitch to Churchill. All we've been able to discover is that he might now be involved 'at a deep level' on something called Operation Mincemeat." Station Z did contact the Cabinet Office, and was told: "That blithering idiot wanted to run stuff past Jerry. We were only too happy to help".)

    Paper tape input can reach 50Kbps, although careless operators can end up, quite literally, digitally challenged

    In tests, Colossus Mk 2 proved quite reliable and reasonably swift: we were pleased to be reading reports on Norwegian coastal defences only days after installing our unit. Flowers says that possible refinements include running two Colossi in parallel for multi-core decryption, and also says that the paper tape can be accelerated to around 50Kbps "providing you don't mind losing a couple of fingers". Operator care is required here, as high-voltage bus lines are dotted liberally around the chassis. That said, we feel that too many concessions to user-friendliness can lead to sloppy workmanship, and thoroughly encourage future designers to continue to make computer operation a sporting affair.

    We did have some problems with sticking uniselectors, clock recovery from the punched tape input system and ringing on the Q bus. This proved mostly due to fragments of fruit pudding left by Alan Turing, which came as a surprise to the Colossus designers. They had hitherto had not considered the machine to be quite Turing-compote.

    Although, as we said, we think the safety aspects of Colossus are overstated, we remain concerned about the implications for compliance with data security best practice. One reader, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (@desert_fox), told us he was considering complaining to the European privacy regulators over security infringements by Colossus. Unfortunately, as he was trying to advance on his arguments, he kept getting cut off.

    The future for Colossus technology is potentially bright, but perhaps not without some interesting problems. We'd like to see a portable version, and while we understand that interoperability with the cryptography of other major world powers is being actively developed, this may be hindered by the fact that a man with a gun is currently telling me to stop writing or it's...

    Published: March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT)

    Caption by: Rupert Goodwins

  • Colossus Mk 2

    Colossus Mk 2

    Published: March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT)

    Caption by: Rupert Goodwins

  • Colossus Mk 2

    Colossus Mk 2

    Published: March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT)

    Caption by: Rupert Goodwins

1 of 4 NEXT PREV
Rupert Goodwins

By Rupert Goodwins | March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT) | Topic: Servers

  • Colossus Mk 2
  • colossusmk2.jpg
  • Colossus Mk 2
  • Colossus Mk 2

This upgrade to the world's first programmable, digital, electronic computing device is five times faster and simpler to operate than its pioneering predecessor.

Read More Read Less

Colossus Mk 2

Published: March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT)

Caption by: Rupert Goodwins

1 of 4 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Servers Reviews Hardware Storage Data Centers
Rupert Goodwins

By Rupert Goodwins | March 31, 2011 -- 23:01 GMT (16:01 PDT) | Topic: Servers

Show Comments
LOG IN TO COMMENT
  • My Profile
  • Log Out
| Community Guidelines

Join Discussion

Add Your Comment
Add Your Comment

Related Galleries

  • 1 of 3
  • AI, blockchain, servers, smartphones and more: Research round-up

    We summarise the charts that tell the tech story of the past month.

  • Windows Server vNext Technical Preview: Screenshots

    The next version of Windows Server is at an early stage of development, but some of the new functionality for orchestrating virtualised compute, storage and networking resources ...

  • In pictures: Take a look inside Telefonica's Madrid datacenter

    The Spanish telco's largest facility is based outside the Spanish capital. ZDNet was invited along to see inside.

  • Microservers: In pictures

    Tower, rack and blade servers are familiar enough, but what do microservers look like? We examine examples from HP, SeaMicro and Dell.

  • The tech behind the Bathurst 1000

    Each year, the V8 Supercars series converges on Mount Panorama for the endurance race known as the Bathurst 1000. ZDNet took a look at the tech behind the data used by the Symantec Nissan ...

  • Inside IBM's 300mm chip fab: Photos

    IBM's 300mm chip fab in upstate New York turns out high-performance chips around the clock. ZDNet was invited to take a look inside, and learn about what the future holds for chip making. ...

  • Cool runnings: IBM's recipe for a happy datacentre, in pictures

    How do you make your datacentre run better, and save money? At IBM's research labs and facilities in upstate New York, three ideas are uppermost on people's minds: energy efficiency, ...

ZDNet
Connect with us

© 2021 ZDNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Policy | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use

  • Topics
  • Galleries
  • Videos
  • Sponsored Narratives
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About ZDNet
  • Meet The Team
  • All Authors
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Reprint Policy
  • Manage | Log Out
  • Join | Log In
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Site Assistance
  • ZDNet Academy
  • TechRepublic Forums