Grasp (spooler)

GRASP was a systems software package that provided spooling facilities for the IBM/370 running DOS/VS^[1] or DOS/VSE environment, and IBM/360 running DOS or retrofitted with modified DOS.

The "GRASP" button, installed on an IBM 370/E that provided an interrupt into the F0 partition.

The product

GRASP was a mainframe operating system enhancement available for DOS, DOS/VS, DOS/VSE, and some third party DOS-based operating systems. Subsequent versions became known as GRASP/VS and GRASP/VSE.

It spooled (queued) input and output data, freeing programs from dependence on the speed of peripherals, such as printers and punched card equipment.

GRASP was the first such spooler for IBM mainframes,^[2] although it later had competition from IBM's own POWER as well as DataCorp's Spooler.

Platforms

Software

The product ran under several DOS-related platforms:

• DOS/VS
• DOS/VSE
• DOS
• DOS clones, 3rd party or modified

Hardware

Hardware platforms included:

• IBM/360 which ran Power
• IBM/370 which ran Power/VS

and clones, which included:

• Amdahl
• Fujitsu
• Hitachi
• Magnuson
• RCA

F0

GRASP required a dedicated partition. With DOS having only three partitions and DOS/VS seven, losing a partition restricted what the mainframe could run. However, the concept of the F0 partition meant this could run without the host computer giving up a partition. For DOS/VS and DOS/VSE versions, SDI re-engineered a version of Fx developed for DOCS and Spooler.

History

GRASP was originally developed in Australia by Boyd Munro, while working for IBM (who turned it down).^[2] Assisted by Peter Hargrave, Munro formed Software Design, Inc (known as SDI) and began selling first in Australia, then Britain, and shortly thereafter the United States, through SDI, Inc, a California corporation. The marketing manager and chief salesman was Gerry Novotny.