On Fri, Feb 20, 2026 at 9:43 PM Chris Zach via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote: > > So back in the 1990's the dream server for me was an Everex system > called the Step/MP. Cube shaped, EISA bus, could take multiple 386/33 > CPU blades and ran SCO. But all I had was memories as there was very > little info on the Net. > > Today I was going through a closet I haven't been able to access for 20 > years and in the Computerworld 1992 25'th anniversary issue I found it: > A 2 page monster ad about the Step/MP. $13k, could have six 486/33 CPUs, > EISA/ISA bus, 64mb of memory stock with support for 4mb SIMMs. So it did > exist.... > > Question is did any of them make it out there? SCO was the obvious OS, > but given that it was a SMP system I wonder if there was an NT 4.0 HAL > out there like there was for the NCR 3550/4300 series of multiprocessor > systems. Anyone have one? Seen one in the wild?
I don't have any particular knowledge of this system, but these types of early 90s MP x86 servers sold in comparatively small quantity because the entire ecosystem wasn't there yet. IBM's Server 195/295 is one such mythos I am more familiar with, and it did ship but was an odd duck. There were a variety of manufactuers using Corollary's C-BUS and C-BUSII, and others with their own chipsets like NCR and Sequent. Once Intel had MPS and APIC, and NT was more developed, and Intel had more interesting chips like the Pentium and Pentium Pro, the flood gates opened. > I am curious. Everex/STEP was always the best quality system for a > server, right alongside Compaq. Sad they went out of business. > > Chris >
