Cray-2 Range page
The Cray-2 series of computers were manufactured from 1985 till 1990.
At the time, the Cray-2 had the largest static memory of any computer in the world. This made it well suited to scientific compute loads as well has very responsive to large interactive workloads. The Cray-2 range also introduced the Unix operating system to Cray customers. The design of this machine used total immersion cooling that dissipated the immense heat generated by the tightly packed circuits. About 30 of these machines were delivered to customer locations all over the world.
Cooling diagram
Module map
Looking at the front of the machine the modules in 14 stacks each have a specific purpose. There may be gaps in the edge stacks depending on machine options and configuration.
Description of diagnostic lights visible in top of machine here.
Cray-2 CPU logical diagram
Read more here about The Cray-2 diagnostic lights.
CRAY 2 Supercomputer Worlds Most Powerful Computer 1986 NASA Ames Research Center.mp4
TV Program from 1987 The Computer Chronicles – Super Computers Episode Has information about NASA Ames Cray-2 and Los Alamos C1 & XMP
Irinikus explaining why he loves the Cray-2 so much.
A couple of articles about SN2008_prime Cray 2-sn2008 also this research paper about the Cray-2 Kings cross mcnulty_rielly_report investigation.
Cray-2 compared in detail with NEC SX-2 see cer-000075055_CompareCray2_SX2
Check out the stories involving Cray-2 on the Cray Channels section of this site, Search for product=Cray-2
Cray-2 SN2008 at Harwell Lab UK described in Practical Computing:
Sales brochures:
Technical Documents:
NetworkCS Powers Down (last) CRAY-2
A press release lifted from : http://www.networkcs.com/ncsi/news/cray2.html
On Thursday, February 11 1999, Network Computing Services, Inc. (NetworkCS) powered off its CRAY-2 system for the last time.
This particular system is actually NetworkCS' third CRAY-2. The first such system, a single-processor, 16 MWord
prototype machine (Serial Number:Q2) was installed in 3Q85. SNQ2 eventually became the module check-out machine for
Seymour Cray's CRAY-3 project in Colorado Springs, CO. The second system, a four-processor, 256 MWord system
(Serial Number: 2003) was installed at the end of 1985. In 1989 this system was returned to Cray Research and
was eventually installed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The present CRAY-2 system is a four-processor vector supercomputer (Serial Number: 2021), with a 4.1 nanosecond
clock period, a 2 GByte/s I/O backplane, and is capable of 1.9 gigaflops at peak performance. It has 512 MWords of
Common Memory accessible by all four processors, and 16 KWords of high-speed Local Memory dedicated to each
processor. This large memory version of the CRAY-2 was the first of its kind and one of only three that were built.
The CRAY-2 was installed for service in December 1988. Its 10+ year life cycle makes it NetworkCS'
longest-running production system. It also proved to have been one the most reliable high-performance computing systems ever.
This passing of an era brings mixed emotions. John Sell, President of NetworkCS remarked, "The CRAY-2 has
been the most interesting and fun machine we have owned. We can emphatically say, perhaps with some sadness,
'they don't build them like that anymore '".
This system was the last operational CRAY-2 in existence.