computer science

Ultra 5/10

Ultra 5/10 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ultra 5/10 rather than just read about it. In short: The Ultra 5 (code-named Otter) and Ultra 10 (code-named Sea Lion) are 64-bit Sun Microsystems workstations based on the UltraSPARC IIi microprocessor available since January 1998 and last shipped in November 2002. They were introduced as the Darwin line of workstations.

Key takeaways

Ultra 5/10 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ultra 5/10 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ultra 5/10 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Ultra 5 (code-named Otter) and Ultra 10 (code-named Sea Lion) are 64-bit Sun Microsystems workstations based on the UltraSPARC IIi microprocessor available since January 1998 and last shipped in November 2002. They were introduced as the Darwin line of workstations.

Specifications These systems are notable for being the first in the Sun workstation line to introduce various commodity PC compatible hardware components such as ATA hard disks with CMD640 PCI EIDE controller and an ATI Rage PRO video chip. The Ultra 5 came in a "pizzabox" style case with a 270, 333, 360, or 400 MHz UltraSPARC IIi CPU and supported an official maximum of 512 MB Buffered EDO ECC RAM in four 50ns 168-pin DIMM slots. Larger DIMMs which provide 1024 MB in the Ultra 5 work, although this requires special low height DIMMs or leaving the floppy drive out. It included a single EIDE Hard Disk Drive of between 4 and 20 GB, a CD-ROM drive, three 32-bit 33 MHz PCI slots (two full-size, one short), PGX24 graphics (HD15), a parallel printer port (DB25), two serial ports (DB25 and DE9), an Ethernet port (10BASE-T/100BASE-TX) and headphone, line-in, line-out and microphone 3.5-mm jacks. The Ultra 10 came in a mid-tower case with a 300, 333, 360, or 440-MHz 64-bit UltraSPARC CPU. It doubled the supported RAM to a maximum of 1024 MB in four DIMM slots and added room for a second ATA hard disk, a fourth PCI card, and an UPA graphics card such as the Creator, Creator3D or Elite3D.

Keyboard The Sun Type 6 keyboard came in two variants, one with Mini-DIN, one with USB connectors. The top edge of the keyboard is rounded. The keyboard has a special "diamond" key (called Meta key) placed next to the space key. This key comes from Lisp machines and is meant to be used with the Emacs editor. It also has 3 keys for regulating volume control or screen brightness and a power key in the upper top corner. It came with a purple plastic wrist rest. The keyboard has 4 LEDs on the top (rather than incorporated into the key cap): Num Lock, Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, Compose.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ultra 5/10

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ultra 5/10 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ultra 5/10 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ultra 5/10 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ultra 5/10

In research: Ultra 5/10 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ultra 5/10 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ultra 5/10 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer hardware stubs, SPARC microprocessor products, Sun workstations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ultra 5/10 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ultra 5/10 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ultra 5/10 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ultra 5/10 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ultra 5/10 in simple terms?

Why does Ultra 5/10 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ultra 5/10?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ultra 5/10.