Plug Compatible Manufacturer
<company> (PCM) A manufacturer of equipment that some other manufacturer's system can identify and work with.
The PCM's device replaces the original manufacturer's.
Most PCMs competed with
IBM.
PCM devices normally offer a cost-performance benefit over the original device.
For example, several PCM versions of the
Direct-Access Storage Device IBM 3350 offered twice the storage and improved data access (dual port).
Plug compatible devices include replacement
CPUs, such as the Hitachi 7/90 series (which could be substituted for IBM 3090 series processors),
I/O subsystems, and dumb terminals like the
IBM 3270.
[Used outside mainframe market?]
