subject: A Mainframe Computer! What Is It? [print this page] Mainframe computers are large computers typically used to run complex applications involving data processing in gigantic amounts. The name arose in association to the arrival of smaller pc's which were named as minicomputers, primarily to put a distinction between them all.
Capabilities and usage:
Mainframe computer systems are primarily used as servers which are designed for storing large quantities of data, sustaining a vast amount of processes and input/output devices to provide multiple users with the information they will need all at the same time. They are able to achieve this by properly allocating their resources. These machines can run non-stop for years with repairs and maintenance carried out without closing them down.
Most mainframes nowadays possess the functionality to host a amount of operating systems allowing them to function like multiple computers or "virtual machines". In this case, one mainframe can replace any number of personal computers thereby reducing related costs and giving far greater scalability and uniformity. The scalability is obtained by re-allocating the hardware resources among the virtual machines as required, and the consistency is enhanced since the hardware redundancy can be eradicated. This can also be done with PCs but it's a little more complex. As an illustration, adding a disk drive to the PC requires it to get powered down not to mention their hardware limitations. A mainframe can provide the much needed power that these are known for, and the adaptability of PC networks.
Mainframe birth
The birth of the mainframe took place during the 1950s with the arrival of your IBM 700/7000 series. From that time there has been a succession of mainframe models from IBM and other makers alike. But like each and every fresh innovation, the mainframe has it's share of drawbacks - it's main one is it's high price.
As the pc technology progressed, businesses found that microcomputer based servers may very well be utilized at a far lesser cost than a mainframe. Because of this, work stations that used to interrelate with mainframe systems were slowly substituted with personal computers. The demand went on a steady decline and mainframe systems were just confined to institutions requiring enormous data processing capabilities. Industry analysts thought the mainframe was a vanishing market as mainframes were being steadily substituted by cheaper but powerful pc systems.
However, in the 1990s big companies found a brand new life for their mainframes - the World Wide Web came to the rescue. They realized that a mainframe can be utilized as a web server which would take on the equivalent of many hundreds inter-connected personal computers. And now the cost is very much lower regarding power usage and management. The downtrend began to reverse.
Mainframe access is slowly but surely increasing and another reason for it was the arrival of the Linux operating system coming on to the scene. Linux is one of the few operating systems which can run on mainframes either directly or in a virtual machine. This permitted the mainframes to benefit from the work of various PC developers.
At the present The mainframe keeps on growing when it comes to it's capacity and the scale of its installations. Perceptions are gradually changing as shown by their inclusion into the world of the web. The mainframe computer has proven its capability to deliver an increasing array of information technology services at a reasonable cost.
