Nowadays, computer manufacturers do not always use the term "mainframe" to refer to large electronic computers. Instead, most of them call computers for commercial use (large or small) or servers. Moreover, mainframes include the largest server type in use today. IBM, for example, calls it its z9 server.
What is a mainframe? According to one common point of view, this is a computer that can support thousands of applications and input / output devices, as well as serve thousands of users at the same time.
Using mainframes as servers and data warehouses
What is mainframe as a server? The production of such machines is constantly increasing. A business needs large sets of servers, including transaction servers, databases, email, and web servers. Large suites are sometimes called server farms. Various means can be used to implement their functions: from clusters of rack-mounted personal computers to the most powerful mainframes currently being produced.
Mainframe as a data warehouse
What is a mainframe in a corporation system? This is the central data warehouse in the data center. Users with less powerful devices, such as workstations or terminals, connect to it.
Centralized and distributed computing
The presence of a mainframe in an organization often determines a centralized form of computing as opposed to a distributed form. Centralizing data in one mainframe storage protects users from the need to update more than one copy of business data. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that the data is relevant.
The difference between centralized and distributed computing is gradually blurring. As small machines begin to increase their processing power, mainframes become more flexible and versatile.
What is a mainframe in today's market? A rapidly changing market constantly requires businesses to overestimate information technology development strategies. As a result, in most cases, mainframes are not used in combination with networks from small servers. The ability to dynamically redistribute hardware and software resources (processors, memory, and connections) while applications continue to function, emphasizes the flexible, evolving nature of modern mainframes.
Mainframe Features
Features include:
- high reliability and safety;
- a large number of input / output tools;
- high utilization rates of computing and hardware, allowing for greater bandwidth;
- high stability, allowing mainframes to work steadily continuously for decades;
- high availability, which is one of the main reasons for their longevity, is due to the fact that they are used in applications where downtime is undesirable and even catastrophic.
The difference between mainframes and supercomputers
Supercomputers are powerful computers designed to process data at the highest possible speed. For example, analysis and prediction of weather forecasts are performed by supercomputers. These computers are very expensive and consume a lot of electricity.
The purpose of the mainframe is to carry out calculations using large amounts of data. These computers are mainly used in large organizations. They provide access to data stored in large databases.
Thus, the main difference between mainframes and supercomputers is their purpose. Mainframes are usually used as servers, while supercomputers are used to solve scientific problems.