What is a Mainframe Computer?

Mainframe computers are a type of computer designed for high throughput, which means processing data as fast as possible. They are primarily used for transaction processing, which involves a set of operations like disk read and write, operating system calls, and data transfer between subsystems. In this article, we guide you to an In-depth understanding of the mainframe computer.

What is a Mainframe Computer?

Mainframes are a type of computer, which are made for 'throughput' as fast as possible. Throughput can be defined as "the rate at which the data is processed". Also, mainframes are majorly used for transaction processing; a transaction can be defined as "a set of operations including disk read and write, operating system calls, transferring data from one subsystem to another, etc".

The mainframes have more processing power compared to servers and microcomputers (like- laptops, PC, etc...), but have less processing power compared to supercomputers. The main focus of the Mainframes is throughput, "A throughput is a rate at which something is processed."

Components of a Mainframe Computer

The mainframes have two types of processors,

1. Main processor
2. System assistance Processor

The SAP processors do not process any data but move the data from one place to another as fast as possible. Each processor can have up to 7 to 10 cores which are specially designed and engineered for 'higher throughput'. Each mainframe can have up to 160 I/O cards. Also, they have a serious amount of ROM (Solid State Drives) for faster data storage and transfer. The fact that the mainframes have so many I/O cards is because these are made for redundancy that is, if one card fails, other cards will take over the workload of that card until the card is replaced.

Uses of Mainframe Computers

Main frames are used for Reliability, Redundancy, and availability. These are must computers to have where '0' downtime is acceptable. Due to the fact that these computers are reliable and have redundancy that is if an I/O card fails due to any reason, its workload will automatically get transferred to other I/O card ensuring '0' downtime which is of great importance for ensuring proper transactions. Similarly, if there is some problem with a processor module, the workload will be transferred to other processors.

How are Mainframes Different from Supercomputer?

The Mainframes are used for fast processing or 'throughput' whereas the Supercomputers are used for number crunching where they deal with a huge amount of data to predict weather, solve complex mathematical models for computation and are majorly used in research only.

Advantages

• The processing speed is very fast.
• Ability to handle multiple inputs simultaneously.
• Redundancy can with stand failure of a part without affecting the function of rest of the computer.
• Always available, as once started they will remain on for rest of the time.
• Reliability.

Disadvantages

• Mainframes cannot be used as a normal computer, because they are made for specific task only.
• It requires a special OS to run.
• Are very expensive.
• Mainly used for commercial purposes like transaction processing.
• Cannot calculate or solve complex problems like a supercomputer.

Conclusion

In simple terms, mainframe computers are super-fast and reliable machines that help process large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. They are designed to ensure that critical systems, like banking and finance, remain available 24/7 without any interruptions. While they may not be suitable for general computing tasks, mainframes play a crucial role in supporting commercial transactions and data processing.