mainframes
Data center giants
Mainframes are large, powerful computers designed to handle massive amounts of data and support thousands of simultaneous users.
They dominated business computing from the 1960s through the 1980s, housed in special climate-controlled rooms.
Today mainframes still run critical systems for banks, airlines, and governments, valued for reliability and processing power: The bank's mainframe processes millions of transactions daily.
Multinational technology corporation
- COBOLElderly business-oriented programming language
- batchQuantity produced together
- timesharingShared computational resource allocation
- big ironLarge enterprise computers
Perforated data entry medium
- tape reelsWound magnetic strip holders
- green screenSolid backdrop for compositing
- ENIACFirst general-purpose electronic computer
- UNIVACEarly electronic mainframe
time-sharing · minicomputer · operators · keypunch · line printer · card deck · core dump · retrocomputing
Financial institution transactions
- insuranceContractual risk coverage
- payrollStaff wages collectively
- batch processingRunning queued jobs automatically
- mission-criticalEssential to core success
scalability · throughput · reliability · uptime · legacy systems · data center · operations · workload
Main computing chip
- processorComponent that executes instructions
- consoleComfort in distress
- terminalAt the endpoint
- tape driveMagnetic strip reader/writer
channel · controller · rack · cabinet · card reader · punch card · dumb terminal · front panel
Processing rate over time
- MIPSProcessor speed measure
- parallel processingSimultaneous computational operations
- multiprocessingConcurrent execution across CPUs
- virtualizationCreating simulated computing environments
partitioning · batch jobs · online transactions · response time · availability · fault tolerance · redundancy
IBM
Multinational technology corporation
- COBOLElderly business-oriented programming language
- batchQuantity produced together
- timesharingShared computational resource allocation
punch cards
Perforated data entry medium
- tape reelsWound magnetic strip holders
- green screenSolid backdrop for compositing
- ENIACFirst general-purpose electronic computer
UNIVAC · time-sharing · minicomputer · operators · keypunch · line printer · card deck · core dump · retrocomputing · legacy
banking
Financial institution transactions
- insuranceContractual risk coverage
- payrollStaff wages collectively
- batch processingRunning queued jobs automatically
mission-critical · scalability · throughput · reliability · uptime · legacy systems · data center · operations · workload · capacity planning
CPU
Main computing chip
tape drive · channel · controller · rack · cabinet · card reader · punch card · dumb terminal · front panel · core memory
throughput
Processing rate over time
- MIPSProcessor speed measure
- parallel processingSimultaneous computational operations
- multiprocessingConcurrent execution across CPUs
virtualization · partitioning · batch jobs · online transactions · response time · availability · fault tolerance · redundancy
- computerscomputer, computers, desktop, desktops, laptop
- technologyelectronics, computing, computer, internet, social media
- tech equipmentcomputers, laptops, desktops, monitors, keyboards
- Computing HistoryENIAC, UNIVAC, punch card, punch cards, vacuum tube
- data storagehard drive, hard drives, backup, gigabyte, flash drives
- IT systemssoftware, server, hardware, servers, databases
mainframespersonal computers
Individual-use computing devices
microcomputers · PCs · desktop computers · laptops · smartphones
mainframescloud computing
Internet-delivered digital infrastructure
edge computing · peer-to-peer networks · personal computing · microservices · consumer electronics
- mainframe computerLarge organizational computing system