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History and components of a modern mainframe computer

Mainframe computers are crucial to some of the world’s largest corporations. Every mainframe has more than one modern processor, RAM ranging from a few megabytes to several gigabytes, and disk space and other storage beyond anything in a microcomputer. A mainframe can handle multiple tasks and serve thousands of users every second with no downtime.

The main difference between mainframes and other computing systems is the level of processing that takes place. Mainframes are also different in terms of data bandwidth, organization, reliability, and control. Large organizations (banking, health care, insurance, and telecommunications companies, etc.) use mainframes to process critical business data.

In this article, we discuss the evolution of mainframe computers and their components.

history of mainframe computers

IBM developed a crucial part of mainframe computing, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC) for arithmetic operations, in 1944. From the late 1950s to the 1970s, several companies made mainframe computers: IBM, Burroughs, RCA , NCR, General Electric and Sperry. Randy, for example. Since then, IBM’s System/390 is the only type of mainframe in use. It evolved from IBM’s System/360 in 1960.

An Early mainframe took up a huge space. New technologies have dramatically reduced the size and cost of hardware. A current generation mainframe can fit in a small cabinet.

Components of a modern mainframe computer

Like a PC, a mainframe has many components for processing data: operating system, motherboard or main board, processor, controllers, storage devices, and channels.

• Motherboard – The motherboard of a mainframe computer consists of a printed circuit board that allows the CPU, RAM, and other hardware components to work together through a concept called a “bus architecture.” The motherboard has device slots for input cards and cable interfaces for various external devices. Where PC motherboards use 32-bit or 64-bit buses, mainframes use 128-bit buses. General instructions on the internal architecture help the motherboard connect to other devices and retrieve data using binary computation.

• Processor: A CPU acts as the central processing point in the mainframe architecture and includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) to perform arithmetic calculations. It also functions as a controller for the bus architecture and handles traffic and data requests. The processing power of mainframes is much higher compared to PCs so they can handle large amounts of data.

• Storage devices: Storage devices are for entering, retrieving, storing, and recording data. Many are external devices, such as hard drives, tape drives, and punch card readers, all connected to terminals on the mainframe and controlled by the CPU. Its data storage capacity can be a hundred or even thousands of times that of a PC.

• Communication Drivers – Communication drivers allow remote computers to access a mainframe. With the help of networks, LAN or WAN, communication controllers establish connections with various devices, carry out data transmission through communication channels and keep track of users at terminals.

• Channels: “Channels” are the cables used to connect the CPU and main storage to other parts of the system and ensure that data moves systematically without losing its integrity.

Modern mainframes have advanced features such as extended service management capabilities, cross-platform integration facilities, etc. and are therefore suitable for critical data center operations. The maintenance cost of modern mainframes is much lower compared to older models.

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