Mainframe computers

Mainframes are a type of computer that is generally known for

its large size, storage capacity, processing power, and high level of
reliability. They are ultra high-performance computers made to perform
high-volume computations and with intensive processor usage. They are usually used
by large companies and for scientific purposes.
They are mainly used for critical mission applications that require large
data processing volumes, such as censuses, industry statistics and of
consumer, as well as enterprise resource planning.
The term originally referred to the large cabinets called "frames".
mainframes
main memory of the first computers.
Later, this term was used to distinguish high-end commercial machines from
the less powerful units. Most computer system architectures at
Large-scale ones were established in the 1960s, but continue to evolve.
In the hierarchy of computers, mainframes are just below
supercomputers, which are the most powerful computers in the world.
However, a mainframe can generally run many programs.
simultaneously at high speed, while supercomputers are designed
for a single process. Currently, the main manufacturers of mainframe computers
they are IBM and Unisys.

History
1940s and 1950s
Mainframe computers first appeared in the 1940s, being
ENIAC the first general-purpose electronic computer. The first
The commercial computer, called UNIVAC I, entered service in 1951.
The early mainframes required large amounts of electrical energy and
air conditioning, and the room was mainly filled with devices of
input/output.
In the era of vacuum tube technology, all computers were
mainframes. During their period of largest physical size, a
A typical mainframe computer occupied between 600 to 3,000 square meters.

In the 1960s, the quintessential mainframes were those built by

IBM, which controlled about two-thirds of the market. This dominance of the
American multinational emerged from its 700/7000 series and later with the
mainframe computers of the series 360.

The use of transistors, and later, integrated circuits, allowed the production of
smaller systems.
Several manufacturers produced mainframes. In the U.S., the most powerful were
IBM, Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR, Control Data, Honeywell, General Electric and RCA.
At the same time, the most notable manufacturers outside the U.S. were Siemens and Telefunken in
Germany, Olivetti in Italy, and Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC in Japan.
During the 1980s, the systems based on became more sophisticated.
minicomputers, displacing the lower end of mainframes. Therefore,
demand plummeted and new supercomputer installations were limited.
to financial services and to the government.

Starting in 1990, mainframe computers became physically smaller,

while its functionality and capacity continued to grow. There was a consensus
It was generally believed that the mainframe computer market was dying, as these
Platforms were replaced by microcomputer networks.
That trend began to change at the end of the 1990s as
corporations found new uses for their existing mainframes,
encouraging a more centralized computing.
Batch processing, such as billing, became more important with the
growth of e-commerce, now being the supercomputers experts in
large-scale batch computing.
It is known as batch processing, or batch mode, to the
execution of a program without the control or direct supervision of the user (that is
(denominated interactive processing). This type of programs is characterized by the fact that its
execution does not require any type of interaction with the user.
IBM's architecture has continued to evolve towards its current zSeries, which along with
the mainframe computers from Unisys and other manufacturers are among the few
mainframe computers that still exist.
In 2012, the IBM z10, successor to the z9, has ensured that mainframe technology remains
a large and profitable business for IBM.
Uses
E-Business and electronic commerce.
Health care.
Military use.
Web transactions.

Supercomputers
They are very used tools in the field of science, especially for carrying out
simulations and scientific research that require large volumes of computation.
Although this term is currently being overshadowed by that of computers
high performance or high-performance computers, it is always good to know the
basic concepts of the field of computing.
Supercomputers are high-performance computers, that is,
They are extremely powerful and capable of performing calculations at a speed
surprising that is equivalent to hundreds of times the speed of a computer
standard desktop or laptop.
We can say then that supercomputers are computing equipment that are
composed of hundreds of processors that work in parallel and in arrays
combined, to offer a speed and capacity for calculation and processing of
surprising data, in such a way that they can be used for specific purposes in
where many computers working simultaneously would not produce results
expected by users. The speed of these devices is measured in Teraflops that
equivalent to trillions of operations per second, which gives an idea of the power and the
speed of these colossal computers.
Contrary to what one might think, supercomputers are integrated
by the same components of conventional computers. Only that their
internal components are related to each other in such a way that it can be
obtain extraordinary performance from each of them.
Supercomputers are widely used in the field of research.
scientific, as it requires manipulating a huge amount of data in a very short
time, so the data processing power can even fall short in
several fields. Among the main areas of research in which they are used
supercomputers, we have:
The weather prediction, as it uses information that arrives in real time from
different information and climate detection centers around the world, in
search for patterns that help predict climate changes and prevent tragedies.
The study of the universe, since it is so vast and uses so many variables at the same time, it
makes it impossible for conventional teams.
Simulate destructive and dangerous effects, such as nuclear tests or high-stakes situations.
risks that require high work power.

Minicomputers:
Minicomputers are a class of computers that possess most of the
capabilities and characteristics of a mainframe computer, but they are smaller in
physical size. A minicomputer can also be called as a computer of
medium range.
They are mainly used as mid-range or small servers, where they can
operate average-sized scientific and commercial applications. However, it has
the use of the term minicomputer has decreased and has merged with that of server.
History
Minicomputers were first developed by IBM, mainly
for commercial applications and services that required performance and efficiency of
the mainframes.
One of the first successful minicomputers was the 12-bit PDP-8 from Digital.
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), built with digital transistors. It was launched in
1964.
Minicomputers grew due to having processing power and capacity
relatively high.
The 7400 series of integrated circuits began to appear in minicomputers at
end of the 1960s.
In the 1970s, it was the hardware used to project the industry of
computer-aided design (CAD) and other similar industries.
Minicomputers were powerful systems that ran operating systems.
multitasking and multiuser, like VMS and Unix.
In the launch of the Altair 8800 in 1975, Radio Electronics magazine referred to this
system as a minicomputer, although the term soon became common
microcomputer for personal computers with single microprocessors
chip.
The minicomputer was about to be eclipsed by circuit technology.
integrated, which would be used to build smaller and more affordable computers.
The decline in the use of minicomputers was due to the lower cost of hardware.
based on the microprocessor, the emergence of low-cost local area network systems
cost, and the emergence of the 80286 and 80386 microprocessors.
The result was that minicomputers and terminals were replaced by
file servers and personal computers in a network, in the second half of the
1980s.
During the 1990s, the shift from minicomputers to networks was consolidated.
of economical PCs with the development of several versions of the Unix system, which
they were executed in the architecture of the Intel x86 microprocessor.

As the minicomputer fell in front of generic Unix servers and PCs

based on Intel, almost all minicomputer companies, such as DEC, Data
General, Computervision, and Honeywell collapsed or merged.
Today, only a few architectures of proprietary minicomputers survive. The
IBM System/38 operating system, which introduced many advanced concepts, continues
I live with the IBM AS/400.
Uses
Minicomputers are used for scientific and engineering computations.
processing of commercial transactions, file management and administration of
databases. They are often referred to now as small or medium servers.
Functional tasks.
Programming.
Process control.
Data management.
Communication.

Microcomputers
Microcomputers, also known as microcomputers or
Microcomputers are computers that have a microprocessor as a unit.
central processing, and that are configured to fulfill specific functions. Of
Microprocessor depends on aspects such as: the complexity of the system, the power, the
operating system, standardization, versatility, and the price of the equipment, among others.
Basically, microcomputers constitute a complete system for use.
personal, which contains in addition to the microprocessor, a memory and a series of
input and output information components.
Finally, it is important to clarify, although microcomputers are often confused
with personal computers, they are not the same. It could rather be said that the
Seconds are part of the overall classification of the first.
Microcomputers originated from the need to bring computers
small to homes and businesses. Which could be consolidated after the creation
of microprocessors in the year 1971.
The first prototype of a microcomputer known, although it did not contain
microprocessor, but a set of microcircuits. It was available in the year 1973.
It was designed and built by the Xerox research center and was called
High. The project did not succeed due to the level of technology that was required, but that did not
was available at that moment.
Following this model, other initiatives emerged from other companies, among
them, Apple. However, it was in the year 1975 when the first was sold.
personal commercial microcomputer. It was the Altair 8800, belonging to the
MITS company. Although it lacked a keyboard, monitor, permanent memory, and programs,
It quickly became a success. It had switches and lights.
Evolution
Since the appearance of Alto, which featured a 875-line sweeping screen, a
2.5 MB disk and an interface with a 3 Mbits/s Ethernet network, technology has evolved
evolving, always taking into account the best aspects of each one
the models that precede it.
From this point of view, it can be said that the rise of microcomputers is due to
mainly due to the fact that its technology is more advanced, in comparison with the
from minicomputers and supercomputers. Their design and construction, what
includes more powerful microprocessors, memory chips, and storage
fast and capable, it is achieved in shorter cycles. In this way, they gain time over the
generations of other types of computers.
Finally, it should be clarified that as a result of technological advancements, the
the term microcomputer is outdated, as nowadays most of the
manufacturing companies include microprocessors in almost any type of
computers.
Microcomputers are capable of performing input, output, and calculation operations.
and logic, through the following basic procedure:
Receiving the data that will be processed.
Execution of scheduled commands for information processing.
Storage of information, before and after its transformation.
Presentation of the results of the data processing.
In other words, microcomputers use an instruction format that
they allow them, through the decoding of the same, to carry out the micro operations
necessary to respond to user requests.
Thus, the instruction format includes an operation code, through which
indicate the addressing of each operand, that is, define a bit of a
instruction, of the different elements that comprise it.
On the other hand, micro operations are the functional operations of
microprocessor, responsible for the reordering of instructions and execution
sequential of a program.
While through timing, the microcomputer manages to coordinate the
events of the network of communication lines that connect the elements of the system.
Finally, it is important to clarify what decoding means. To decode is to
process by which the instructions are interpreted in order to identify what is the
operation that needs to be performed and the way to obtain the operands on which to
they must carry out such orders.