Mainframe Features

Agenda
• In this Mainframe tutorial, you will learn
about features of Mainframe - Processing
power, memory capacity, performance,
computing, multiple operating system,
time sharing, reliability, serviceability,
availability, clustering technology and
other features available in Mainframe.
Processing Power
• The mainframe has greatest processing
capacity and to support this there is large
number of CPU's with high processing
power embedded within the frame.
• To accomplish this it uses a large
numbers of CPU’s.
Memory Capacity
• The mainframe applications takes its
presence in large scale operations and to
support this facility the memory capacity
embedded within mainframe is very huge,
and in some cases it could even be about
more than 8 Gigabyte.
Performance
• Mainframe systems have the ability to
share the workload among different
processors and input and output devices.
This makes its processing ability and
power to be efficient and increases its
performance.
Centralized Computing
• The mainframe system handles
centralized computing by which all the
operations takes place in the processor
section of mainframe and the results are
seen in the desktop monitor with the help
of a utility or program running on the
mainframe background.
Running in multiple OS
• Mainframes have the ability to run multiple
operating systems and by this feature it is
possible to function mainframe systems
not as a single computer but as a number
of virtual machines.
Concurrency
• By the feature of Time Sharing Ability
supported by mainframes it is possible for
thousands of users to operate and use the
machine simultaneously with efficiency.
Compatibility
Mainframe system supports sophisticated
operating systems like
 UNIX
 Linux
 VMS
 IBM operating systems like Z/OS, Z/VM,
and VSE/ESA.
Reliability
• The main important feature of mainframe
system was its reliability which made its
usage wide spread among commercial
customers. Mainframe systems are
reliable systems which gives high
performance, which is essential for
reasonable operations against a
database.
Availability
• As we have seen the mainframe system and application
takes its presence in critical and complex business
applications which requires the system to be available at
all times with 100% throughput. This is completely
achievable and provided by mainframe system and it’s
really impossible to hear any system outage for any
reasons in a mainframe system making its availability for
applications throughout. The above is achieved by
mainframe system by its great design where Memory
chips, memory busses, I/O channels and power supplies
are provided with a pair more, ensuring the system
availability throughout.
Serviceability
• It is possible to replace most of the
components in the mainframe system with
the system operating concurrently. Certain
components like CPU if needed to be
replaced of course requires the system
operation to be shut down in which case
this is done during the scheduled outage
as per the users convenience.
Tightly Coupled Clustering Technology

• The mainframe system supports Tightly Coupled

Clustering Technology which is known as Parallel
Sysplex. By this feature it is possible to operate up to 32
systems as a single system image. Even if one system
fails, the work will be done automatically on the next live
system and there would be no loss of work and
performance is thereby increased. Also this makes the
maintenance unit also easier as one or more system
which need to be maintained for hardware or software
can be removed and this does not affect the remaining
systems as the remaining systems continues with its
processing as usual and after the maintenance the
removed system can be again plugged in. This feature
gives the ability to achieve the above said features of
reliability, availability and serviceability to be achieved to
the maximum percentage.
Special Features
 Supports Maximum I/O connectivity
 Have capability of providing Maximum
 I/O bandwidth
 Have the greatest ability of producing fault
tolerant computing
 Capacity to manage Large Users