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Difference Between Mainframe and Supercomputer

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Difference between Supercomputers and Mainframe computers

In this report I am going to talk about supercomputers and Mainframe computers. I will also define where they are used and what is the difference between these two machines.

Mainframe

Mainframe is a high performance computer used for different purposes. It is known for its reliability, availability and scalability. It is a huge and powerful computer and acts as a base for enterprise IT. It consists of frames which together make a mainframe. They are produced by various companies, including IBM, HP, Honeywell, and Bull. But the leading companies who have half the market share are IBM and HP who provide the most powerful mainframes to enterprises. The other brands are providing small to medium sized mainframes. According to M. Manoj article (2009), “Nearly all mainframes have the ability to run (or host) multiple operating systems, and thereby operate not as a single computer but as a number of virtual machines. In this role, a single mainframe can replace dozens or even hundreds of smaller servers.”

The features of mainframe include:
It can store extremely large volume of data
It has very high processing speed
Simultaneous support of thousands of users
Ability to communicate with other applications
Almost impossible to hack into the mainframe

The operating systems managing mainframes are MVS (multiple virtual storage), ESA(Enterprise System Architecture) and z/OS (zero downtime operating system).
In order to work on the mainframe a user needs the knowledge of COBOL (which is used to run mainframes), the Internet connection and an emulator (e.g. hummingbird, vista, fire, rumba, TN3270). The user needs an IP address of the mainframe, which is inputted into the emulator, thus it opens a connection between the host and the mainframe.
One of the most popular businesses that use mainframes

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