The mainframe tag refers to the class of "big iron" computers, primarily those from IBM. Currently this is limited to the IBM Z hardware, typically running z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE, z/TPF, or a distribution of Linux on IBM Z as its operating system.
Mainframe computers, while often thought of as dead technology by most, are nothing of the sort.
They are still used in a huge number of environments where reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) are key requirements.
These aren't your grandfather's mainframe; these beasts have been evolving along with the rest of the computer industry and there's nothing that can match them in raw, insane, transaction processing throughput.
This tag should be used when asking questions related to the IBM Z hardware (the "Z" stands for zero downtime).
IBM provides the z/OS basic skills education Knowledge Center, click on the table of contents link for a list of topics.
Related tags and searches:
- Architecture: zseries or S390.
- Operating system: zos, the new name (and more recent releases) of mvs.
- DBMS: db2 (the mainframe versions of this products), ims-db, adabas.
- TP monitors: tso, cics or ims-tm.
- Programming languages: rexx, clist, cobol, pl-i, c, adabas-natural, fortran, as well as other more widespread languages such as java and javascript.
- Softwares for sorting, merging or copying files dfsort, syncsort.
- Batch jobs: jcl sysin.
- Productivity tools: ispf.
- Mainframe communication: 3270 terminal-emulator.
- Using Linux on a mainframe: linux, using zlinux.
