This is an easy and a difficult
question. Some definitions have mainframe as any computing
device. This would mean that your desktop computer or laptop
is a mainframe. Most people consider a mainframe to be a large
computer that is the “brain” of a network.
A mainframe typically has
several computers accessed to it through a network. The mainframe
stores large databases, software that is licensed to several
users and often a place where several people save files so
that many individuals may access them.
Today most people refer to
mainframes as servers, because they serve several users. Mainframes
are also used to host websites where people can access the
data over the Internet. Mainframes are also used to handle
extremely complicated computations for uses such as predicting
the weather and finding solutions for medical problems.
These uses require more than
the standard computer can handle. In fact, many times several
mainframes are linked together to assist each in solving the
problem. |
