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IT Essentials — Assessing Infrastructure and Networks

machine hardware, also known as a “bare metal” type, and Type 2, which runs in an already
established OS environment, known as a “hosted” type.

TOPIC 3: COMPONENTS PART 2

Mainframes

Some critical processes are performed on a mainframe. A mainframe is a computer (hardware)
designed to host the commercial databases, transaction servers, and applications that require a
greater degree of security and availability than is commonly found on smaller-scale machines. These
machines remain in popular use by large organizations due to their reliability and stability.

Mainframes process large amounts of data, and perform tasks similar to bulk and high-volume
transaction processing. Industries such as banking and insurance rely on mainframes to process the
enormous transaction volume generated by the financial industry. Mainframes are used for
processing large quantities of data in other sectors, including healthcare, transportation, and public
services, and provide support for strict compliance requirements.

Mainframes are usually the preferred infrastructure type when there is a requirement for large
volumes of concurrent users. The aviation and airline travel industry is a good example, because
online and travel agent bookings, flight simulations, and navigation systems require high bandwidth
applications and are heavily reliant upon the capabilities of mainframes.

Transaction-Processing Concepts for Mainframes

There are two main transaction-processing concepts for mainframes: 1) batch job processing, and 2)
online transaction processing (OLTP).

Batch job processing does not include user intervention; large volumes of information are processed
in bulk rather than as individual inputs. Batches, which can sometimes include hundreds or
thousands of transactions, are typically pre-sequenced to execute at a specified time window during
off-peak periods. Outputs from batch-processed jobs are typically summaries of information such as
daily sales, order processing, and inventory updates.

Online transaction processing (OLTP) is used to process data that typically requires an immediate
and real-time response, and the user interaction with the mainframe is usually very short and
concurrent with processing. OLTP is beneficial for services that must be continuously available and
where data and information integrity are of high importance. This concept applies to Automated
Teller Machine (ATM) transactions and credit or debit card purchases.

Mainframe Operating Systems

Mainframes also have OSs. Due to the large amounts of data that a mainframe processes, its internal
components, including internal memory, processing capability, internal and external peripherals,

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