This is an archive of past discussions about Mainframe computer. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

There's currently a little boring drama on Wiktionary about the origin of "mainframe", and whether it really refers to a solid cabinet, or something else. [1] I would really appreciate any evidence from experts, or very old nerds, regarding the etymology. Hit me up. Equinox ◑ 04:29, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

Not sure what a solid cabinet is. I believe many have thin metal removable sides, where the frame is solid, but the sides are not. The sides are decorative, and not part of the structure. I suspect that kitchen cabinets can be designed where the sides are part of the structural integrity, and others that are not. Gah4 (talk) 04:59, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

@Gah4: The point is what is the "frame". (See Wiktionary page history at "mainframe".) Are you old and experienced enough to tell for sure? I'm passing middle age but "frame" to me means that piece of shit you'd put your webring in. Lordy. Equinox ◑ 06:15, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

Historically, the term mainframe included computers that ran a single job at a time. The frame for the CPU was typically a metal cabinet with a height of 1-3 meters. Typically the 1960s frames used wire wrap backplanes to connect multiple printed circuit cards. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 14:10, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

I was trying to compare against cabinet. A kitchen cabinet commonly is solid on all sides, though one is an openable door. The frame for a mainframe is commonly metal rectangles that hold the parts inside together. Even with everything closed, there is need for ventilation, so some sides will have holes, or otherwise openings, or might be completely open. Gah4 (talk) 01:33, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

Power and coolant connections are commonly on the top or bottom. Also, it is common for a door to include wiring. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 15:56, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

Mainframe is/was a computer housed in a large cabinet [2]. Early units either consisted of or roughly conformed to the framing of a 19-inch rack. - LuckyLouie (talk) 16:17, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

I worked for IBM for two decades beginning in the late 1970s designing integrated circuits, many of which were for IBM System/390. In the early days of computers, the electronics were heavy and had to be mounted on heavy steel frames that were strong enough to handle the weight. There might or might not be decorative covers. The engineering prototypes of System/390 were operated without covers.

When the electronics became lighter, small computers were mounted in 19-inch racks, a pre-existing standard standardized by AT&T about 1922. Computers mounted in these racks were known as minicomputers. Large computers took advantage of lighter electronics by increasing the number of circuits, and making the cooling more sophisticated, so the heavy steel frames were still needed to mount them.

A possible source of confusion is that mainframe families had a range of performance; while the highest performance family members had steel frames, the lowest performance members might use 19-inch racks or even fit on a desktop. I'm not sure what the structure of the most recent high performance mainframes is. Jc3s5h (talk) 17:27, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

The IBM z16 still uses a 19"^[1] frame. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 21:04, 22 February 2024 (UTC)