Midrange computer

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IBM System/3, a midrange computer introduced in 1969

Midrange computers, or midrange systems, were a class of computer systems that fell in between mainframe computers and microcomputers.[1][failed verification]

This class of machine emerged in the 1960s, with models from

disputed – discuss
]

IBM favored the term "midrange computer" for their comparable, but more business-oriented systems.[3]

The S/38 (without case), the S/36, and the S/34 systems

IBM midrange systems

Positioning

The main similarity of midrange computers and mainframes is that they are both oriented for decimal-precision computing[citation needed] and high volume input and output (I/O), but most midrange computers have a reduced and specially designed internal architecture, with limited compatibility with mainframes. A low-end mainframe can be more affordable and less powerful than a high-end midrange system, but a midrange system is still a "replacement solution" with another service process, different OS and internal architecture.

The difference between similar-size midrange computers and

floating-point
scientific computing, and midrange computers are oriented towards decimal business-oriented computing - but without a clear distinction border between classes.

The earliest midrange computers were single-user business calculation machines. Virtualization, a typical feature of mainframes since 1972 (partially from 1965), was ported to midrange systems only in 1977; multi-user support was added to midrange systems in 1976 compared to 1972 for mainframes (but that's still significantly earlier than the limited release of x86 virtualization (1985/87) or multi-user support (1983)[6]).

The latest midrange systems are primarily mid-class multi-user local network servers

business applications. Although not as powerful and reliable as full-size mainframe computers
, they are less costly to buy, operate, and maintain than mainframe systems and thus meet the computing needs of many organizations. Midrange systems were relatively popular as powerful network servers to help manage large Internet Web sites, but more oriented for corporate intranets and extranets, and other networks. Today, midrange systems include servers used in industrial process-control and manufacturing plants and play major roles in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). They can also take the form of powerful technical workstations for computer-aided design (CAD) and other computation and graphics-intensive applications. Midrange system are also used as front-end servers to assist mainframe computers in telecommunications processing and network management.

Since the end of 1980s, when the

General purpose architectures
(currently x86 or ARM).

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Midrange computers.

References

  1. ISBN 0899309690
    .
  2. ^ Bell, Gordon (9 January 2015). "Rise and Fall of Minicomputers". Engineering and Technology History Wiki. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  3. ^ "1969 IBM System/3 promotional ad - midrange, minicomputer, Computer History, RPG". Computer History Archives Project. Netherlands. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  4. ^ "IBM System/3 announcement" (PDF).
  5. ^ "IBM System/32". IBM Corporation. 23 January 2003. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
  6. ^ Digital Research (1984). "PC-Mode bridges CP/M and PC DOS". Digital Dialogue - Employee Newsletter of Digital Research Inc. 3 (1): 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  7. ^ "PC Magazine, Definition of: midrange computer".
  8. ^ "now referred to as small or midsize servers." "Minicomputer". Britannica.com.
  9. ^ "Channel Surfing: IBM Brings One Voice to Server Group Reseller Channel". Enterprise System Journal.
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