Mainframe parts are much smaller in today's computing world.
Various parts of a computer mainframe provide for the processing of data. All mainframes have five basic parts needed for effective processing of data and calculations. Most mainframe parts are standard in today's computer industry and can be replaced by the original or clone-based manufacturers of mainframe parts.
Main Board
Every mainframe computer has a motherboard. The motherboard has general instructions on the internal architecture of the computer and how data is retrieved using binary computation to certain devices. The motherboard organizes the circuitry of the computer through a concept called "bus architecture." The "supervisor" of the architecture is called the processor or CPU of the mainframe unit. The main board part consists of device slots for the input of cards and cable interfaces to external devices.
Processor
The processor (also called the central processing unit or "CPU" of the mainframe) is the "brain" of the mainframe computer. The processor is the centralized point of instructions for computer architecture and includes an arithmetic logic unit for numeric computations. It acts as a supervisor or "controller" handling traffic and data requests along the bus architecture. Many mainframe computers have more than one processor, which classifies the mainframe as a "multi-processor unit."
Main Storage Unit Parts
Main storage unit part is addressed by two memory units: random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). Random access memory allows the processor or "CPU" to access any area of memory to perform a computer function or instruction. ROM memory is used to store lower-level computer instructions that don't change on a mainframe computer, such as power-up instructions and general information on components and devices.
External Storage Devices
Mainframes also consist of external storage device parts. These devices are responsible for the entry, retrieval, storage, and recording of data. The parts associated with external storage are external hard drives, tape drives, "dumb terminals" (terminals interfaced to the mainframe through a network controlled by the CPU) and punch card/tape drives.
Size of Mainframe and Parts
Mainframe computers and parts are much smaller today than they were 50 years ago. A mainframe manufactured in 1949 needed a whole floor of a building to operate, and parts were big and needed two or three people to remove certain parts of the system. Today's mainframe computers can actually fit in a broom closet, and the parts of the mainframe are much easier to replace and repair. The time frame for changing parts on a mainframe has also decreased drastically from days to just a few minutes.
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