Learning to code can help improve your problem-solving abilities. In the digital age of today, coding is considered basic literacy, and it’s important for us to understand and be able to work with the technology around us.
While it’s always easier to learn something at a very young age, you are never too old to learn.
In this article, we are going to discuss how you can learn to practice the mainframe from the comfort of your own home.
WHAT is a Mainframe?
Mainframes are designed for an entirely different purpose than the modern computers we use today. Today’s computers revolve around the power and speed of their processes - PC’s will commonly hang in a wait cycle, and sometimes they even crash.
On the other hand, mainframes are about availability, reliability, and serviceability. The word reliability is used both in the data sense and the hardware sense - hardware will run continuously, and corruption of data is incredibly rare.
Mainframes possess something known as ‘fives nines’ availability, meaning that the uptime for a mainframe is a factor of 0.99999.
In other words, a mainframe is able to run non-stop, forever, and can support thousands of simultaneous users for an entire year, and can be counted on not to be down for more than 5 minutes total every year.
When it comes to serviceability, mainframes are built with various custom-designed circuits; each focused on a specific task. If one part of the mainframe begins to fail, the problem will automatically be detected, and another part of the circuit will take over, and the operator of the system will be notified.
All Modern computers start with a generic CPU, and its operating system software is written using the codes existing within the CPU. The reason that mainframes are so reliable is that the software and hardware are designed in tandem.
If an operating system is required to do a complex task continuously within a PC, the routine will be written and executed by the CPU, which does all the work. In a mainframe, a specialized circuit is sometimes designed and installed dedicated to that specific task, if the demand is high enough.
WHO Should Use a Mainframe?
Mainframe computers are usually used by massive corporations organizations and associations for basic applications like the mass preparation of information, customer measurements, industry, and registration. They are often used to perform large-scale Handling of exchanges, usually thousands of exchanges each second.
They support thousands of clients and applications simultaneously for access to numerous resources. They also manage terabytes upon terabytes of data within a database and handle the extensive transfer of data capacity correspondence.
How to PRACTICE Mainframe Languages at Home
There is an open Source Project called Hercules that has created an emulator for IBM’s mainframe hardware. Unfortunately, the software that runs on this hardware is all proprietary of IBM.
However, they have released an older version of OS/360 into the public domain, and there are a couple of useful alternatives in the public domain as well, like ISPF. Hercules website has several links that direct you to options that allow you to build an installation from that version of the software.
You could also rent a mainframe ID, which will cost you around $30 per ID every month. You will need to look for a small company that provides access to mainframe servers on a monthly basis.
If you work for a company that already has a mainframe, try and see if you are able to get a remote connection se tup for the purpose of practicing at home. This is probably the best way since you won’t need to go through the additional steps that we mentioned above.
You will likely need to install VPN software at home, and some other security software as well, like an antivirus program. Hercules is an excellent resource for practicing mainframe languages, but it does require plenty of experience that you might not have. A novice would get lost quickly.
This link will take you to a tutorial that will teach you the basics of some of the main mainframe (no pun intended) languages.
Summary
If you are a professional programmer, chances are you aren’t motivated by money alone. You also enjoy feeling like you have a higher sense of purpose and mission in your work.
There’s probably no better word for a programmer that is driven by emissions than the development of a mainframe.
