Technologies

Technologies

Over the years, mainframes have supported a broad range of software, technologies, and programming languages that allow businesses to run critical applications. Let’s discuss about the key software, technologies, and languages used in mainframe environments -

Operating Systems -

The Operating System (OS) is the backbone of the mainframe, managing hardware resources, running applications, and handling communication between system components. The most common OS for mainframes are:

  • z/OS
  • Linux on Z
  • z/VM
  • z/VSE

Common Programming Languages -

Mainframes support a wide range of programming languages, that are used to build and maintain applications for batch processing, transaction management, data analytics, and more.

  • COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) - It is the most widely used programming language on mainframes and has been in use since the 1960s.
  • PL/I (Programming Language One) - It is a general-purpose programming language used in both scientific and business applications. It combines features from COBOL (for business applications) and FORTRAN (for scientific computing).
  • Assembler Language - It is a low-level programming language that interacts directly with the hardware. It is used for performance-critical tasks and for accessing hardware-specific functions not available in higher-level languages.
  • Java - It is one of the more modern programming languages supported on mainframes, especially with the introduction of Linux on Z and z/OS.
  • C and C++ - These are used on mainframes for system programming, writing middleware, and performance-critical applications.
  • Rexx (Restructured Extended Executor) - It is a scripting language often used for writing utility programs, automation scripts, and system management tasks on z/OS and z/VM.
  • JCL (Job Control Language) - It is a scripting language used to instruct the operating system (primarily z/OS) on how to run a job (batch processing task).

Middleware -

Middleware acts as a bridge between the operating system and applications. It manages the execution of applications and flow of data, and integration between various applications.

  • CICS (Customer Information Control System) - It is a transaction processing system used for running high-performance, high-volume transaction applications.
  • IMS (Information Management System) - It is another transaction management and database system used on mainframes, especially in legacy environments. IMS supports both hierarchical databases (IMS DB) and transaction processing (IMS TM).
  • DB2 (Database Management System) - It is IBM’s relational database management system (RDBMS) that runs on mainframes.
  • MQ (Message Queue) - It is middleware that facilitates message-oriented middleware (MOM) communication.

Scripting and Modern Languages -

Mainframes are increasingly integrating with modern programming and scripting languages to support cloud-native applications and open-source software development.

  • Python - It is used for scripting, data processing, and automation tasks on Linux running on mainframes.
  • Node.js and JavaScript - With Linux on Z, mainframes can run Node.js and JavaScript, which are widely used for web services and API development.
  • Go and Rust - These are newer languages supported on Linux running on mainframes, allowing developers to write high-performance, modern applications.