The minicomputer is a high-performance 64 bit computer that uses a reduced instruction set processor and has a performance and price between a PC server and a mainframe computer.The corresponding English names of foreign minicomputers are minicomputer and midrange computer.Compared with mainframe computers and microcomputers, midrange computers are mistranslated as medium-sized computers by some domestic textbooks. The term minicomputer was created by DEC in 1965.In China, minicomputers are used to refer to UNIX servers.In 1971, Bell Laboratories released multitaskingMulti-user operating systemUNIX，Later, it was adopted by some commercial companies and became the mainstream operating system of later servers.This server type is mainly used for industry applications with high reliability for single point operation of business such as financial securities and transportation.
1965DECOverseas Sales SupervisorJohn Glenn When the PDP-8 was transported to the UK, it was found that "mini skirts" were popular on the streets of London. Girls rushed to wear skirts that were shorter than the knee length. They were lively, light and charming.He suddenly found the connection between PDP and mini skirt, and the news media immediately accepted the idea, jokingly calling PDP - 8 "mini machine"."Mini" means "small". This kind of machine is small and exquisite, 61 cm long, 48 cm wide and 26 cm high. If you put it on a slightly larger table, it looks like a "beautiful lady" wearing a "mini skirt".Its price was only 18500 dollars, which was lower than any computer product at that time. It soon became the dominant product for DEC to make profits and triggered the miniaturization revolution of the computer market at that time.Unlike later servers, minicomputers use mainframes/Dummy terminalMode, and each manufacturer has its own architecture, which is incompatible with each other.
Domestic development
andUNIXServer, also known as the minicomputer in the Chinese industry, is at the middle and high end of the server market.UNIX servers have differences X86The serverAnd mainframe. Basically, the UNIX servers of various manufacturers use their own UNIX operating systems and proprietaryprocessor。For example, IBM adopts Power processor andAIXOperating system, Sun, Fujitsu（Fujitsu ）The company adopts SPARCProcessor architectureAnd Solaris operating systems, HP usesItanium processorAnd HP-UX operating system, Inspur adopts EPIC processor architecture and K-UX operating system;In the past, Compaq (which has been incorporated into HP) adopted Alpha processor architecture.Users of minicomputers generally prefer the security, reliability, vertical scalability of Unix operating system and dedicated server, as well as the excellent processing capability under high concurrent access.
Manufacturer
Now the main manufacturers of UNIX servers areIBM、HP、Oracle(Acquisition of SUN)waveFujitsu.Typical machines such as IBMRS/6000、Power8, Power9, HP's SuperDome, RX9800, RX9900,waveTiansuo K1950, etc.SUN、HPThe company has some high-end minicomputers such asHPSuperDome2, as a product competing with mainframesUnisysClearPath，From the perspective of system architecture and processing logic, it belongs to a completely different technology sequence. H still belongs to the minicomputer category.
characteristic
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technology
The technologies commonly used in high-end IBM minicomputers are:RISCMulti processor architecture, megabyte cache, gigabyte RAM, hundreds of gigabytes ofDisk storage, and a dedicated management processor.They are small and air-cooled, so there is no special cooling pipe requirements for the customer's site.
characteristic
Small computers are very different from ordinary servers (that is, PC-SERVER). The most important thing is the high RAS (reliability, availability, serviceability, high reliability, high availability, and high service) characteristics of small computers.
RAS is the abbreviation of Reliability, Availability and Serviceability. They reflect the three famous characteristics of computers: high reliability, high availability and high service. Their specific meanings are as follows:
High reliability: The computer can run continuously without stopping.
High availability: important resources are backed up;Detect potential problems, and transfer the running tasks to other resources to reduce downtime and keep production running continuously;It has real-time online maintenance and delayed maintenance functions.
High serviceability: it can diagnose online in real time, accurately locate the root problem, and achieve accurate and rapid repair.
