Current Mainframe Computers and Their Relationship to Duotronic Systems

[knightgrace]

I was, this morning just updating my understanding of Mainframe Computers. A great deal has changed since the last self update. First of all, Mainframe Computers are designed with extremely high reliability ratings. Decades may go by before maintenance is required. Furthermore, they are designed for extremely high throughput of data, using very large databases. Still furthermore, a Mainframe will double check the results - in other words, a Mainframe is fast enough that it can check its work, and not interfere with the results requirements of a real time system.
Secondly, a full backup Mainframe is present for high load problems... This means that irregardless, the system will work.
Not a big surprise. What was a big surprise is that Duotronics was actually invented in the 1960s, as soon as the cost came down to make such a system worth their while.
What does this mean for Star Trek Computers?
It means that the previous systems were, in essence Personal Computers, not Mainframe in nature. This meant that shutting down the whole of the computational system on Enterprise NX-01, would be difficult. In other words, control was local. Yes, there was a file server system.

 

[knightgrace]

So what predated Duotronics? I will go with 'Linear Diffuse Multimode' computers. Those that look at blueprints should recognize this term, the Kobayashi Maru blueprints.

Why? Because another term for this, is disturbited computing. Such that eighty- two individual 16 bit computers, or minicomputers would run the Kobayashi Maru. Why eighty-two? This idea comes from the role playing game 'Star Frontiers ', in which computer levels are the square of the number. Going a bit beyond this, a supplement to the game based on '2010: The Year We Make Contact', in which the Russian ship, had seventeen level one computers forming a level four computer. For the Kobayashi Maru, this means that it was effectively controlled by a level nine computer.

Such. That for a earlier Star Ship, the computer core, would be in the hull, nearest the warp nacelles. Why? Communications distance. Furthermore, the purpose of a computer core is to provide maximum protection for it.

Computers do exist outside of the computer core, in unsafe volumes. In other words a networked system.