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This episode of SciShow is brought to you by IBM Z.
本期节目由IBM Z赞助播出。
Learn more about the Mainframe, including its performance, scalability, and security capabilities, at IBM.biz/mainframe.
有关Mainframe的更多信息，包括其性能、可扩展性和安全功能，请访问IBM.biz/ Mainframe。
Every day, as you go about your life, you interact with one of the most important pieces of tech in the modern world.
在每天的生活中，你都在和现代世界上最重要的科技之一互动。
Whether you're taking out cash from an ATM, booking a flight,
不管是从ATM机里取钱、订机票
or doing some online shopping, this often-overlooked piece of hardware is helping you do it.
还是网上购物，这个经常被忽视的硬件正在帮助您完成这项工作。
And no, I'm not talking about your shiny new smartphone or the latest supercomputer. I'm talking about mainframe computing.
不，我说的不是你的新智能手机或最新的超级计算机。我说的是主机计算。
Commercial mainframe computers have been around since the 1950s, but they've stuck around.
商用主机计算机在20世纪50年代就已经出现了，且一直没有消失。
New models are coming out all the time, and they're the driving force behind so many everyday things.
新品层出不穷，并且它们是许多日常事物背后的驱动力。
And once you know what mainframes do for you, you'll see why.
一旦你知道主机为你做了什么，你就会知道为什么。
Modern mainframes are about the size of a refrigerator, and they tackle thousands of problems all at once.
现代主机约有冰箱大小，并且它们可以同时处理数千个问题。
Each year, they process billions of ATM transactions, flights, and the large majority of credit card transactions.
每年，它们要处理数以十亿计的ATM交易、航班和大部分信用卡交易。
Their whole reason for being is to take in external data and process it quickly.
它们存在的全部原因就是接收外部数据并快速处理。
And they can do that because of how they're structured.
它们之所以能做到这一点，是因为它们的结构。
Although they actually keep their information in multiple places,
尽管它们实际上将信息保存在多个地方，
you can think of mainframes sort of like warehouses that store data. They're what's called a central data repository.
但是大家可以将主机看作是存储数据的仓库。它们就是所谓的中央数据存储库。
And any device that's connected to that repository can access its information.
任何连接到那个存储库的设备都可以访问它的信息。
In some ways, this isn't that different from, your family's computer, where four or five different users might access the same hard drive.
在某些方面，这和你家里的电脑没有什么不同，在家里，四五个不同的用户可能访问同一个硬盘驱动器。
But mainframes take this concept to the extreme.
但主机将这概念发挥到了极致。
These hubs can be connected to a bunch of input and output devices,
这些枢纽可以连接到一组输入和输出设备，
including things like personal computers, ATMs, and those self-service kiosks at the airport.
包括个人电脑、ATM机以及机场的自助服务亭。
Basically, anything with a display screen and an input device like a keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen.
基本上是任何有显示屏和输入设备的东西，比如键盘、鼠标或触摸屏。
Data can come flowing in from thousands of devices, and a mainframe will process it all and quickly spit out a result.
数据可以从成千上万的设备中源源不断地输入，而主机将处理所有这些数据并快速地输出结果。
These things are powerful. And even with all the new technology that's come along,
这些东西很强大。即便是所有的新技术加在一起，
nothing has been able to do their job as securely and reliably as a mainframe itself, not even supercomputers!
都没有什么能像主机一样安全可靠地完成它们的工作，即使是超级计算机！
Now, these devices might seem similar at first, since they're both incredible machines that process a lot of data,
起初，这些设备可能看起来很相似，因为它们都是处理大量数据的机器
but they're not the same thing at all. And a supercomputer can't do a mainframe's job.
但它们根本不是一回事。超级计算机不能做主机的工作。
Supercomputers were made to be fast and solve complex problems.
超级计算机被设计成速度快且能解决复杂问题的机器。
They don't typically deal with a bunch of real-time transactions the way mainframes do.
它们通常不能像主机一样处理一大堆实时事物。
So while supercomputers can perform trillions or quadrillions of calculations a second, way more than a mainframe,
所以虽然超级计算机每秒可以执行数万亿或万亿次的计算，比主机多得多，
they use all that processing power to work on one extremely complex problem at a time,
但它们是利用所有这些处理能力一次处理一个极其复杂的问题，
like modeling weather or how a disease will spread. They weren't designed to solve multiple problems at once.
比如天气建模或疾病将如何传播。它们不能同时处理多个问题。
And that's where mainframes excel. Now, on the other end of the spectrum,
而主机的优势所在。在光谱的另一端
it might just seem like mainframes are extra powerful versions of personal computers, or PCs.
主机似乎就像是个人电脑（PCs）的加强版本一样。
But that's not true, either. It is true that we can use PCs to perform a lot of tasks we used to need giant computers to do.
这种说法也不对。事实上，我们可以利用PCs完成很多以前需要巨型电脑才能完成的任务。
But no matter how good your gaming desktop is, it's not about to replace a mainframe, either.
但不论你的游戏台式机有多好，它都不能替代主机。
For one, mainframes can carry out a lot more tasks without crashing.
首先，主机可以执行更多的任务而不崩溃。
That's because your laptop probably only has one or two processors, with a few cores each.
这是因为你的笔记本电脑可能只有一个或两个处理器，每个处理器有几个核心。
Meanwhile, a mainframe can have well over 100 cores.
而一个主机可以有100多个核心。
Also, you know how sometimes your computer just grinds to a halt?
还有，你知道有时候你的电脑怎么就死机了吗？
Usually that means it's time for a reboot to fix any software bugs or flush out the memory.
通常这意味着电脑需要重新启动来修复任何软件漏洞或清除内存。
But a mainframe can go years without a reboot because it has lots of redundant parts.
但主机可以运行多年且不需要重启，因为它有很多多余的零件。
So support staff can physically swap out the ones that run into trouble without restarting the whole thing.
因此，后勤人员可以在不重新启动整个系统的情况下，将遇到麻烦的零件替换掉。
So, from little PCs to huge supercomputers,
所以从小型PCs到巨型超级计算机，
there's just nothing quite as good at processing thousands of simple problems, in real time, as a mainframe.
在实时处理成千上万个简单问题方面，没有什么能比得上主机。
Of course, there is one contender we haven't mentioned yet; one people love to talk about: the cloud.
当然，有一个竞争者我们还没有提到；一个大家喜欢谈论的东西：云。
If you use Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Netflix, or an iPhone, you're probably already familiar with the cloud.
如果你在用Google Drive、Microsoft 365、Netflix or iPhone，那么你可能已经对它很熟悉啦。
Cloud computing basically means that you have apps, software, and data living on external servers,
云计算意味着你的apps、软件和数据都在外部服务器上，
and you access them through the Internet, rather than keeping everything on your hard drive.
并且你可以通过互联网访问它们，而不是把所有东西都放在你的硬盘上。
So it's super convenient for accessing files from multiple devices or collaborating with other people.
因此，从多个设备访问文件或与他人协作超级方便。
But again… it doesn't take the place of a mainframe.
但它也无法取代主机。
You could use the cloud to process a bunch of transactions, even billions a day like a mainframe.
你可以使用云来处理大量的事务，甚至像大型机一样每天处理数十亿的事务。
But it comes at a cost. Like, for one, your business has to rely on having a good Internet connection. Which isn't always a given.
但这是有代价的。比如，你的业务必须依赖于良好的互联网连接。这是不常有的。
Then there's the risk of being hacked. If your business uses cloud services,
还有被非法入侵的风险。如果你的义务使用云服务，
they're typically counting on someone else to securely set up the server and protect it from malicious attacks.
它们通常要依靠其他人来安全地设置服务器并保护它免受恶意攻击。
But mainframes are more secure by design. Among other things, they can use their processing power to encrypt all data all the time.
但主机在设计上更加安全。除此之外，它们还可以使用自己的处理能力随时加密所有数据。
Some companies are solving these problems by running their clouds on mainframes,
一些公司通过运行云上的主机来解决这些问题，
but that definitely means they're not getting rid of their mainframe anytime soon.
但这肯定意味着他们不会很快摆脱主机。
Mainframes are reliable and secure, and they're still really useful in lots of industries, from things like hospitals to finance.
主机可靠又安全，并且它们在很多行业，如医院和金融业仍然非常有用。
Some businesses are using a kind of hybrid approach, where they keep some of their data in the cloud
一些企业正在使用一种混合方法：在云上存储一些数据
but keep running transactions through good-old mainframes. And in a way, that's why mainframes have stuck around so long.
并通过运行良好的旧主机运行事务。在某种程度上，这就是主机已经存在了这么久的原因。
As much as computing has changed, this more-than-70-year-old technology is continuing to evolve and power our lives.
尽管计算技术已经发生了很大的变化，但这项有着70多年历史的技术仍在继续发展，并为我们的生活提供动力。
Thanks to IBM Z for supporting this episode.
感谢 IBM Z对本期视频的支持。
IBM Z is an enterprise computing system built for processing high-speed transactions, as well as for availability, security, and data privacy.
IBM Z是为处理高速事物以及可用性、安全性和数据隐私而构建的企业计算系统。
You can find out more about the mainframe's reliability, who uses them, and why they're a big deal at IBM.biz/mainframe.
您可以在IBM.biz/mainframe上了解更多关于主机可靠性、谁使用它们以及它们重要性的知识。
And if you're interested in learning more, you can check out IBM's Master the Mainframe.
如果你想了解更多，可以查看IBM的Master the Mainframe。
It's an annual academic contest and year-long learning program. To find out how you can participate, go to IBM.biz/masterthemainframe.
这是一年一度的学术竞赛及为期一年的学习项目。登录IBM.biz/masterthemainframe，参与其中。
It's a fun way to experience hands-on mainframe technology, and there's no prior knowledge required!
这是亲身体验主机技术的一种有趣的方式，而且还不需要相关知识！
