The almost 40-year-old mainframe computer system has been replaced in virtually all academic areas at Iowa State.

The mainframe systems will definitely be replaced by client-server systems in the next few years said Peter Siegel, director of academic information technology at the Computation Center.

The client-server system is beneficial in many ways, he said.

“You can build up the system you want rather than having one big machine do the work,” he said. “You can customize the environment and make it flexible with a low cost.”

Siegel said the reason for the change is because the mainframe system is “the last generation workhorse computer.”

One ISU institution that has eliminated mainframe computing is Parks Library.

The library was one of the chief users of the Computation Center’s mainframe system, Siegel said. The online catalog, the circulation system and the acquisition system at the library are now on client-server systems.

Olivia Madison, dean of library services, said the new system provides access to online catalogs through the Internet and helps with interlibrary loan.

The new system also is a main part of the “Scholar System,” which provides access to indexing and abstracts, she said.

Mainframes have one central machine do the work, while client-server systems are larger versions of desktop servers, she said.

Madison said the library changed it computer system to keep up with technological advances. She also said the mainframe’s Y2K incompatibility influenced the timing of the change.

Madison said the client-server system is the wave of the future for university libraries.

“The new system represents where computing for libraries is going,” she said. “The main library management systems are benefiting from client-server technology.”