Hercules (emulator)

<p>Hercules is a computer <a href="/facts/Emulator/FMHE8qDj">emulator</a> allowing software written for <a href="/facts/IBM_mainframe/0kPkgADx">IBM mainframe</a> computers (<a href="/facts/System/370/TRo1jaFw">System/370</a>, <a href="/facts/System/390/lzkp2UE5">System/390</a>, and <a href="/facts/System_z/JJX9eAsD">zSeries/System z</a>) and for <a href="/facts/Plug_compatible/TKayPudG">plug compatible</a> mainframes (such as <a href="/facts/Amdahl_Corporation/oCbmoP1z">Amdahl</a> machines) to run on other types of computer hardware, notably on low-cost <a href="/facts/Personal_computer/koaYfNce">personal computers</a>. Development started in 1999 by Roger Bowler, a mainframe systems programmer.
</p><p>Hercules runs under multiple parent <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating systems</a> including <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a>, <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Microsoft Windows</a>, <a href="/facts/FreeBSD/RKsFTm7F">FreeBSD</a>, <a href="/facts/NetBSD/PTm5HWls">NetBSD</a>, <a href="/facts/Solaris_(operating_system)/KPfT98EJ">Solaris</a>, and <a href="/facts/MacOS/Y93vVpTm">macOS</a> and is released under the <a href="/facts/Open_source_software/HzTaB8E9">open source software</a> license <a href="/facts/QPL/MJwR3ozt">QPL</a>. It is analogous to <a href="/facts/Bochs/temoY96w">Bochs</a> and <a href="/facts/QEMU/s6utqULJ">QEMU</a> in that it emulates <a href="/facts/Central_processing_unit/Jxp1bqMV">CPU</a> instructions and select peripheral devices only. A vendor (or distributor) must still provide an operating system, and the user must install it. Hercules was the first mainframe emulator to incorporate 64-bit <a href="/facts/Z/Architecture/FcKYkGn9">z/Architecture</a> support.
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Hercules (emulator) open-in-new

Hercules (emulator)