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Transaction Processing Facility
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<p>Transaction Processing Facility (TPF) is an <a href="/facts/IBM/QszA7nwd">IBM</a> <a href="/facts/Real-time_operating_system/IvUCFwCL">real-time operating system</a> for <a href="/facts/IBM_mainframe/0kPkgADx">mainframe</a> computers descended from the IBM <a href="/facts/System/360/7znvpy4K">System/360</a> family, including <a href="/facts/IBM_System_z/JJX9eAsD">zSeries</a> and <a href="/facts/IBM_System_z/JJX9eAsD">System z9</a>. </p><p>TPF delivers fast, high-volume, high-throughput transaction processing, handling large, continuous loads of essentially simple transactions across large, geographically dispersed networks. </p><p>While there are other industrial-strength <a href="/facts/Transaction_processing_system/FxEUdWIt">transaction processing systems</a>, notably IBM's own <a href="/facts/CICS/BNRGFat7">CICS</a> and <a href="/facts/IBM_Information_Management_System/bW0zbK9N">IMS</a>, TPF's specialty is extreme volume, large numbers of concurrent users, and very fast response times. For example, it handles <a href="/facts/Visa_Inc./v2B56a8f">VISA credit card</a> transaction processing during the peak holiday shopping season. </p><p>The TPF passenger reservation application <a href="/facts/Programmed_Airline_Reservations_System/qTvEYSDF">PARS</a>, or its international version IPARS, is used by many airlines. <i>PARS</i> is an <i>application program</i>; TPF is an operating system. </p><p>One of TPF's major optional components is a high performance, specialized database facility called <i>TPF Database Facility</i> (TPFDF). </p><p>A close cousin of TPF, the transaction monitor <a href="/facts/ALCS_transaction_monitor/jnmX727U">ALCS</a>, was developed by IBM to integrate TPF services into the more common mainframe operating system <a href="/facts/MVS/VPSmB9ML">MVS</a>, now <a href="/facts/Z/OS/amLCAlgV">z/OS</a>. </p>