Editing Transaction Processing Facility (section)

{{Short description|IBM real-time operating system}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = z/TPF
| logo                   = IBM logo.svg
| logo caption           = 
| logo size              = 120px
| screenshot = 
| caption = 
| developer = [[IBM]]
| source_model = [[Closed source]] (Source code is available to licensed users with restrictions)
| kernel_type = [[Real-time operating system|Real-time]]
| supported_platforms = [[IBM System z]] (z/TPF), [[ESA/390]] (TPF4)
| ui = 3215 [[IBM 3270|3270]]
| family = z/Architecture assembly language (z/TPF), ESA/390 assembly language (TPF4)
| released = {{Start date and age|1979}}
| latest_release_version = 1.1.0.2025<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/ztpf/2025 |title=z/TPF, z/TPFDF, TPF Operations Server, and TPF Toolkit 4.6 for 2025 |publisher=IBM }}</ref>
| latest_test_version = 
| latest_test_date = 
| marketing_target = 
| programmed_in = z/Architecture [[Assembly language]], [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]]
| prog_language = 
| language = 
| updatemodel = 
| package_manager = 
| working_state = Current
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] monthly license charge (MLC)
| website = [https://www.ibm.com/products/z-transaction-processing-facility z/TPF Product Page]
}}
{{History of IBM mainframe operating systems|tpf}}
'''Transaction Processing Facility (TPF)'''<ref name=TPF2Linus.NYT2004>{{cite news  |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
   |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/04/technology/ibm-updates-old-workhorse-to-use-linux.html
   |title=IBM Updates Old Workhorse to Use Linux
   |author=Steve Lohr |date=October 4, 2004}}</ref> is an [[IBM]] [[real-time operating system]] for [[IBM mainframe|mainframe]] computers descended from the IBM [[System/360]] family, including [[IBM System z|zSeries]] and [[IBM System z|System z9]].

TPF delivers fast, high-volume, high-throughput transaction processing, handling large, continuous loads of essentially simple transactions across large, geographically dispersed networks.

While there are other industrial-strength [[transaction processing system]]s, notably IBM's own [[CICS]] and [[IBM Information Management System|IMS]], TPF's specialty is extreme volume, large numbers of concurrent users, and very fast response times. For example, it handles [[Visa Inc.|VISA credit card]] transaction processing during the peak holiday shopping season.<ref>{{cite magazine
    |magazine=[[InformationWeek]] |page=19
    |title=Visa Is Everywhere It Wants To Be
    |author=Michelle Louzoun |date=August 24, 1987}}</ref><ref name=TPF2Linus.NYT2004/>

The TPF passenger reservation application [[Programmed Airline Reservations System|PARS]], or its international version IPARS, is used by many airlines. ''PARS'' is an ''application program''; TPF is an operating system.

One of TPF's major optional components is a high performance, specialized database facility called ''TPF Database Facility'' (TPFDF).<ref>{{cite web|last1=IBM Corporation|title=TPF Database Facility (TPFDF)|url=https://www-01.ibm.com/software/htp/tpf/pages/prod_df.htm|website=z/Transaction Processing Facility|access-date=November 11, 2016}}</ref>

A close cousin of TPF, the transaction monitor [[ALCS transaction monitor|ALCS]], was developed by IBM to integrate TPF services into the more common mainframe operating system [[MVS]], now [[z/OS]].