As with every large corporation, Levi Strauss has come to rely heavily on their local area networks. Developing the perfect scheme to keep and maintain every element of the corporation communicated is a difficult task. Levi Strauss came with a migration plan where a client/server oriented platform replaces a mainframe system. The plan is to create a network infrastructure including the following characteristics:
- TCP/IP used on each LAN and Sub-LAN
- Bus Topology star wired LAN – Ethernet technology
- Extensive use of GUI- window platform
Hundreds of LAN administrators will create forums where problems are discussed and new ideas are generated. Constante interaction between end-users and administrators will be crucial. We forecast resistance on some end-users, we need to make sure we explain the difference between mainframes and client-server
A very large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of users simultaneously. In the hierarchy that starts with a simple microprocessor (in watches, for example) at the bottom and moves to supercomputers at the top, mainframes are just below supercomputers. In some ways, mainframes are more powerful than supercomputers because they support more simultaneous programs. But supercomputers can execute a single program faster than a mainframe.