What is a Server?
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Frequently we hear someone say they “have a server” because that computer holds files, folders, printers or some other shared resource. All too often this innocent phrase results in confusion and unexpected expense because the term “Server” means something more to folks who work closely with computer and network technology. Dictionary definitions are less than crisp and frequently filled with jargon:

A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files... A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries. Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their server tasks…..... http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/s/server.html

A program which provides some service to other (client) programs. The connection between client and server is normally by means of message passing, often over a network, and uses some protocol to encode the client's requests and the server's responses. The server may run continuously (as a daemon), waiting for requests to arrive or it may be invoked by some higher level daemon which controls a number of specific servers...... http://foldoc.org/foldoc.cgi?server

From these definitions we can generalize that a Server is a computer that provides services to other computers on a network. In essence a Server listens for requests and then fulfills them. The whole purpose for networking in the first place is so that “clients” can benefit from the services of computers acting as “servers”.

For example, suppose you go to our Web site, www.ladenterprizes.com. Your computer (the client) uses several services: a Name Server listens for your request for our web site; looks up our Web site name to obtain the correct IP address for our Web site and transmits that information to your computer; our Web Server listens for your computer’s request to send our default web page and then sends a web page to your computer.

Each provided service requires appropriate software on both the Server and the Client. There are many types of Servers, for example:

Domain Controllers provide support to the network so that computers can find and communicate with each other.

File Servers provide central places to store and manage data files

Print Servers share printers, printer software and print spools

Email Servers receive, collect and send email and other messages

Web Servers provide Web pages to Web Browsers

A network does not necessarily have any Servers – this special situation is called a  Peer-to-Peer network. Unfortunately this kind of network cannot connect many computers because communications between and among the networked computers becomes too difficult. Microsoft recommends no more than 5 computers in a Peer-to-Peer network. Our experience is that once you have about 10 computers on a network, a Domain Controller is needed for proper communications. All Domain Controllers are Servers.

You do not need a Server to share the resources of your computer. Sharing means you are giving security permission to others on your network to access and/or use resources located on your computer.  You can share computer resources even when your network has one or more Servers.

The key difference between a computer that shares resources and a Server is the Server actively provides some kind of “help” to other computers!




 

 
 
 
 

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