Server

A server is a heavy-duty computer that contains files and resources that are shared with other computers over a network. If you surf the Web, you have had experience with servers. Each time you sit at your computer and request Web pages, you request them over a network (called the Internet) from a Web server. The Web server then "serves" the Web page files to your computer, where your browser turns them into Web pages.

A typical server operates by waiting for requests for services on the network. Most servers are dedicated to a single role, but others can be used simultaneously for other operations, particularly when their duty as a server is modest.

Servers typically function as the hub of a network of connected computers, where they process requests from those computers. This arrangement is commonly referred to as a "client/server network." Client simply means any computer that can connect to a server and use the resources it controls, such as Web pages or other files, a connection to a printer, Internet access or even email.

Some of the advantages of using servers in companies or institutions are as follows:

• Important data is kept all in one place where you can better control and protect it.
• Data is protected by stronger security tools, reducing the threat from hackers.
• Data can be more easily managed, backed up and restored.
• You can reduce costs, since resources such as printers, faxes and Internet connections can be shared.

Below, some common types of servers are listed. There are also fax servers, communications servers, backup servers and several other kinds.

• File servers: A file server is used to centralize information by creating a kind of document library. When users want a file, they basically check out the whole file from the file server, work on it locally at their desktop, and then check it back in.
• Print servers: A print server provides access to one or more printers. Sometimes the same server functions as a file server and a print server.
• Application servers: Like a file server, an application server is an information repository. It may, for example, store databases. But unlike a file server, an application server can process information to deliver only the specific data the user/client requests.
• Mail servers: A mail server acts as a network post office for message handling and storage, delivering email to client computers or holding it for remote users to access at their convenience.