There are numerous types of servers in the computing world that facilitate different uses. A server is designed to connect different machines with each other. They are most commonly found in workplaces and allow employees to access information from a centralised system.
What is a server?
A server is defined as a specialised machine that stores information in a central system and sends the information to individual computers when users access the server. The computers can be connected to the server hardware through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).
In addition to the different functionalities they provide users with, servers also come in various types and sizes to serve specific needs. This is why servers are referred to as ‘dedicated’, meaning that they can only perform the specific task they are designed to do. This is in contrast to operating systems where a computer connected to the system can run multiple programs at once.
When a server and an individual (client) computer are working together it is known as the client/server network. There are many different servers designed to meet user-specific needs; they are discussed below:
File servers
The primary function of a file server is to provide client computers with a central location to access various files. This could be an image, document or anything else, as long as it is stored in a file. This client-server can be accessed on a LAN and typically exists in schools and workplaces. File servers can also double as other servers such as printing and other related functions. The downside to this type of server is that it requires a large bandwidth and can be quite slow if there are too many users connected to the server.
Database server
As the name suggests, a database server allows a user to retrieve data from the server. You can either access the server from the ‘front-end’ which is through the user’s personal device or through the ‘back-end’- by running the database itself. Once the information is retrieved from the database, it is sent to the user requesting the data. Database servers also have the ability to comprehend SQL (Structured Query Language) that is input by the client. The code in the database server processes the SQL data and uses the processing power to identify the requested data and send it to the client computer.
Application server
An application server is a machine that acts as a middleman between the database server and the end client. It is also known as middleware software because it connects otherwise separate applications such as the database and the web browser. Through the application server, users can access the information on their database through the web browser. Since the application server is a middleware software, it contains unique import and export features. It is also known as plumbing as it takes information from one application and passes it on to another application. Some common middleware software includes TP monitors, DCE environments and Database accessing systems.
Audio and video servers
The audio and video servers allow us to watch videos and play music on websites. This process is known as Streaming which involves transferring data that can be processed on the web browser as a continuous stream. Audio/video servers have become popular in recent years as the demand for video and music services has increased. Streaming also allows a user to display the data before the entire file has been processed.
In order to stream multimedia files, the client’s computer needs to be able to receive the data and stream it through the application that is processing the data. Hence, when the client computer receives the data too soon, the excess data needs to be stored in a buffer before it is played but if the data does not come fast enough, the viewing experience will not be great as you need to wait for the data to load.
Chat server
This server allows users to exchange information with each other in real time. This type of server is commonly found in workplaces due to their real-time discussion capabilities. With this server, the client computer has to receive a steady flow of information continuously and process it immediately. Many operating systems do not have the ability to process the information in real-time and may take a few minutes.
The real-time information does not just refer to text data but also visual images and animation that needs to be displayed in real-time as the objects on the screen would have to move at the same pace as the objects in real-life.
News server
The news servers act as a distribution source for news and are accessible over the USENET news network. USENET is a large system that can be accessed on the internet through numerous online services. The server contains more than 14,000 newsgroups that cater to a variety of interest groups.
Transaction server
The Microsoft Transaction Server (also known as Viper) acts a sub-server and works on a network server. The role of the transaction server is to manage the transaction requests on the database and application server. In addition to this, it formulates requests that are unfamiliar to the database server while maintaining the integrity of the transactions.
The transaction server allows the user to create a customised transaction model and then use the server to manage the model for multiple users.
List/mail server
A list server allows you to manage mailing lists and manage one-way lists to send out newsletters or announcements.
The mail server stores the user’s email over the LAN and WAN networks.
Web server
Probably one of the most important servers, the web server is required by any computer that hosts websites. A web server is sold as apart of a much larger package for both the internet and intranet programs for downloading files and publishing web pages. The web server should be easily integrated with the server operating system and be able to handle server-side programs.
They are a variety of servers that have a specific purpose a use. A user should pick the servers they require based on their needs (personal or business) and the number of users that will use the server. The Dell Workstation Laptop is a great laptop as it plays the role of the server as well.
