Host, Database, and Network Servers

A server in the computing world is a computer program and/or hardware that is dedicated to supplying other computers with services, programs and information through a network.

There are many different types of servers that all serve different purposes, computers and individuals. A dedicated server is a computer that is running programs that exclusively serve other computers. They often are lacking screens and keyboards because they are controlled by outside computers. A web server is a computer, or computer program that accepts http addresses and inputs to redirect to different websites.

Web servers often operate through an additional Apache server, which got its name because it originated as “a patchy server”, a bunch of computers that only had small parts of the system but together operated as a large single server. This server was largely responsible for the growth of the World Wide Web and most often uses a Linux server coding, and the source code is open the public, so many applications are available.

The basic components for any database server are a large, high speed hard drive, a powerful multi-tasking CPU, and plenty of RAM. They are optimized to be accessible to multiple users simultaneously and lack some major components that desk top computers rely on. Most servers, even an e-mail server, lack a graphics card because they are never operated in conjunction with a screen.

Network servers often run continuously for years without ever powering down. This requires that they contain the ability to reconfigure and update software and hardware without restarting. Online servers are often rack-mounted and grouped together with many individual units linked closely together for transparent file sharing and back up between different volumes. That also allows an important host server to be protected because all the devices are packed close together.

The entire structure of the internet is powered by literally millions of servers. They allow for e-mail, instant messaging, file transfers, streaming audio and video, online gaming, and access to the World Wide Web and domain name systems. Server hosting is possible by purchasing and configuring a server, or it can be achieved by purchasing space on an existing server, which is how many websites operate.

Individual operating systems often have their own dedicated servers as well, such as the Windows server which is optimized for computers running Microsoft software. There are Mac OSX, Linux, Unix, and many other types of servers that are dedicated to certain operating systems. Servers can also be peer to peer systems, where there is no dedicated computer, but file sharing occurs from individual desktop to desktop. Multiple computers can be connected together and used as a powerful server network, this is known as daisy-chaining and allows for large processes to be broken down into smaller bits that are processed by the array of computers together. The first supercomputers were multiple computers linked together, each individual computer was fairly basic alone, but together they could accomplish incredible computing tasks in much less time, such as decoding the human genome.

 

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