Role of a Server in Networking
In a server-based network, resources are located on a central server or group of servers. A server is a computer that is designated specifically to provide services to the other computers connected in a network. A network client is a computer that accesses the resources available on a server. Generally, client computers have minimal hardware configurations in comparison to the hardware configurations of server computers. A basic network client machine, for instance, might have 8-16 Megabytes (MB) of Random Access Memory (RAM). However, a typical server might have 512 MB of RAM (or more).
Humans often specialize, so that they become very good at one type of task. This approach is beneficial for network servers as well. By dedicating a server to provide a specific set of services, it is possible to carefully tailor the server to the requirements for those services, resulting in optimal performance, simplified troubleshooting, and enhanced scalability.
