Server
A server is a software or hardware device that accepts and responds to requests made over a network. The device that makes the request, and receives a response from the server, is called a client. On the Internet, the term “server” commonly refers to the computer system which receives a request for a web document, and sends the requested information to the client.
Types of servers:
1.FTP Server
File Transfer Protocol (FTP ) is one of the oldest server types. It is responsible for transferring files from server to a computer and vice versa.
2.Proxy Servers
The Proxy server is responsible for a connection between a client(web browser or an app) with and an external server to entertain the request for connection, performance enhancement, and accessibility
3.Online Gaming Server
Gaming server has gained its popularity in a recent decay. This type of server is responsible for connecting hundreds of gamers around the world to an external server(s) for accessing gaming data.
Xbox live is one of the examples for gaming servers.
4.Web servers
The web server is responsible for hosting website files and serve it up through a web browser. It loads an individual file of a web page and loads it to display in the browser as one complete page.
5-Application Servers
Application servers have lion’s share in computer territory between database servers and the end user, where servers are often connected to the two.
6-List Servers
List servers are used to enhance the functionality & management of mailing lists. Whether they are an interactive database that is open to the public or one-way lists that deliver newsletters, announcements or advertising.
7-Chat Servers
This server enables a number of people to share information in the environment of an internet newsgroup that offer real-time discussion capabilities.
8-IRC Servers
Internet Relay Chat is comprised of various independent networks of servers that allow users to connect to each other via an IRC network. It is an option for those who are seeking real-time competence.
9-Fax Servers
Those organizations that want to reduce the incoming and outgoing telephone resources; a fax server is an ideal solution. However, there is a need to fax the actual document.
10-Groupware Servers
It is software that is designed to make the users able to work together, regardless of their location, through the Internet or a corporate Intranet and to work together in a virtual environment.
11-Mail Servers
The mail server just is as important as a web server is. A mail server is to send/receive and store emails on the corporate networks through LANs and WANs and across the internet.
12-Telnet Servers
By the help of it, users log on to a host computer and perform work as if they are working on an isolated computer.
13-News Servers
They work as a source of distribution and delivery for hundreds of available public newsgroups accessible over the USENET news network.
Functions of Server:
The main and important function of a server is to listen in on a port for incoming network requests, and a good demonstration of this is the interaction between a Web server and browser. For a user the process is instantaneous, but when he clicks a link while surfing on the Web, several things are taking place behind the scenes like the request for the Web page is transmitted to the corresponding web server, and the server fetches and assembles the Web page and retransmits it using a protocol like HTTP, and, the user’s browser receives the data, converts it, and displays the page.
Types of Servers
There are mainly three types of Server Hardware are as given below.
1. Tower server
It is a computer intended for use as a server that built in an upright cabinet that stands alone. The cabinet is called a tower which is similar in size and shape to the cabinet for a tower-style personal computer.
2. Rack server
A rack server, is a rack-mounted server and a computer dedicated server to use as a server and designed to be installed in a framework called a rack. The rack contains multiple mounting slots, each designed to hold a hardware unit secured in place with screws.
3. Blade server
Blade server is a server architecture that houses multiple server modules in a single chassis. It is widely used to improve system management and either self-standing or rack mounted, the chassis provides the power supply, and each blade has its own CPU, RAM and storage.
There are some common servers used by organisations are mention below.
1. Proxy server
It is a server that is called a computer, acts as an intermediary between the user’s computer and the Internet and allows client computers to make indirect network connections to other network services.
2. Mail server
A mail server is a computer system that sends and receives email using standard email services protocols like the SMTP protocol that sends messages and handles outgoing mail requests.
3. DNS name
It is a program that uses HTTP to serve the files that form Web pages to users, in response to their requests. Dedicated computers and appliances are may be called as Web servers.
4. Application server
This type of server is acts as a set of components accessible to the software developer through a standard API defined for the platform itself. These are usually performed in the same running environment as their web server(s), and their main work is to support the construction of dynamic pages.
5. Active Directory Server
Active Directory (AD) is consists of several services that run on Windows Server to manage permissions and access to networked resources. AD stores data as objects and it is a single element, such as a user, group, application or device, such as a printer. These objects are normally defined as either resources like printers or computers or security principals such as users or groups.
6. DHCP SERVER
Here DHCP stands for a dynamic host configuration protocol. Which is a network protocol used on IP networks where it is automatically assigns an IP address and other information to each host on the network hence it can communicate efficiently with other endpoints.
7. DNS SERVER
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is the Internet’s system for converting alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses for example, when a URL is typed into a browser, DNS servers return the IP address of the Web server associated with that name.
8. Terminal Server
A terminal server is a network device that enables connections to multiple client server network systems and connect to a LAN network. Microsoft introduced this concept by releasing terminal services as a part of the Windows Server OS.
9. Print Server
It is also called as printer server, which is a device that connects printers to client computers over a network. Print server accepts print jobs from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers.
10. Real-time communication server
It is a term used for any live telecommunications that occur without transmission delays and it is nearly instant with minimal latency. RTC (Real-time communication server) data and messages are not stored between transmission and reception.
11. FTP server
It is a network protocol used to move computer files between a client and server. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is built on a client-server model architecture using separate control and data connections between the client and the server.
12. List Server
It is a Server or a server program that handles subscription requests for a mailing list and distributes new messages and other postings from the list’s members to the entire list of subscribers.
13. Telnet Server
It is a network text-only protocol that offers bidirectional interactive communications facility using virtual terminal connection. Telnet allows connecting to a remote computer over Internet and using programs and data as if they were on your local machine.
14. Open Source Server
It is a program whose source code is made available to use or modification as users where open source software is always developed as a public collaboration and made freely available.
