IT Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done
This is a how to be an IT manager book, and it covers every area possible and then some.
TABLE OF CONTENTS IT Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done
Section 10.1: Servers: What Is the Difference between Database, Application, Web, and File and Print Servers?
10.1 Servers: What Is the Difference between Database, Application, Web, and File and Print Servers?
In general, the data network is what gets data between devices (printers, servers, workstations, etc.). Very often the data is moving to and from a server. A server is a generic term that really means little more than a resource that is shared and can be accessed by multiple users (be it humans, or other devices).
There are multiple types of servers that might exist in any IT environment. It is entirely possible for a single device to provide all of the types of server applications discussed below. Of course, this is likely to tax the resources of a single box, not to mention the fact that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to tweak the configuration parameters of the server to provide the optimum performance for all functions.
File and Print Servers
File and print servers are the most basic types of servers and were the first servers to arrive on the scene. File and print are two different functions, but since they are so fundamental, they are often referred to together.
File Servers
These are central devices that store different types of files (data, application, etc.), which users can share. In their most basic form, users can access the datastored on a file server and manipulate its contents as easily as manipulating the contents of their own workstation's hard drive. Of course, file servers provide some management capabilities such as security and...
Copyright Bill Holtsnider and Brian D. Jaffe 2001 under license agreement with Books24x7
