The Anatomy of a Server - What’s a Server?

The server is the nucleus of the internetworking computer system. Smaller companies may have one or two servers, while Fortune 500 companies may use hundreds of servers to handle the ever-growing digital workload. These machines are used to handle a plethora of applications and systems that are designed to make business run better, faster, and cheaper. Servers handle the same functions for the Internet as a whole, which is made up of thousands of servers, and even for multiplayer networks, where PC gamers from all over the world congregate to simulate a virtual reality on their desktop.

A server is a hub in a wheel, connecting the spokes to a tire that makes it turn. A server is a heart of knowledge, bringing cohesiveness to the chaos of independent thinking. It’s the one place that’s always open and ready to serve you.

Although many people call the actual computer hardware the “server,” it’s the software (including NOS) on that computer that “serves” the others in the network. The term “server” originates from its position in the client/server architecture, in which a server is the program (or bundle of programs) that stands idle until called upon to fulfill requests from client machines, or nodes. Various types of servers exist, including database servers, file servers, web servers, and application servers, just to name a few. In a multilayered architecture, demanding applications, such as database, authentication, and firewall applications, may be distributed onto separate server machines for purposes of load balancing and added security.

The client, a typical workstation, runs any operating system desired, but can still access specific data and resources from the centralized server. A client can be defined as anybody using a computer to log into somewhere for something. Whether it’s to access the Internet, to access a corporate database, or to grab your e-mail off the AOL mail server; the server serves the client’s request.

A server may be needed for many reasons, and most larger organizations already recognize those benefits within an enterprise-size environment. However, I believe a server is especially important (and I’ll provide some examples) for small to midsize companies. Microsoft’s Windows 2000 Server or Server 2003 is an affordable server OS that comes with a suite of solutions. You can also use one of the many flavors of Linux, which is free, or the network-centric Novell solution. Any one of these solutions offers smaller companies the same cost efficiencies and improved processes that large-scale enterprises enjoy.

I’ll show you how to build your own customized machine for about $400, enabling you to save thousands of dollars and stay up and running at 99.999 percent uptime. This can be done by focusing on your specific business needs and building a box around that, without the inflated cost of a pre-built, preinstalled server.

You can provide your customers with information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7), by setting up a web server for an intranet (a closed, corporate web site portal), effectively giving individuals secured access to unique data from their own web browser. Windows 2000 Server also has extended built-in functionalities, including the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), a service that automatically provides a requesting workstation a new IP address, relieving the local administrator from having to manually configure a remote user’s laptop or PC. This is one of the functionalities you can provide your business with the use of a server.

The following are some of the other functionalities you can provide with a server:

• Create a Value Added Network VAN, a secure tunnel through the Internet, between your server and your customer’s server.
  
• Implement Terminal Services to gain administrative access from a remote location.
  
• Assign and maintain disk quotas easily.
  
• Restrict access to unwanted online content by blocking specific IP addresses.
  
• Set up automated nightly backups.
  
• Print a document at the office from home via Internet printing.

One of the greatest benefits of a server is that you can share resources within any office environment (commercial building or at home). If you’re sharing a color inkjet printer, CD writer, DVD-ROM, Zip drive, or even hard drive space with “Bob’s” computer in Accounting (because they get all the good stuff), you’re limited to Bob’s schedule. By moving all those goodies to a server, they always are open and ready to “serve” from anywhere.