Servers

In computing, a server is a computer program or a device that provides functionality

for other programs or devices, called "clients". This architecture is called the client–
server model, and a single overall computation is distributed across multiple proces-
ses or devices. Servers can provide various functionalities, often called "services",
such as sharing data or resources among multiple clients, or performing computation
for a client. A single server can serve multiple clients, and a single client can use mul-
tiple servers. A client process may run on the same device or may connect over a net-
work to a server on a different device.Typical servers are database servers, file ser-
vers, mail servers, print servers, web servers, game servers, and application servers.

Client–server systems are today most frequently implemented by (and often identi-
fied with) the request–response model: a client sends a request to the server, which
performs some action and sends a response back to the client, typically with a result
or acknowledgment. Designating a computer as "server-class hardware" implies that
it is specialized for running servers on it. This often implies that it is more powerful
and reliable than standard personal computers, but alternatively, large computing clus-
ters may be composed of many relatively simple, replaceable server components.

Hardware
Hardware requirement for servers vary widely, depending on the server's purpose and
its software. Servers are more often than not, more powerful and expensive than the
clients that connect to them.
Since servers are usually accessed over a network, many run unattended without a
computer monitor or input device, audio hardware and USB interfaces. Many servers
do not have a graphical user interface (GUI). They are configured and managed remo-
tely. Remote management can be conducted via various methods including Microsoft
Management Console (MMC), PowerShell, SSH and browser-based out-of-band
management systems such as Dell's iDRAC or HP's iLo.

Large servers
Large traditional single servers would need to be run for long periods without inter-
ruption. Availability would have to be very high, making hardware reliability and dur-
ability extremely important. Mission-critical enterprise servers would be very fault
tolerant and use specialized hardware with low failure rates in order to maximize up-
time. Uninterruptible power supplies might be incorporated to guard against power
failure. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies,
RAID disk systems, and ECC memory,along with extensive pre-boot memory testing
and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, allowing technicians
to replace them on the running server without shutting it down, and to guard against
overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling. They will
often be able to be configured, powered up and down or rebooted remotely, using out-
of-band management, typically based on IPMI. Server casings are usually flat and
wide, and designed to be rack-mounted.
These types of servers are often housed in dedicated data centers. These will normally
have very stable power and Internet and increased security. Noise is also less of a
concern, but power consumption and heat output can be a serious issue. Server rooms
are equipped with air conditioning devices.

Different server roles

The application server is a framework, an environment where applications can run, no
matter what they are or what functions they perform. An application server can be
used to develop and run web-based applications. There are many different types of
application servers, including Java, PHP, and .NET Framework application servers.
Application servers provide many advantages. They provide data and code integrity
by allowing for a more centralized approach to updates and upgrades to applications.
They provide security by centralizing the management of data access and the authen-
tication process. Performance can be improved for heavy usage applications by limit-
ing network traffic. All the advantages and benefits can result in a lower TCO (total
cost of ownership).

A blade may refer to any of the following:

When referring to a network router, switch, server, or another network device, a blade
(also known as an expansion module) is a hardware component that can be installed
into a chassis. It allows for additional functionality, much like an expansion card in a
computer, but often at a much bigger scale. For example, a router or switch with
blade support allows complete customization, if more fiber lines are needed, addition-
al fiber blades can be added.

When talking about servers, a blade, blade server, or a high density server is one rack
mount unit that is capable of holding dozens of different servers. Blade servers can
save space and make maintaining a network of hundreds of servers a lot easier. The
picture is an example of the Dell PowerEdge 1855 and what a blade server may look
like outside of a rack.

Cloud computing is a term used to describe services provided over a network by a col-
lection of remote servers. This abstract "cloud" of computers provides massive, dis-
tributed storage and processing power that can be accessed by any Internet-connected
device running a web browser.

Examples of cloud services

If you have spent any time on the Internet or use devices connected to the Internet,
you likely have used cloud computing in some form. Below are some common exam-
ples of cloud computing you have likely heard of or used.

Adobe Creative Cloud is a cloud-based Software as a service offering from Adobe.

AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Amazon EC2 - Amazon.com provides a variety
of different cloud computing services
Dashlane - Online password service to synchronize and manage passwords be-
 tween all devices.
Google App Engine - A service that provides users the ability to create scalable
web services that use Google's resources.
Google Calendar - A way to organize your schedule, synchronize, and share events
with your friends.
Google Docs - A fantastic free solution from Google that allows you to open Mi-
crosoft Office documents as well as share them with other users with Internet ac-
cess.
Microsoft OneDrive - Formerly known as SkyDrive, OneDrive is an online storage
service for Windows 8 and Windows 10 users to store Windows related files, Of-
fice documents, and other files.
Nextcloud - Open-source software that allows you to run a personal cloud server,
forked from the OwnCloud project.
Online backup - There are several online backup services to store your important
information offsite in the cloud. For example, Mozy and Dropbox are two good ex-
amples of cloud storage and online storage backup solutions that store information
in the cloud.
Oracle public cloud - Oracle cloud service for small and large businesses.
OwnCloud - Open-source software that enables you to run a personal cloud file
storage service.
Windows Azure - A cloud computing solution by Microsoft that allows companies
to develop and run services from their cloud.

A database server is a computer system that provides other computers with services
related to accessing and retrieving data from a database. Access to the database server
may occur via a "front end" running locally a user's machine (e.g., phpMyAdmin), or
"back end" running on the database server itself, accessed by remote shell. After the
information in the database is retrieved, it is outputted to the user requesting the data.
Many companies utilize a database server for storage. Users can access the data by
executing a query using a query language specific to the database. For example, SQL
is a good example of a query language.

A server that is hosted by a company and only allows one company to lease and ac-
cess it is called a dedicated server. It is "dedicated" to the one client and is not shared
with any other clients. Dedicated servers usually allow the client to choose what oper-
ating system is installed on it and what type of hardware. In some cases, as an add-on
service, the hosting company provides administration services for the client, freeing
the client from having to worry about the server.
In most cases, the hosting company performs all or most of the maintenance on the
dedicated server. This includes:
operating system updates
updates to any installed applications
monitoring of the server and applications
firewall maintenance
intrusion detection and prevention
 data backups
disaster recovery
The hosting company also employs strict security measures to safeguard their clients'
data. Clients usually pay a monthly, quarterly, or yearly fee to use a dedicated server,
which can save money over hosting, maintaining, and managing their own servers on-
site.

Domain name services DNS

Short for Domain Name System, a DNS is a service that receives a request containing
a domain name hostname and responds with the corresponding IP address. The first
DNS was designed and implemented by Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel in 1983.

How does DNS work?

When a user wants to visit Computer Hope, they can type "https://www.computer-
hope.com" into the address bar of their browser. Once that domain name is entered, it
is looked up on a Domain Name System where it is translated into an IP address (e.g.,
216.58.216.164). Using that IP address, your computer can then locate the Computer
Hope web page and forward that information to your browser.

File server
file server is a computer on a network that is used to provide users on a network with
access to files.

Email server
A remote or central computer that holds electronic mail (e-mail) messages for clients
on a network is called a mail server. A mail server is similar to the post office, where
mail is stored and sorted before being sent to its final destination. When the user re-
quests his or her e-mail, contact is established with the mail server, which then deli-
vers all stored to the client's computer.

Computer or standalone device responsible for managing one or more printers on a

network. Because of the load required for a print job, a print server does not need to
be a fast computer.

Proxy server
A proxy is a computer server or program that's part of the gateway server or another
computer that separates a local network from outside networks. A proxy server will
cache all pages accessed through the network allowing users who may want to visit
that same page to load it faster and reduce the networks bandwidth. When a page is
accessed that is not in the proxy server's cache, the proxy server accesses the page
using its own IP address. Then it caches that page and forwards it to the user.

Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows do-
main networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems as a set of
processes and services.Initially, Active Directory was only in charge of centralized
domain management. Starting with Windows Server 2008. However, Active Direc-
tory became an umbrella title for a broad range of directory-based identity-related ser-
vices.A server running Active Directory Domain Service (AD DS) is called a domain
controller. It authenticates and authorizes all users and computers in a Windows do-
main type network—assigning and enforcing security policies for all computers and
installing or updating software. For example, when a user logs into a computer that is
part of a Windows domain, Active Directory checks the submitted password and de-
termines whether the user is a system administrator or normal user.Also, it allows
management and storage of information, provides authentication and authorization
mechanisms, and establishes a framework to deploy other related services: Certificate
Services, Active Directory Federation Services, Lightweight Directory Services, and
Rights Management Services.Active Directory uses Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) versions 2 and 3, Microsoft's version of Kerberos, and DNS.

Web servers
Web servers are a remote computers or computer programs that delivers web content
(like web pages, etc.) to the end user over the internet upon request through a web
browser. It comprises a computer and a server program. Every web server will have
an internet protocol(IP) address and domain name through which it is identified over
the internet.Many web servers run on high speed internet connection. The basic func-
tion of a web server is to host websites and to deliver web content from its hosted
websites over the internet. During the delivery of web pages, web servers follow a
network protocol known as hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP). Web hosting service
providers uses web servers to host multiple websites. Web servers need a continuous
power supply and necessary cooling for them to function efficiently.

Tower servers
Tower Servers are ideal for when a rack cabinet isn't needed - this is typically a smal-
ler installation or where generally only a single system is installed, such as Small or
Home Offices.
There's a few benefits of a tower server over a rackmount server. Firstly, the noise le-
vel - As tower servers are usually installed in a room occupied by people then the sys-
tems are designed to be quiet and cool running.
Secondly, tower systems don't have such a high spec for their intended uses, so don't
need high-end components such as redundant power supplies or hot-swappable
drives. This keeps the cost down and is again a perfect fit for Small or Home Offices.
Tower Servers are no slouch though -

Rack servers
A rack server, also called a rack-mounted server, is a computer dedicated to use as a
server and designed to be installed in a framework called a rack. The rack contains
multiple mounting slots called bays, each designed to hold a hardware unit secured in
place with screws. A rack server has a low-profile enclosure, in contrast to a tower
server, which is built into an upright, standalone cabinet.A single rack can contain
multiple servers stacked one above the other, consolidating network resources and
minimizing the required floor space. The rack server configuration also simplifies ca-
bling among network components. In an equipment rack filled with servers, a special
cooling system is necessary to prevent excessive heat buildup that would otherwise
occur when many power-dissipating components are confined in a small space.

A rack unit (abbreviated U or RU) is a unit of measure defined as 1 3⁄4 inches

(44.45 mm).[1][2] It is most frequently used as a measurement of the overall height
of 19-inch and 23-inch rack frames, as well as the height of equipment that mounts in
these frames, whereby the height of the frame or equipment is expressed as multiples
of rack units. For example, a typical full-size rack cage is 42U high, while equipment
is typically 1U, 2U, 3U, or 4U high.

Definition
The rack unit size is based on a standard rack specification as defined in EIA-310.[ci-
tation needed] The Eurocard specifies a standard rack unit as the unit of height; it also
defines a similar unit, horizontal pitch (HP), used to measure the width of rack-moun-
ted equipment. The standard was adopted worldwide as IEC 60297 Mechanical struc-
tures for electronic equipment – Dimensions of mechanical structures of the
482.6 mm (19 in) series, and defines the sizes for rack, subrack (a shelf-like chassis in
which cards can be inserted), and the pitch of printed circuit boards/cards providing
physical compatibility of technological equipment, typically in telecommunica-
tions.[citation needed]
While a rack unit is defined as 1 3⁄4 inches (44.45 mm), a front panel or filler panel in
a rack is not an exact multiple of this height. To allow space between adjacent rack-
mounted components, a panel is ​1⁄32 inch (0.03125 in or 0.794 mm) less in height
than the full number of rack units would imply. Thus, a 1U front panel would be 1​
23⁄32 inch (1.71875 in or 43.66 mm) tall. If n is number of rack units, the ideal for-
mula for panel height is h = (1.75n − 0.031) for calculating in inches, and h = (44.45n
− 0.794) for calculating in millimetres. Manufacturing allows for dimensions with
less precision.
The mounting-hole distance differs for 19-inch racks and 23-inch racks: The 19-inch
racks uses uneven spacings while the 23-inch racks uses evenly spaced mounting
holes. Although it is called a 19-inch rack unit, the actual mounting dimensions of a
19-inch rack unit are 18​5⁄16 inches (18.3125 in or 465.1 mm) wide, center to center.

Configurations
A typical full size rack is 42U,[4] which means it holds just over 6 feet (180 cm) of
equipment, and a typical "half-height" rack is 18–22U, which is around 3 feet (91 cm)
high.The term "half-rack" can have different separate meanings: It can describe
equipment that fits in a certain number of rack units, but occupy only half the width
of a 19-inch rack (9.5 inches (241.30 mm)). These are commonly used when a piece
of equipment does not require full rack width, but may require more than 1U of
height.[citation needed] For example, a "4U half-rack" DVCAM deck occupies 4U
(7 in) height × 9.5 in width, and in theory, two 4U half-rack decks could be mounted
side by side and occupy the 4U space. It can also describe a unit that is 1U high and
half the depth of a 4-post rack (such as a network switch, router, KVM switch, or ser-
ver), such that two units can be mounted in 1U of space (one mounted at the front of
the rack and one at the rear). When used to describe the rack enclosure itself, the term
"half-rack" typically means a rack enclosure that is half the height (22U tall).
Rack units are universally the same, but the type of thread[5] can vary depending on
the rack. Mounting rails can be No. 10-32 tapped (Unified Thread Standard), No. 12-
24 tapped, metric M6 threaded or universal square holes. Universal square holes are
becoming the most common as these allow the insertion of replaceable cage nuts for
the type of thread needed.[citation needed] This prevents stripping of the threading on
the rails and allows for more flexibility.

Blade servers
A blade server is a modular server that allows multiple servers to be housed in a smal-
ler area. These servers are physically thin and typically only have CPUs, memory, in-
tegrated network controllers, and sometimes storage drives built in. Any video cards
or other components that are needed will be facilitated by the server chassis. Which is
where the blades slide into. Blade servers are often seen in large data centers. Due to
their ability to fit so many servers into one single rack and their ability to provide a
high processing power.
In most cases, one large chassis such as HPE’s BladeSystem will be mounted into a
server rack and then multiple blade servers slide into the chassis. The chassis can then
provide the power, manage networking, and more. This allows each blade server to
operate more efficiently and requires fewer internal components.
Blade servers are generally used when there is a high computing requirement with
some type of Enterprise Storage System: Network Attached Storage (NAS) or a Sto-
rage Area Network (SAN). They maximize available space by providing the highest
processor per RU availability. Blade Servers also provide rapid serviceability by al-
lowing components to be swapped out without taking the machine offline. You will
be able to scale to a much higher processor density using the Blade architecture. The
facility will need to support a much higher thermal and electrical load per square foot.

Benefits of a Blade Server

Power Consumption – In many cases the chassis for the Blade Server will supply
the power to multiple servers, reducing total consumption.
Hot Swappable – Blade servers can be configured to be hot swappable so if one
blade has a problem, it can be pulled and replaced much more easily. This helps to
facilitate redundancy.
Less Need for Cables – Rather than having to run individual cables for each server,
blade servers can have one cable (often fiber) run to the chassis, thus reducing the
total cable requirements.
Processing Power – Blade Servers can provide an extremely high processing power
while taking up minimal space