Fourth Generation Language
Fourth Generation Language
Often abbreviated 4GL, fourth-generation languages are programming languages closer to human languages than typical high-level programming languages. Most 4GLs are used to accessdatabases. For example, a typical 4GL command is FIND ALL RECORDS WHERE NAME IS "SMITH" The other four generations of computer languages are y y y y first generation: machine language second generation: assembly language Third generation: high-level programming languages, such as C, C++, and Java. Fifth generation: languages used for artificial intelligence and neural networks.
How do you know when you need a server? How is a server different from a How much memory and disk space will it need?
Many people mistakenly believe that a server is no different from a typical desktop computer. This couldn't be further from the truth. While almost any computer that meets the minimum hardware requirements can run a server operating system that alone does not make a desktop computer a true server. Even if the desktop computer had similar processor speeds, memory and storage capacity compared to a server, it still isn't a replacement for a real server. The technologies behind them are engineered for different purposes.
y Main Differences
A desktop computer system typically runs a user-friendly operating system and desktop applications to facilitate desktop-oriented tasks. In contrast, a server manages all network resources. Servers are often dedicated (meaning it performs no other task besides server tasks). Because a server is engineered to manage, store, send and process data 24-hours a day it has to be more reliable than a desktop computer and offers a variety of features and hardware not typically used in the average desktop computer.
y Server Hardware
One of the best choices for a small business is a dedicated server built from the ground up as a file server to provide features and expansion options that a desktop computer lacks. Some server hardware decisions you will need to make include the following: 1. Form Factor: For small businesses, the best choice is a dedicated entry-level server in a tower configuration. 2. Processor: Choose a server-specific processor to boost performance and data throughput. 3. Memory: Buy as much memory as you can afford and look for expansion slots for future upgrades. 4. Storage: Look for SATA or SCSI hard disks, not IDE.
y Server OS
The operating system (OS) is the software platform on top of which other programs will run. Choosing a server operating system is no easy task. The specific operating system you go with will depend on what the server is going to be mainly used for. For basic file servers a small business should choose an operating system that staff will be the most comfortable with. Another issue to consider is if you have any application that is bestsuited to a particular operating system.
y Server Considerations
For the average home user looking for a basic, infrequently used server a built from an old desktop computer could work. For the small business owner, however, the question to ask is: Do you really want to trust your business data and processes to just any old hardware? Most small businesses will be far happier with a computer that is readymade to be a dedicated server than with one that began life as a standard desktop computer. If your company's data is at all important to you, it is the only way to go.
A Storage Area Network (SAN) is a high-speed subnetwork of shared storage devices. Many IT organizations today debate whether the advantages of implementing a storage area network (SAN) justify the associated costs. So, should you be moving away from your current storage strategy and towards a Storage Area Network (SAN)? Continue reading to learn about the storage area network and its role in modern network environments.
y SAN Explained
Even the most complex technologies provide the most basic of functions. This is certainly true of Storage Area Networks (SANs). A Storage Area Network is a high-speed sub network of shared storage devices. A SAN's architecture works in a way that makes all storage devices available to all servers on a LAN or WAN. As more storage devices are added to a SAN, they too will be accessible from any server in the larger network. A Storage Area Network can be anything from two servers on a network accessing a central pool of storage devices to several thousand servers accessing many millions of megabytes of storage.
y Advantages of SANs
Storage Area Networks (SANs) allow storage devices to exist on their own separate network and communicate directly with each other over very fast media. SANs address the bandwidthbottlenecks commonly associated with LAN-based server storage and the scalability limitations found with SCSI bus based implementations. The advantages of SANs are numerous, but perhaps one of the best examples is that of the serverlessbackup. This system allows a disk storage device to copy data directly to a backup device across the high-speed links of the SAN without any intervention from a server. Data is kept on the SAN, which means the transfer does not pollute the LAN, and the server processing resources are still available to client systems. These advantages have led to an increase in the popularity of SANs as they are better suited to address the data storage needs of data-intensive networks.
y SAN Implementation
Storage Area Networks (SANs) are most commonly implemented using a technology called Fibre channel. Fibre Channel is a set of communication standards that supports very fast data rates. Devices on the Storage Area Network are normally connected together through a special kind of switch, called a Fibre Channel switch that acts as a connectivity point for the devices. This provides a dedicated path between the devices in the SAN fabric so that they can use of the entire bandwidth for the duration of the communication.
y Do I Need a SAN?
Bring it all Together: So, the question that remains is this: Should you be moving away from your current storage strategy and towards a Storage Area Network (SAN)? The answer is not a simple one. If you have the need to centralize or streamline your data storage then a SAN may be right for you. The price tag of SAN equipment may still be outside the reach of small businesses. If this is the case your business may need to investigate other types of storage networking technologies such as Direct Attached Storage (DAS) or Network Attached Storage (NAS).
y Do I Need a Server?
Does your business have more than 5 employees? If your answer is Yes, then your business should be using a server network. Continue reading to better understand the benefits of server technology. While implementing a network is not a trivial or inexpensive undertaking, the benefits you gain by adding a server to your computing environment far outweigh any shortcomings.
y Server 101
But what exactly is a Server? Many people are under the misconception that a server is no different from a typical desktop PC. This couldn't be further from the truth. While almost any PC that meets the minimum hardware requirements can run the server operating system, that doesn't make it a true server. A desktop system is optimized to run a user-friendly operating system, desktop applications, and facilitate other desktop oriented tasks. Even if the desktop had similar processor speeds, memory and storage capacity, it still isn't a replacement for a real server. The technologies behind them are engineered for different purposes A server is engineered to manage, store, send and process data, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 356 days a year. For these reasons, servers need to be far more reliable than their desktop counterparts. In order to accomplish this, servers offer a variety of features not typically found in a desktop PC. Some servers will include: - Duel processors; either equipped or capable - Redundant hard drives or power supplies - Hot swappable components - Are scalable; to meet current, as well as future needs - Can process data faster and more efficiently So now that you know what makes up a server, what can a server do for you? Some of the more important ones are the following: - File and Network security - Increased reliability - Centralized data storage and shared resources - Virus Management - Centralized Backup
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y Server Benefits
y #1 File and Network security The most important role of a file server is the network security it provides. By creating individual user and group accounts, rights can be assigned to the data stored on the network preventing unauthorized users from accessing materials they shouldn't be viewing. For example, the sales team doesn t need access to employee personal records which should only be accessible by HR. #2 Increased reliability; decreased workflow interruptions Many servers are equipped with redundant power supplies. With a secondary power supply running in tandem, the loss of one of the power supplies doesn't affect normal system operations. The same goes for a server's storage system. Unlike an average desktop PC that uses a single hard drive, a server will typically use multiple hard drives working in a RAID configuration to prevent data loss or an interruption in workflow. In addition, many servers are also equipped with hot swappable hard drives and power supplies. These hot swappable components allow you to replace faulty hardware without interrupting the entire office. In addition, since all employee data is being stored on the network, if a user's workstation fails mid-workday, employees can access the same files from another workstation. #3 Centralized data storage and shared resources With a network server, all of the users on the network can make use of various network resources right from their desks, increasing efficiently. Some of these resources include the following: - Centralized data storage (RAID Array) - Network Attached Storage (NAS) Devices - CD/DVD Towers - Printers and Fax servers #4 Virus Management One of the greatest threats to your network is the possibility of infection from viruses, spyware and spam. So having good, updated, anti-virus software installed on your systems is a necessity. In an office of 10 people or less, systems can be maintained individually. Anything more than that, though, can become a real burden. In those circumstances, an anti-virus package that combines workstation and server virus protection into a single solution makes more sense.
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#5 Centralized Backup All businesses should backup their data on a regular basis. By having all of your company and employee data stored in one location, backups can be performed reliably and quickly. So you'll never need to worry about what data is stored on what workstation as you do in a peer-to-peer network. Today, almost any media type can be used for backup purposes. In addition to the traditional tape drive, CDs, DVDs, removal storage and even Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices are acceptable. Your choice of media will depend on your specific backup requirements. Depending on your budget and your data retention needs, any of these would be an acceptable solution. Make sure you have at least a scheduled weekly backup, although a daily would be better.
Server Memory and Disk Space Server Role Number of Users Server Demands Wrapping It Up
y Server Role
Servers are designed to efficiently provide shared applications and resources to individual computers over a network. Specifically, a server can be responsible for providing access to: - Databases - Websites - Email - Files and applications - Video and other multimedia-based content - Terminal services for remote access - Collaboration and chatting - Any combination of the above Each type of role creates different data processing and information storage needs, which directly impacts the amount of memory and hard drive space a server needs for optimal performance. A file server, for example, is likely to need less memory and more storage space than other types of servers as a result of its primary function involving a greater emphasis on data transfer than data processing. In theory, your server can never have too much memory or storage space, but in reality cost and space limitations make it a necessity to determine an amount that will best fit what your server will be used for while balancing these needs with your organizational or departmental budgetary constraints. The good news is that in most cases both RAM and storage space can be increased fairly easily, allowing you to increase your server's performance as its role expands over time, or as the number of users it needs to support increases.
y Number of Users
The correlation between the number of users a server will be supporting and the amount of memory needed is very high. A server whose number of users consistently exceeds the amount of memory available will see performance suffer as the server has to tap into utilizing hard disk drive storage space for virtual memory, which is considerably slower than physical memory. As a result, the amount of memory in a server directly impacts the number of concurrent users that it can support, as well as the number of applications the users can concurrently use to interact with the server. An important consideration, though, is the maximum amount of RAM the server's operating system can utilize. As an example, the standard editions of Windows Server,
including Windows Server 2008, can only support a maximum of 4 GB of RAM, whereas the enterprise and datacenter editions can scale from 32 GB up to 2 TB, depending on the specific version of Windows Server used. When it comes to storage space, many organizations initially gauge their server's amount of storage based on the number of users the server is expected to accommodate, but the correlation between storage space and users isn't as high as the memory side of the equation. A more important gauge of how much storage is needed involves the types of demands users are expected to place on the server.
y Server Demands
The types of demands users are expected to place on the server are directly related in most cases to the role (or roles) the server is expected to be responsible for, which we covered in the previous slide. What your users will be accessing on the server and working with will determine how much memory and storage you can expect each user to need. In terms of storage, disk quotas can be applied to track and control each individual user's disk space, helping to prevent the server from filling to capacity without warning. Quotas can also be applied on a per-user basis if some users have needs that necessitate additional storage space. As an example, if a file server has a limit of 250 MB per user but you find that some users need to exceed that limit, these users can be provided with higher limits (500 MB or 1 GB, for example). The key is to set quotas that will allow you to accommodate your initial number of users and their needs while retaining enough unused storage space to accommodate user growth or evolving data storage needs. And as mentioned earlier, additional storage space and memory can be added to a server fairly easily and inexpensively in most cases without needing to replace the server. On the memory side of the equation, additional memory will allow users to retrieve information from the server more quickly as well as run more server-based applications concurrently without seeing any performance degradation.
y Wrapping It Up
Servers have many roles and support all types of users, which unfortunately means there are no universal "one size fits all" guidelines when it comes to determining how much memory and storage a given server will need in order to operate efficiently. However, by planning out what your server will be used for as well as the number of users it will support and the types of demands your users will place on the server, you can start to get a much clearer picture of the RAM and hard drive space you'll need in order to implement a server that optimally performs both now and well into the future.
y Cost-to-Performance Ratio
The costs associated with your server's ongoing maintenance as well as employee productivity need to be weighed against the server's ability to perform its tasks efficiently and effectively. Once you start to see performance degradation in your server or when components start to show signs of wearing down, you can expect increased costs to your business resulting from employees accomplishing less work or taking more time to get their work done as well as additional repair and maintenance expenses related to the ongoing operation of the server. As a result, a significant increase in the server s cost-toperformance ratio is often a key impetus for its replacement. y Server Replacement Options Summary If you can gain performance benefits and/or cost efficiency by purchasing a new server, of if the likelihood of failure and risk of downtime becomes too great, you'll know it's time to replace your server. While hardware parts can fail at any time, with the higherquality components used in servers as well as the built-in redundancy for failproof operation, in most cases you can expect your new server to last much longer than six months.
On the other end of the scale are high-end servers for tasks like data-intensive Web and database serving, video storage and sharing and enterprise-grade messaging and conferencing. These servers will typically include multiple processors, 16GB or more of RAM, expansive storage with multiple redundancies, and a high-end server operating system, and they can cost in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. High-end servers may also be deployed in multiple server configurations known as clustering.
update fees and more. A reseller or IT consultant can provide specific guidance in this area to ensure that you're allocating the resources necessary to ensure that once your server is up and running, it stays that way.
y Processing Power
To ensure your server meets your business needs you must first understand server processing power and know exactly how you want to use your server. The role of a server is to manage network resources. There are many different types of servers, such as a file, print or database server. These are the most common types of servers a small business will need to invest in.
y Choosing a Server
Choosing the Right Server: At a certain point, it makes sense to relieve the burden of an individual user's computer by having a dedicated server that is capable of providing file storage and print services or any other services that may be required to all the users in the organization. Before investing in a server and choosing the right server hardware, you need to consider many things, including the applications you will run, storage, processor, form factor, and more.
y Server Checklist
To determine the type and number of servers you need, the first step is to determine how the server will be used and who it will be used by. The following checklist will help you determine how much server processing power your business will need:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
What problems are you trying to solve by using a server? How many employees will access and use the server? What software will the server need to run? How fast do you need the server to process data? What type of server do you need? How much memory and disk space will you require? Do you plan to upgrade in the future?
y Reduced Administration
Reduced administration and long-term cost: While you can certainly expect a higher up-front cost when investing in a server as opposed to utilizing an existing high-end desktop, over the long run you're likely to see a lower total cost of ownership with a server for several reasons. First, with your server serving as a central resource controller there will be fewer components to have to support in terms of administration and maintenance. Additionally, with servers being designed to allow many users to share applications and connections to the Internet and wide area networks (WANs), a highend server can reduce the need for duplication of hardware as well as additional computers in many cases.
y Advantages of a Server
While it may seem at first glance to be easier and more cost-effective to utilize a highend desktop computer as a server rather than purchasing one, a dedicated server offers several key advantages that make it the better choice in most all cases. These advantages include increased reliability and performance, scalability, security, reduced administration and lower total cost of ownership. And while a higher initial cost may be an inevitability with a server, there's a greater chance that over time your business will see reduced costs and increased user productivity with a dedicated server versus a stand-in high-end PC.