Servers: The Content Providers of The Internet

SERVERS

the content providers of the internet         

Role

In computer networking, a server can be described as any computer in a network which provides information or services to other computers by request. The term, server, is derived from this role that “servers” play (which is serving information and services to the other computers in the network). This role can be easily conveyed with a simple analogy between a customer and waitress at a restaurant, as in the following figure:

As shown in the figure, Bill represents client computers (computers which make requests for some type of information), and Alice represents servers. Therefore, we see that the client initiates communication with the server, and the server responds to that initiation with a proper reply. The overall process is redefined in the following three steps:

1.      Client computers “place orders” to servers for specific services and information, including e-mail, web-pages, and downloadable files.

2.      The server evaluates the client’s “order” and processes it (if it is valid).

3.      The server delivers the requested services or information to the client.

This three-step process is seen in many internet communications today, with the most popular being web page browsing.

Functionality 

Fortunately, servers are not limited to providing web pages. Their functionality to the internet is invaluable. They facilitate the ability for businesses to communicate with customers, universities to communicate with students and faculty, gamers to host matches containing players from all over the world, and countless other activities. Servers essentially create a central hub for:

·         Providing services

·         Connecting members of an institution (business, university, personal club, etc.).

Patrons

Typically, many businesses use servers to host web pages, keep track of customer and company data, and to provide collaborative software (software used for group projects and collaboration such as email, web-conferencing, instant messaging). Web pages allow businesses to provide customers with information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as well as the ability to place orders online. Data tracking provides people such as traveling salesmen the ability to download and upload sales figures or customer information on the go (“Business uses and advantages of a mail server SMS gateway”). Lastly, collaborative services can help to increase productivity in the workplace.

Characteristics

As mentioned earlier, a server is any computer in a network which provides services to other computers. So typically, a server can take on the appearance of a desktop computer, a laptop computer or whatever computer resource the server administrator (person in charge of managing the server) decides to employ. The minimum requirements of a server however, are:

1.      a way to connect to the network

2.      the ability to run some type of server operating system (the software used to manage the server’s resources).

Even though a desktop or laptop computer can be used as a server, the hardware requirements of a server usually differ from those of a desktop or laptop computer. While desktops and laptops are optimized for carrying out tasks for a single user, servers are optimized for processing multiple requests from many users at once. Therefore, high-capacity servers usually combine a large number of homogenous computers into one big machine, called a cluster (Figure 2). Also, because the job of a server is only to respond to client requests, servers usually do not require a monitor or keyboard. The server’s resources are accessed through the client’s monitor and keyboard. In this respect, many servers are managed from a client computer.

Works Cited

“An MSCS configuration.” Web. 8 Jun 2011. .

“Business uses and advantages of a mail server SMS gateway.” kbase.gfi.com. GFI, n.d. 08 June 2011.

Kurose, James. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach. Boston: Pearson, 2010. Print.