Server Overview
Servers occupy a place in every business environment. A typical server is a computer system that operates continuously on a network and waits for requests for services from other client computers on the network. Servers are very versatile and not necessarily dedicated to one particular task. For example in a small office environment a large desktop computer may act as both a desktop PC and the office server, or similarly operate tasks of both file sharing and printing or faxing.
Servers are available for a wide variety of tasks frequently found in office/business environments (regardless of their size). These can include: -
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Application Servers - A server dedicated to running certain software applications (Sage Accounts, PDM Works, Vault type systems etc).
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Communication Servers - Computing platform for communication networks
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Database Servers - A server built to provide database services (Oracle, Microsoft SQL etc)
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Fax Servers - A server built to provide fax services throughout the network (for clients)
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File Servers - A server that provides file services for connected clients
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Game Servers - A server that video game clients connect to in order to play online together
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Standalone Servers - A server that emulates a client server for web based programs (or similar)
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Web Servers - A server that clients connect to in order to send commands and receive responses along with data contents (for Web Sites, E-commerce etc)
Servers frequently host hardware resources that make them available on a controlled and shared basis to client PC throughout the network (for Printing, Faxing, File Sharing etc). Application and file sharing helps permits better access/security control and reducing duplication of hardware.
Server Hardware: Although servers can be built from standard computer components (mainly for low load and/or non-critical applications), dedicated, high load and mission critical servers use specialized hardware that is optimized for the needs of professional servers (higher performance, greater reliability)
Specialist servers incorporate “industrial strength” mechanical components such as disk drives and cooling fans that provide higher reliability and performance (at a respectively high price). Aesthetic considerations are ignored, since most servers operate in unattended computer rooms and are only visited for maintenance or network I.T specialists. Servers usually require large amounts of disk space, however smaller disk drives may still be used in a trade-off of capacity vs. reliability. Processor / CPU speeds are critical for certain server roles, as is 64bit architecture and memory. If a larger amount of processing power is required in a server, multiple cpu's can be added instead of increasing the speed of a single CPU. Multiple CPU's can also be used for reasons of reliability and redundancy.
Because servers must operate continuously and reliably, noisy but efficient fans may be used for better ventilation instead of inexpensive and quiet versions; and in some cases, centralized air-conditioning may be used to keep servers cool, instead of or in addition to fans. Special uninterruptible power supplies (UPS's) may be used to ensure that any server continues to run in the event of a power failure. Professional servers also include heavy-duty multiple network connections (LAN ports) in order to handle large amounts of network traffic. These can also be configured for redundancy.
Server Software: One of the major differences between servers and desktop computers is not necessarily the hardware but in the software that they run. Servers run more advanced operating systems that are designed specifically for use in servers. These operating systems provide better security features, larger amounts of co-current connections and better all round stability. They may also be designed to run special applications that are designed to carry out server tasks.
For further information please contact us on +44 (0) 800 180 4801 or e-mail sales@cad2.com
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In close partnership with the world's leading component manufacturers (high & ultra high performance Server and Storage solutions); We are delighted to announce the availability of our new range of FOCUS server and data storage systems. Utilizing high performance bespoke server platforms designed around the very latest Supermicro & Intel server platforms (Intel® Xeon® & AMD™ Opteron™) our range of servers have been optimised from the ground up to guarantee leading edge performance without any compromise in performance, data integrity, reliability or server stability.
We offer a wide variety of server solutions available with practically unlimited upgrade options (Processors, Memory, Storage, Networking, Remote Management, RAID, Redundancy, Power Supply, UPS's and more..) and have featured a small selection of available configurations in the above pages. If you would like a bespoke solution tailored to you then please do not hesitate to contact our server specialists; Whether you need Intel or AMD, 1 or 3U, Dual or Quad Core, SAS or I-SCSI, with our extensive expertise in the server market we are able to supply the UK's leading range of validated bespoke server solutions.
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