“In simple words, a server is a powerful computing computer, constantly connected to the Internet and to power supply 24/7, that is, constantly.
In this article we will look at what a server is and why it is needed. Let us explain what types of servers there are and what functions they perform. How the server works and where it is located.
(virtual server management - video instructions)
What is a server in simple words
The verb in English too serve is translated as to serve, which is where the name server comes from. In ancient Persian, the word server meant leader, head, leader. This concept came to us with the widespread development of computer technology; in the jargon of IT specialists it is called a server.
Server computer stuffing
As mentioned above, a server is simply a special computer, usually located in special rooms (data centers). Server equipment in data centers is mounted in special cabinets, on racks with chassis and has simple and convenient access to the hardware. Such server equipment operates practically without human intervention. Our participation is required only during the initial installation and configuration of server software. In the future, all work is carried out remotely, with the exception of emergency situations when the server fails or maintenance work needs to be carried out.
Facebook server and installation of servers in data centers - video
All equipment has an increased degree of protection against failures and breakdowns. The principle of multiple backups and copies ensures the safety of data in the event of any equipment failure.
Server equipment The premises in which the server and server equipment are located are called data centers and are owned by hosting providers. By the way, in one of the articles, we touched on the concepts of servers and described in sufficient detail how a web server works. Large companies organize their server directly in their offices and such premises are called server rooms. As a designer in civil and industrial construction (), I have more than once had to design server rooms in kilometer-long offices. Such rooms, as well as large premises, data centers of hosting providers are equipped with special fire safety measures. In such server rooms, a certain temperature and humidity are maintained, dust is protected, and an uninterrupted supply of electricity is provided. And of course, the server must be provided with the Internet, so broadband Internet access is connected.
Ventilation and cooling system in the server center All web servers are provided with special server software. You have probably heard and read on the Internet on forums the expression Apache server, so Apache is a server program that gives access to your website located on the web server of the hosting provider.
To sum up the interim results of all that has been said, the server and necessarily the server software serve to receive the question and answer it. In simple words, when you enter the site address in the address bar of your browser or click on a link in the search results, then on the web server of the hosting provider, the Apache server searches the database for the answer (the code of the requested page) and outputs it to your browser, which converts the code to a familiar web page, if there is no information, then the server returns a 404 error.
Server room Imagine that you came to a 100-story business center and at the reception you say: “I need the Lennevaproekt office,” a pretty girl quickly scans the database and answers you: “There are 1001 offices on the ground floor, right down the corridor.” All servers perform the same function - respond to client requests. The client is your personal computer from which the request was made.
Types and types of servers and server software
The server performs different types of tasks, based on this, it is classified into different types and is provided with different server software. So the server (program) Apache HTTP Server provides the functions of a web server on regular hosting. The Nginx program performs the same functions, but in most cases it is used on a dedicated VPS server; on a regular host, the Nginx server (program) can be used together with Apache to transfer multimedia.
Video instructions - in 24 minutes of viewing you will understand that everything is elementary simple!
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The Denwer server program deserves special attention. This is a local web server designed to be installed on your personal computer. It works only when running in the background and does not interfere with your activities on the computer. This program is used for developing web sites. It allows you to completely raise the site on your computer. This is very convenient for beginners, and indeed for web developers in general.
With the help of Denver, you can fully test the website theme, roll out the design, visually see what it will look like on the World Wide Web, test all scripts, modules, and extensions. By the way, our free lessons cover in detail the installation of this software, WordPress (content management system) and a cool theme with detailed settings for everything. So we recommend that you finish reading the article and subscribe to the lessons.
The web server also works in conjunction with database servers. The most common of them is the MySQL server. This is where the web server runs to get information about the requested page and, if available, gives it to your browser.
There are file, game, and video servers. A file server is designed to store and transfer files. They are used by file exchangers, you can store photos on them and upload them to the site. Powerful gaming engines ensure the functionality of cooperative online games such as Wordcraft.
It is worth noting the mail server. You have repeatedly heard about Email Marketing - mailing to a collected subscriber base. So, the EXIM server program performs these functions. The entire Internet is replete with articles and advertising via organized mailing lists. There are special popular email services, such as SmartResponser and Mailchimp, that charge a lot of money for organizing your mailing list and storing addresses. There is an offer for dedicated mail servers, the cost of which starts from two thousand rubles and above.
By and large, this is all a scam and unnecessary expenses. Our blog (which you are reading) is located on a VPS server, the EXIM server program is installed and configured, it provides the entire service for sending and receiving letters, both on a schedule and when you subscribe, it sends you our invaluable lessons for free :). All the fun costs 350 rubles per month, renting a dedicated VPS server from the Mozhordomo provider. After all, all software is absolutely free.
You think; - “It’s very difficult, I can’t do it!”, nonsense! You were simply intimidated by terms and abstruse articles. Everything is very simple, the entire installation occurs automatically by pressing the Enter button and confirming the “y” button meaning yes (yes, I agree), and as settings in the mail server you need to change the domain name from simple to your own and several other parameters. The article “” will tell you in detail about domain names, we recommend that you read it. If you don’t believe me, then subscribe and get lessons. In just a couple or three hours you will be able to launch your local server and launch your cool website on your computer.
Results and conclusions on servers, their use and application
Let's summarize everything that has been said. A server is a computer with hardware that is prone to failure and special server software. The scary phrase “Server Administration” involves downloading and minimally configuring several programs, usually two, three, maximum 5. In principle, everything is already configured by default.
Since you have read this article almost to the end, then I think you are interested in organizing your website. We suggest you study. If this topic is interesting to you, we recommend that you study the presented article, as well as the articles recommended in it on technical setup and site optimization.
Settings are made both in the console (command line) and in graphical shells. If you don’t believe me, get free lessons by subscribing and installing a local Denver web server and see for yourself. In a couple of hours you will have a full-fledged website, and the skill of working with a local server will be useful for managing a remote one.
- To speed up the work of 1C, a terminal server is installed - the only way to significantly speed up the work of 1C in file mode. It can also be used to organize remote access for key and ordinary employees to company resources
- A file server is used to organize a structured data storage
- Allows you to configure access rights to resources with delimitation of powers and provide centralized storage and archiving of data
- Own IP telephony server allows you to optimize an organization’s costs for corporate telephony
- Mail server and document flow server allow you to organize interaction between employees and company departments
- Other servers for technical purposes AD, proxies, etc.
Terminal Server 1C
One of the common complaints about the operation of a 1C database is its slow operation. 1C slows down, freezes, reports sometimes take up to an hour to build. Over time, the problem worsens, the increasing volume of financial transactions leads to an increase in the volume of the 1C database, which further increases the growth of transaction processing time.
System administrators recommend upgrading company computers and spend time working with the network, believing that this will solve the problem. However, this does not give any satisfactory results; working with 1C is still painfully slow, and if third-party users work with the 1C database, the error “error during transactions in 1C” may appear.
This happens because the principle of operation when running the 1C program with a standard file server involves a complete download of data from the database tables to the computer, and after working with the data when saving, a full download back to the database tables. Which of course takes a lot of time.
Solution
The only correct solution to significantly increase speed is to implement a 1C terminal server. This is one powerful computer on which many users can work simultaneously without experiencing difficulties with the speed of the system. The principle of working with a terminal server follows a different principle; in this case, all work takes place remotely on the server itself, i.e. The user connects to the terminal server using an Internet connection and works under his own account, and the entire work process takes place directly on the server without uploading data to a computer connected via the Internet. Thus, working with 1C Enterprise databases becomes much faster not only locally in the company’s office, but also for remote users.
Result.
As a result, we not only increase the work with 1C databases by five or more times, but also remote administration and user support are simplified, and updating 1C configurations is now possible in one copy (despite the number of connected employees), which significantly optimizes maintenance costs 1C programs. The introduction of a 1C terminal server into the IT infrastructure also has a beneficial effect on increasing the security of data storage; it is possible to store the server on a remote site in any secluded and protected place; if necessary, it is possible to place the server in another city and in another country.
File server.
When you need network storage in which structured data storage and data archiving are organized, for any type of files, with subsequent division of user rights for use.
The main advantages of a file server are the ability to store large volumes of data with their subsequent indexing and tagging, which subsequently allows you to search for data using multiple criteria. It is also possible to access such a server not only locally, but also via the Internet. And the distribution of access rights to such a server allows you to reduce the risks of unauthorized access to data or accidental deletion.
The advantages also include the low cost and high speed of assembling such a server.
IP telephony server.
This server is used to optimize telephony costs in a company. Such a server is a powerful computer with special software. It is the server that ensures the smooth operation of telephone connections in local networks and manages the station’s work processes. Server equipment is the central part of an automatic telephone exchange, in contrast to traditional telephony.
Advantages of transferring IP telephony to your own server.
- Ease of installation and use due to a clear interface
- The cost of a call through an IP telephony server is significantly lower than the cost of traditional telephony.
- The latest configurations will be available to you, and also due to updates, errors and vulnerabilities will also be eliminated due to updates.
- If necessary, it is possible to connect interactions with CRM, which allows you to create a report on calls. It is also possible to connect a voice menu, voice mail and call reporting.
- In the future, if there is a need to increase telephony power, this can be done through additional equipment.
Mail server and document management server.
Nowadays, e-mail has become an integral document management tool for any company. Unlike free online services, your own mail server allows you to at least stand out with your personal domain among many other companies, which increases your reputation and, as a result, customer loyalty.
But this is not the only advantage of a corporate mail server. Your own corporate server allows you to conduct document flow within the company’s network, completely controlling employee correspondence and without using public communication channels. The advantages of the mail server also include wider possibilities of use.
The more reliable the server, the more processors, memory, and hard drives it has. The better and smaller the hard drives, the higher its performance and fault tolerance, the more expensive the server. Many companies, for example, HP, include a warranty in the price of servers - if during the warranty any part fails, it is sent by courier within a few days.
Most often, server hard drives (from two to sixteen) are combined into a single array. For example, you have eight 100GB disks. The system is configured so that they are defined as one. That is, you don’t have 800GB, but the same 100GB. But at the same time, if suddenly half of the disks fail, the information can be saved. This type of storage is called RAID array.
There is this type of server - Blade server(English blade, knife, plate). This is a mini-server, reduced to the size of an encyclopedia volume. At the same time, such servers are combined and 16 servers occupy the same space as 2-4 regular ones.
Hello site, first of all, thank you for your interesting articles and please answer this question - what is a server and how does the hardware of a server computer that works for weeks, months, years without reboot differ from a regular PC?
This is why I’m asking, I want to start a small online store and try to make money on it. I have money, but I’m far from all this Internet marketing, I turned to a system administrator I know for help and asked what I needed for this, he thought and said - I need an average “server” with the Windows Server 2012 operating system or a Linux server. And another system administrator said that no server is needed and at first you just need to find a good hosting.
So I ask you - what is a server, what is hosting, and how much will it cost me? How to manage the server? What is the Windows Server 2012 operating system and how to install it? Are there free server operating systems? Is it possible to do everything cheaper? Admin, why am I asking you specifically, because your site is 4 years old and you have been working all this time, you can probably give worthwhile advice on this matter. Thanks in advance for your answer!
What is a server
Hello friends! With this first article we will begin the section dedicated to the server operating system Windows Server 2012. The goal is this: install Windows 7 or Windows 8 not using any media (disk, flash drive), but over the network.
Note: If you are interested in seeing all the articles on Windows Server 2012, read
1) What is a server and why is it needed (today’s article)
7) . This is the final seventh article, in which we will install Windows 7 over the network using Windows Deployment Services (WDS).
Bonus
8) - in this article we will create a Windows 7 installation image containing pre-installed software and deploy this image to another computer over the network.
Many novice system administrators come to our site and I think articles about working in the Windows Server 2012 server operating system will be useful to many. Also, many Internet entrepreneurs come to us and this article (some of it) will be very useful to them.
What is a server and what is a server operating system (for example, Windows Server 2012)?
A server is a computer assembled from components that are more reliable and, accordingly, more expensive than simple hardware. A special operating system is installed on the server, for example Windows Server 2012 from Microsoft or a free Linux server. And lastly, the server works for a long time without human intervention and without rebooting. The price for a server computer can be from 40 to 150 thousand rubles. A detailed analysis of the components for the server is later in the article.
Servers come in different directions, for example database server, with the help of them work is carried out in accounting and banking programs. VPN servers create virtual networks. By using game servers we play online games. File servers store a huge number of user databases. The simplest example of a server is the well-known Yandex.Disk - a Yandex cloud service that stores user data on servers in the “cloud” - nothing more than a server with a server operating system installed on it that uploads and downloads our files.
That is a server is needed to organize work on the Internet. But at first you don’t need your own server and here’s why.
Why is it needed? hosting(English hosting) - a service for providing computing power for placing information on a server that is constantly located on the Internet!
For example, you have your own new and unpromoted website or online store, I can say with confidence that it is too early for you to talk about a separate “server”, first promote your project!
First, place your online store not on your own dedicated server, but on a special hosting, which is nothing more than a server that hosts many sites (several hundred) similar to yours and for only 150 rubles per month.
And now, a year later, the fruits of your work appeared and up to 20,000 thousand unique visitors a day began to visit your site and, accordingly, the site began to freeze and be inaccessible at times. Naturally, you will want to figure out what’s going on and write a letter of complaint about the hosting, the letter will have approximately the same content,
And the answer is this
As a result, you switch to a premium account and your site is transferred to a server, where several dozen sites are already located, for this you pay 1000 rubles per month, but if you continue to work so fruitfully, then there will be even more visitors to your site and soon you receive a letter from the hosting (server) where your site is located, with a polite offer to move to a separate “server” or “go through the woods”, since your 50,000 thousand unique visitors per day greatly strain the capacity of the entire server, because your site is on a server more than one, and there are several dozen more sites there, and they all slow down and freeze precisely because of you.
Now it’s time to talk about your own server (server or server)
You agree and the hosting workers transfer your site to a separate server (separate computer) and only your site is located and running on this server. Of course your fee will increase. If you paid 140-1000 rubles a month for your site, now you will pay up to 15,000 rubles a month, but there will be no slowdowns or glitches with the site, and if your traffic grows to 100,000 people, then you won’t even you won't feel it.
Note: you will pay 15,000 rubles per month for a little less than a year, since this amount includes 4,000 rubles for the maintenance of your server and 11,000 rubles will be used to buy the hardware of the server itself. In short, in a year or even six months you will have your own server and you will pay about 4,000 rubles per month only for server maintenance.
What is the difference between server hardware and simple hardware?
The server is assembled from specially designed and very reliable hardware that is different from what a simple PC user is used to, since the server is designed to work seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7). For example:
1) Server high performance motherboard It can be dual-processor and designed to work without rebooting for several years. Server motherboards have built-in RAID controllers that combine multiple physical hard drives into a single storage space, increasing performance and read/write speeds. The recorded data is duplicated on other disks, which will save your data in the event of failure of one hard disk. On a server, you can hot-swap hard drives without turning off and stopping the server itself.
2) Processor designed to work on a server may have two independent FSB buses.
3) The server does not require a powerful video card.
4) Hard drives for servers you need a special Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) with a spindle speed of 10,000 or 15,000 rpm, compared to a simple hard drive of 7,200 rpm. As I have already noticed, 5-10 hard drives are installed on a server and are often combined into Raid arrays - several independent hard drives perceived by the operating system as a single whole.
5) RAM the maximum volume is set and is also resistant to failures.
6) Power supply for the server, one might say, contains two power supplies and must be very powerful (sometimes 1000W) and withstand large voltage surges in the electrical network. If one power supply fails, the other unit takes on the entire load.
Naturally, the cooling system for such a computer must be of high quality.
Of course, a server can be assembled from simple computer components and such a server will work, but if we want to assemble a serious “server” and work with it for a long time, then we need to approach the hardware more seriously.
Retreat for gamers: If we take into account performance in games, the simple desktop option undoubtedly wins here, so server hardware is not for you.
Well, on top of all this stuff a special server operating system, Windows Server 2012, is installed; it is available in four editions, the installation process of which is practically the same. Let's install Windows Server 2012 Standard on our computer.
Read the next article Installing Windows Server 2012 on your computer!
We continue to get acquainted with various computer terms on our website. Each of you has heard the word “server” more than once. This time we will look at what a server is, its tasks and how to install it. A server is an integral part of the operation of the Internet and local network.
What is a server
Let's find out in more detail what it is and what it represents.
A server is a specialized hardware device that performs certain tasks, both remotely (which happens most often) and locally on site. Now let's talk about this in a more understandable language. So, a server is the same computer, only in most cases more powerful. A server, like a computer, consists of a processor, motherboard, RAM and hard drive. Most often, large servers use components specially designed for this purpose, but, nevertheless, there are servers made from components that are also used by ordinary users.
Previously, servers were in a regular system unit (case), but this was very uncompact and inconvenient, since most organizations needed several servers, and such “boxes” were very impractical. Thanks to new technologies, since the late 2000s, servers began to have a slightly different shape. Now they are located in a special compartment, which is mounted in a rack. These racks are shaped like cabinets, hence the colloquial name among computer scientists.
A large number of servers located in racks are managed remotely. That is, an engineer, being either in the next office or in another city, can manage servers from a distance. Installation of the operating system on the server is done on site.
The server is controlled, as was just said, by the operating system: both , and . There are quite a few versions of operating systems designed for managing servers, but it is worth noting that these are special versions of them. That is, for the server they install, for example, not Windows 7 or 8, but, say, Windows Server 2012. The same applies to Linux: for example, not Linux Ubuntu is installed on the server, but Linux Ubuntu 12.04 Server. While Windows has only one server operating system, Linux has several. For example, there are also server versions of Debian and CentOS.
What is the server for?
Oddly enough, servers have a lot of purposes. You can find a more complete list of their uses on the Internet; we will only describe the most common ones so that you have a general idea of this.
- One of the main tasks of servers is to organize the work of the Internet provider. The server connects the user and transmits Internet traffic to him, thus serving as a kind of base. In addition, there is a DNS server which is responsible for converting symbolic URLs to IP addresses. Any provider service works from the server, including the one mentioned in previous articles.
- The second common task of servers is data storage. For example, the server stores all the mail of users of the mail service. Users can also store their data on the server; these are so-called cloud services, file hosting services, etc.
- Well, the third common type of server purpose is hosting. Hosting is a server on which websites and all files located on this site are stored.
How to install a server
Installation of private servers
Setting up the server is quite simple. To install a server at home or in the office, which will perform fairly simple tasks, you can select a regular computer, install a special server operating system on it and connect it to a local network or the Internet. If you want access to your server via the Internet, then the server must have a permanent external IP address. As a rule, servers work around the clock, but if you don't need it, you can turn them off when you don't need them.
For even simpler tasks, you can install a local server on your computer. That is, the server will be installed on the computer using a special program, so you can simultaneously work on the computer and organize the work of the server on it - the main thing is that there are enough resources. How to install local server on Windows? To do this, you need to download the Denwer program - this program organizes a local server on your computer. There are a lot of instructions for installing and configuring it on the Internet, and this is a topic for a separate article. The same goes for installing a local server on Linux.
Installation of corporate servers
To install corporate servers, special racks are used. You can order such racks freely on the Internet; there are a lot of resources that sell such equipment. In turn, you can choose the sizes and parameters of the racks, in accordance with the number of servers and the tasks they will perform.
When you bought a stand, you need to install it in a well-ventilated place. Install them in such a way that they do not disturb anyone and have easy access to them. Attach the racks, and then run the electrical cable and network cable to them.
Server components are placed in special chassis. Everything in the chassis is thought out for compact placement of server components. Thus, it will not be difficult for you to install components there. When the components are installed, the chassis is inserted into the rack and a test run of the server is performed. The server operating system is then installed on the server and it is ready to go.
