What is a Server and What Does It Do?

What is a Server and What Does It Do?

The server is one of the most important components that form the core of all IT infrastructures. But what exactly is the server and what does it do?

A server is a computer or software that manages access to a central resource or service on a network. Put simply, the server is a type of computer program that responds to requests made by another program called a client.

The origin of the word server dates back to the middle of the 20th century and is derived from sequencing theory, a mathematical study of waiting queues. The use of the word server for computers was first encountered in texts about ARPANET, which was accepted as the predecessor of the internet in 1969.

Servers work as part of the client-server model, the model that delivers data to clients. This is an expression that represents the purpose of the server, that is, sharing data, distributing work and sharing resources. It is based on almost all internet client-server model. In this model, millions of servers connected to internetwork non-stop all over the world. The client-server model is the opposite of the peer-to-peer model, where the relationship is based on demand-based mutual work.

Servers can be used for many different purposes. Some servers are used only for certain, more precisely specified tasks. For example, an application server hosts web applications, so network users can run and use these servers without having to install a copy of this computer program on their computers. Web servers host web pages. File servers, on the other hand, share files and folders in a network.

Servers consistently deliver on-demand services and are an essential part of IT infrastructures. Because of this constant demand, many servers are never shut down because any failure or downtime on the server causes network users and companies to have major problems.

Since the servers are so important for companies, the hardware used in the company servers must be created from components that will minimize the risk of errors and must be installed with the least hardware special components. In case of power failure, uninterrupted power supplies should be used and components should be cooled by cooling systems against overheating. This kind of large and company-level servers are generally kept in data centers where uninterrupted energy is used and security precautions are at the highest level.

As for operating systems, Linux, Centos, and Windows Server are among the most used operating systems on the Internet, most of which are open source distributions like UNIX.

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