Server :
Server is a hardware which takes requests from clients (it might be a desktop or another server) and then processes the requests and gives it back to client..Lets take a example to make it clear.
Now let me explain about server.
Well this week i have decided to give a overview of what exactly is a server,storage and what it does.. Its very important to know about this as most of the mid to high end business centers have a huge deployment of this in their datacenters.
Client - Server :
Let me give a short note on client-server model before i explain about server and storage.
Server is a hardware which takes requests from clients (it might be a desktop or another server) and then processes the requests and gives it back to client..Lets take a example to make it clear.
Normally we use irctc site to book a ticket.So our laptops are considered as clients.The request will go and hit the IRCTC's main server which might run some application for booking tickets.
So we fill all our data and it gets stored in their repository called database.The database will reside in another server called database server.The application and database are very close and will interact with each other every time.
Inotherwords application is the frontend what we are seeing and database is the backend what we cant see..!! We use IRCTC's ticket reservation application to book a ticket which runs on a server and the details given by us are stored in a database which resides in another server.
Based on the functionality we call the servers as Application server,database server or if its used for email purposes its called a mail server.
Now let me explain about server.
Servers are usually accessed over a network they may run in headless mode without a monitor or input device.Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI) as it is unnecessary and consumes resources that could be allocated elsewhere. Similarly, audio and USB interfaces may be omitted.
Servers often run for long periods without interruption and availability must often be very high, making hardware reliability and durability extremely important. Although servers can be built from commodity computer parts, mission-critical servers use specialized hardware with low failure rates in order to maximize uptime. For example, servers may incorporate faster, higher-capacity hard drives, larger computer fans and uninterruptible power supplies that ensure the servers continue to function in the event of a power failure. These components offer higher performance and reliability at a correspondingly higher price. Hardware redundancy—installing more than one instance of modules such as power supplies and hard disks arranged so that if one fails another is automatically available—is widely used.
Servers often run for long periods without interruption and availability must often be very high, making hardware reliability and durability extremely important. Although servers can be built from commodity computer parts, mission-critical servers use specialized hardware with low failure rates in order to maximize uptime. For example, servers may incorporate faster, higher-capacity hard drives, larger computer fans and uninterruptible power supplies that ensure the servers continue to function in the event of a power failure. These components offer higher performance and reliability at a correspondingly higher price. Hardware redundancy—installing more than one instance of modules such as power supplies and hard disks arranged so that if one fails another is automatically available—is widely used.
There are so many other vendors like HP,IBM,SUN(Now oracle),DELL who manufactures servers.These servers will be extremely powerful.
Storage :
Ok here let me take a banking example as it is easy to explain on what is a storage..Everybody will have a bank account and we do lot of transactions daily..So there needs to be a safe place were a bank can store all this data.Nowadays nobody is using paper and its all computerized.
So all our data will be stored in a high capacity/performance machine which can store data called a " Storage".
This ranges from GB's to TB's(Terrabyte) to PB's(PetaBytes).
This storages will have high capacity harddisk drives with some processor which tells the storage and how to store/retrieve the data...So when a server sends a data the storage saves it,and when the server requests for a data storage gives the required data..
Major storage vendors in the storage industry are EMC,HITACHI,NETAPP,SUN,IBM,HP & DELL.
When we say about Harddisk the harddrives are more prone to failures.So how are they protected againt failures,where are all this equipments like servers and storage are kept,i will give all this details in my next post...
Cheers.
