Note: Microsoft's Windows 2000 and XP operating systems do have built-in file and print server functionality. However, it is the Microsoft's Windows Operating System (OS) server editions provide significantly better security and scalability than their “general purpose” Windows operating systems.
The Application Server
The application server sometimes referred to as middleware because they may function in between database servers and end users.
The Mail Server
The Email server provides support enabling the transfer and storage of email over private networks (LAN) and across the Internet (WAN).
The Proxy Server
The proxy server acts as an intermediary between LAN users & the Internet. In order to do so proxy servers need to perform a number of server service functions including:
- Masking - Masking of private network IP Addresses to enable devices with private (IP Addresses) network addresses to access the Internet
- Security - Strengthens security by only allowing certain requests to come through and by providing virus protection
- Web Page Caching - The proxy server can cache web page data for a specified period. This allows more rapid future access to the web resource.
- Examples - Some examples of proxy servers include Wingate, Squid etc.
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server - MS Windows 2000 server or later does not require a dedicated proxy server as this functionality ships with these server platforms by default.
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Server
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers make it possible to move files from one computer to another via the Internet. Common features and functionality include:
- User Authentication
- File Transfer Policies
- Detailed Activity Logging
- Virtualisation Technologies and Implementations
- Automation Capabilities
The Terminal Server
Dumb terminals (thin clients) supporting only a mouse, keyboard, monitors or printers can attach to the network via standard ports. This means that a dedicated Network Interface Cards (NIC) is no longer a prerequisite for the client and server to communicate via terminal services.
Further more the terminal server performs any processing that is required and sends the result back for the user to see. It provides the Windows desktop GUI to machines that do not have this capability themselves.
It is the job of the network administrator the network administrator will then be able to manage them.
Microsoft's Terminal Server is a prime example that has been included in their Windows 2000 operating systems (both client and Server versions) and later server versions of the Windows operating system.
The Web Server
The web server's primary function is to give access to Internet users to attach to the server in order to view and maintain Web pages. Web Browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape use standard protocols to request documents from a Web server on behalf of a user.
The Web server will retrieve the requested documents and forward them to the Web browser that originally made the request.
Web Server Technologies Supported
Web servers support a variety of technologies including CGI scripts, Active Server Pages, and secure connections to extend the power beyond the basic HTML code. The two most popular Web servers today are:
- Apache (for "A patchy" Web server)
- Internet Information Services (IIS) - Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
There are too many other different types of server for me to cover them all here in this short article. I do hope that information presented here helps you to understand the server better.
For additional information, check the article “Server Platforms”. Until then enjoy!
