Servers provide computing power to facilitate transfer of data
across a network to enable applications, operating systems, file
transfer, email, printing and communications among client computers.
Each particular type of server is generally defined by its configuration
and software which enables it to communicate with intermediate client
machines.
Whether you are powering business communications, web site access or
distributing computing power across a variety of machines, servers
provide the computing power at the core of any network. Each unique type
of server is managed by a platform, which pairs specified hardware and
software to power data transfer according to incoming requests. As
bandwidth rates have increased, modern servers can handle a larger
number of requests, distributing data transfer across a series of
servers through a cloud or cluster.
Modern IT departments can work with a variety of computing
configurations to get the very most out of their servers. According to
the architecture of a server, defined communications roles improve the
ability to secure data and ensure it’s only delivered to its intended
recipients. The ability to reliably scale computing power across client
requests has been at the core of IT growth in recent years, and
understanding server capabilities can provide insights into these trends
for professionals, business owners and developers.
Types of Server Hosting
While the core technology that powers many modern servers is based
upon similar processors, the configuration and distribution of that
computing power varies widely. When hosting your server in a data
center, you’re able to harness resources to optimize the efficiency of
data transfer. For both enterprise level companies as well as startups,
selecting the right server configuration can mean substantial savings in
terms of economic and computing efficiency.
Shared
As the single most economical form of hosting, server resources are
shared across a wide variety of users. While users have the ability to
access their own partition (even on a dedicated IP address), memory and
transfer resources are shared across other sites. Many entry level
developers opt for a shared server for its low costs – the ability to
easily migrate or upgrade from common shared operating systems such as
cPanel has made it easier to scale up to dedicated or distributed
servers based upon future needs.
Virtual
In recent years, virtual private servers (VPS) have become
increasingly popular for users seeking an intermediate choice between
shared and dedicated servers. With a virtual configuration, servers are
portioned into sub-dedicated areas which provide users with root access
and full computing power for their given segment of the server.
Moderately priced, these configurations allow for creation of
development environments without a full investment in dedicated
hardware.
Managed Dedicated
Offering more computing power as well as technical support resources,
managed dedicated servers
provide full computing power from a given machine (or set of machines)
as well as monitoring and support from a team of engineers. A common
choice for small and medium sized businesses, as well as those seeking
to outsource IT resources, dedicated servers are commonly leased in
tandem with a service level agreement (SLA) from a data center.
Cluster/Grid
Clustered hosting provides an intermediate distributed environment
where multiple hardware machines are dedicated to distributing content
or inbound requests. With a combination of multiple servers acting in
unison, a grid extends the cluster even further by typing multiple nodes
to create a network of servers. This configuration is ideal for those
with multiple mission critical applications, such as business data
transfer and transaction processing.
Cloud
Recently, distributed computing has increased in popularity with load
balancing and scalable servers that share resources across a network. A
cloud includes multiple servers providing specific roles, including
data storage, data transfer and database management, making the most
efficient possible use of each dedicated piece of hardware on the
network. Distributed hosting services such as Google’s Engine and Amazon
S3 utilize a cloud of servers to offer low cost, high power service.
Server Application Types
The application of server computing power to specific data needs has
enabled hardware specialization to improve uptimes, efficiency and
reliability of networks. While a given hardware setup can often power
multiple applications, many times data centers are organized around
hardware for a specific purpose to make more efficiency use of the
network.
Web Servers
To power data transfer of hypertext protocol (http), web servers
deliver images, text, rich media and data over the Internet. Modern web
servers are optimized to deliver a variety of data sources including
VOIP (voice over IP), streaming media as well as hosting files (FTP) and
websites. Web servers are optimized for data transfer speed, as well as
security with extensive firewalls and incoming request filters to
protect against denial of service attempts.
Application Servers
A subset of traditional data servers, application servers are
designed to power frameworks which are involved in extensive processes
related to a specific set of software. Application servers can power
web-based apps, games, output from scripts and programs as well as
serving data from an API (application protocol interface.) Modern
application servers are optimized for load balancing and are often
located in a cloud, which enables them to distribute data more
efficiently.
Specialized Servers: File, Printer and Database Servers
While modern servers often are involved in multiple tasks,
specialized servers provide dedicated support for file transfer, printer
communications and database queries. For specific types of uses, having
a dedicated server for a specific purpose can speed up processing times
and ensure sufficient resources are available during peak volumes. In
the shift to cloud based servers, many data centers configure clusters
of servers for specific purposes, such as streaming media, storage and
SQL query processing. Specialized file servers can store a variety of
media for distribution, including movies, audio and animation, rendering
media at high speeds to client machines for games, movies and other
forms of applications.
Media Servers
With the growth of streaming audio and video, media servers provide
an efficient way to transfer high bandwidth files online. For dedicated
media firms, businesses and producers alike, investing in efficient
hardware can lower operational costs from operating a server over time.
With the growth of high definition video and real-time gaming
platforms, media servers are under increasing stress to meet growing
consumer demands for quality. The hardware configurations often feature
impressive quantities of RAM as well as quad-core CPUs to maximize the
data transfer rates. To prevent data transfer bit loss, the servers are
often hosting in a cloud or cluster of related servers. When end users
receive rich media, they receive streams from multiple sources based
upon the most efficient way to route traffic. Specialized companies such
as Akamai and Amazon have innovated more efficient routing mechanisms
to manage the growth demands on media servers. As a result, you can
watch high definition video in FPS (frames per second) refresh rates
approaching broadcast television over a broadband connection today.
Mail (Exchange) Servers
Mail servers serve as an outbound client and inbound retrieval server
for electronic messages, commonly via the STMP (simple mail transfer)
protocol. Serving as a transfer agent (TA), mail servers communicate
with each other according to their set rules, including filters, checks
and blacklists to determine whether a message is successfully delivered.
All accepted messages can be traced by a mail header to its root
receipt. Microsoft Exchange servers are the most common form of mail
servers, as they power business communications through MS Exchange,
routing desktop and mobile mail, as well as managing attachments and
real time calendar synchronization.
Trends in Server Type Configuration and Performance
For dedicated IT departments, independent development professionals
and businesses, proper server deployment can lower costs, improve
performance and help to reliably scale operations. While it can be
challenging to anticipate future computing needs, a flexible server
setup can help to make your cost structure more stable as you adapt.
While x86 servers have been around for over two decades now, the new
decade brings technical challenges and opportunities for deploying new
types of server technology.
While many businesses previously utilized independent networks for
their client computing, data storage and networking needs, today cloud
or cluster hosting can offer a single environment to meet a firm’s
complete needs. In fact, the recent move to virtual desktops has made
client virtualization even more important, helping to improve local
security, file storage and protocols across an organization. With the
shift to global operations, IT managers can properly keep track of their
assets and resources on a broad scale while also reducing the startup
and upgrade costs for new technology.
Green and Energy Efficient Servers
Power management goes beyond efficient use of the utility grid and
can actually improve the speed, longevity and responsiveness of hardware
over time. Modern data centers are built in energy efficient buildings
which are equipped with high technology climate control systems to
provide an ideal operating environment. Many data centers have moved to
offer green servers which are net zero carbon emitters based upon their
baseline efficiency as well as offsets invested in other areas.
Leading supplies of green servers include Dell and HP, which have
innovated new hardware to more than double server energy efficiency over
the past few years in traditional x86 servers. At the core of this
technology is a network of servers which instantly adjust to the
settings to deploy fans, slow down processors and distribute power more
effectively throughout. Working with world class data centers, these
servers now offer a more reliable way to optimize server efficiency
while also improving upon performance.
Driven by cost and flexibility needs, modern servers are more energy
efficient, secure and adaptable. Rather than having to upgrade every new
technology cycle, modern “thin” servers can easily be upgraded with new
components and are designed with sensors for improved power management.
Whether you host in your own data center, collocate or work with a
managed provider, efficient servers can deliver more value for your
computing needs.
Blade Servers
An important trend in computing, blade servers have a much more
modular configuration to allow for ease of upgrades. Operating on the
basis of minimal components, these servers are capable of impressive
benchmarks while fitting in a smaller space than traditional “full”
servers. At their base, a blade server has a processor, memory, I/O
jacks and a basic operating system. Rather than running a full OS, such
as Apache or IIS, these servers are designed as intermediate “computing”
servers that deliver data rapidly and efficiently. With their modular
configuration, IT departments are able to save substantial resources
which can be focused on emerging areas of need.
Mobile Rack Servers
Another important trend in server technology is the growth of rack
mounted, mobile servers. To make more efficient use of finite space,
rack mounted servers are built on cabinets that allow them to be
upgraded with relative ease, allowing you to upgrade an individual
server or cluster of servers. For IT providers on a limited budget,
investing in a rack server can give you a flexible structure so you can
continue to invest as your data needs grow. Built on containers rather
than finite hardware configurations, the so-called “pod” servers are
lightweight, efficient and flexible servers that adjust to meet your
needs.
Efficient Cloud Servers
For developers and IT departments, having the flexibility to deploy
new computing resources on demand is invaluable. Having the right type
of servers and hosting configuration can allow your firm or startup to
take on an agile structure to quickly implement new ideas, features or
services to the market. Rather than relying upon a maximum capacity
network of servers, hosting servers in a cloud is also an effective way
to get more use out of your investment. Even at peak capacity, most
dedicated servers use much less than their actual processing power –
distributed computing, by contrast, allocates processing power and data
transfer in a much more effective way. The recent shift toward efficient
cloud hosting is based upon economic as well as efficiency factors. A
combination of improved hardware, operating software and monitoring has
greatly improved performance-adjusted hardware use in recent years.
