What is a server? Defining the server and explaining the parts and types of servers
Do you want to know what a server is, its types, components and uses? You are in the right place!
All websites and web applications run on computers of a special type called a web server or web server. In this lesson, you will find an explanation of what a server is and what a Web Server is meant in detail from the team of the MYHOST of Hosting. In this comprehensive explanation, learn about the components of a web server, its different uses, and the types of servers. We will also explain to you how the server works, how it performs its task in detail, and more.
Do you know what a Web Server is? Web servers are the computers on which all web sites and applications run. In this lesson, the MYHOST of Hosting will introduce you to the server, its components, uses, different types, and what is meant by a web server in a simplified manner without complexity!
It is common to encounter the term «web server» or «web servers» or «web servers» or what is called in English as a web server while searching the Internet for web hosting or even while browsing the web, you may encounter a message while visiting a site saying that this site is currently unable to respond to your request as a result of its server stopping working etc.
The server is the basis of web hosting and all web sites are powered by servers. So in fact, you deal with hundreds and thousands of servers every day more than once without realizing either directly or indirectly.
One of the most prominent examples of this is social networks such as Facebook, where while you are using Facebook, you are actually dealing with Facebook servers that store all the data from photos, videos, posts, your friends list, etc. And they offer them to you when you want in accordance with the rules and instructions that govern the operation of those web servers.
Also, when you deal with government services, banks, telecommunications companies and other companies that provide their services digitally, you are dealing with servers for those services that keep your data and records of your transactions and information and conduct various operations on them according to the commands and code set by the software engineers responsible for developing the system.
To give you a clear example of how your life is directly affected by the server, how many times have you gone to a government institution or company and the work was suspended, and I heard that the reason is:
“The system is disabled”
“The system is off”
“The system is a reality”
This is due to the difference in pronunciation in different countries.
In fact, they all have the same meaning: the system is unable to function as or at the required speed.
In the most prominent cases, the cause is the failure of the server or servers of the system, which perform operations and transactions on your information and data and the system.
This is for several reasons, either the number of transactions exceeds the capacity of the server, or there is a software or technical error in the server, or as a result of the server stopping working in the first place due to a technical problem such as power outages, connecting to the Internet or the internal network of the institution, or even carrying out maintenance and updates of servers by specialists (which are supposed to take place outside official working hours so as not to affect users, but unfortunately it does not happen in most of our countries!)
After reading this lesson prepared by the team of the MYHOST of Hosting with as simple an explanation as possible, we hope that you will have knowledge about what a server is and what a web server is?
We will also tell you about the components of the server, why it is so important in our lives, what are the different uses of servers, and whether there is one type of server or are there different types of servers.
The simplest definition of a server is: “A server is a computer with special capabilities and specifications.”
Websites, systems and services in government agencies, companies, banks and any digital system is a program consisting of information and data in the form of images, files and databases, and code according to which transactions are carried out on that data and the result of those transactions are the outputs of the system and the function for which it was created.
The brain responsible for storing, retaining, and transacting and transforming that data is a computer called a server, server, or server. The server is not much different from regular computers, as it contains almost all the components of the computer, but it differs in that its components are often larger in terms of capacity and capacity, and its capabilities are much stronger and higher than personal computers because it serves many users at one time, not just one user.
Among the most prominent of these capabilities is the presence of a powerful CPU, large file storage capacity, fast response, high-speed Internet connection, a continuous uninterrupted electricity source, in addition to a powerful cooling system because the server will work 24 hours a day, seven days a year, with continuous protection and monitoring of the server.
What are the components of the server?
As mentioned above, a server is a computer with some additional features. So the components of the server are not much different from the components of ordinary computers.
The server consists of the following main components:
Case: Or computer box, which is the case or box that contains all parts of the server.
CPU: It is like a server brain and is responsible for doing most of the tasks and controlling the server.
RAM: It is one of the types of storage media and it is very fast and in it the programs and files that are currently running are stored.
Storage Device: It is where files are stored and there are two main types, HDD and SSD.
Cooler: It is responsible for cooling the processor and the rest of the server components, and it is a fan or an integrated system.
Power Supply: The unit responsible for supplying power to all server components.
Mother Board: It is an electronic board to which all server components are connected.
Operating System: It is the program responsible for transforming the server from a mere machine to a responsive device and executes commands such as Windows and Linux.
Did you know that there is more than one type of hosting? Read more about the types of hosting and the difference between them here.
These components are the internal components of the server and vary according to server usage. The size and capacity of each component varies based on the needs and uses of the server.
Certainly, servers need a very high speed Internet connection and a permanent power source.
Why is the server important?
The server is the basis for configuring web hosting and many other services.
A server is the house or building where the sites are located and therefore provides these sites with the place where they are hosted. The function of the server is to respond to requests received by the site and provide data to its visitors (users).
Why should the server work constantly?
The server must work continuously, because stopping the server, even for one minute, means that all sites, applications, services and systems hosted on it have stopped.
How does the server work?
In order to show you how the server works as simple as possible, we will explain to you a simple scenario of what happens when you visit a website.
You place the site link in the browser and press the “Enter” button.
The browser connects to the DNS server.
The DNS server sends the IP of the server on which the site domain is hosted.
The browser connects to the server on which the site is hosted and asks it for the page to which you added the link.
The server prepares the page and sends it to the browser in the form of data packets.
The browser displays the page to which it was sent from the server to the user (you).
Of course, this process is done very quickly according to the capabilities of the server and the speed of the connection of both the server and the user to the Internet, and the most important is the server because it may deal with thousands of users at the same moment.
Is it necessary for the server to have special specifications?
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As mentioned earlier, a server or server is a computer with special specifications, but it does not have to be, as any normal computer can be converted to an Internet server.
This is done by installing an operating system on it and connecting it to the Internet and a constant power source.
But computer manufacturers such as Dell and HP produce computers that look very much like regular devices but have the advantage that they can work continuously without overheating.
Read also..
The effect of RAM, CPU, I/O and operating system on site speed and server performance
The capabilities of the server vary from one version to another and from one device to another and according to what is required of it or the task it is required to perform, whether hosting websites, databases, files, etc.
Of course, the server must be connected all the time to a power source and to the Internet as well if it is to be used as a Web Server.
And the presence of a group of servers with each other in one place is what is known as a data center or data center.
What is the server used for?
The server is used in more than one way and has many uses.
It is prepared for a specific use by the operating system or by certain software. Where the server can be converted, for example, to a web hosting server, such as a shared hosting server, or divided into virtual servers, or even fully rented, which is known in the field of web hosting as the full server rental service Dedicated Server.
We have made a complete and detailed guide to the virtual server VPS that we advise you to read.
You can also divide the server into more than one server “by default”, meaning that the server is divided into more than one server, but they are the same “machine” device and they all share the same server resources, and this is known as the virtual private server “VPS”.
More than one device can also be linked to each other to configure Cloud Hosting. You can also convert the server to Reseller Hosting accounts.
Did you know that major sites and companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon use one of the types of hosting called cloud hosting?
Read more about cloud hosting here.
In addition, some companies and institutions use the server at the headquarters in order to provide services to the company’s branches by linking all the company’s branches to one source of data, and this is what we see in telecommunications companies, banks and others.
In most cases, this main server is a server that contains the customer database.
One of the advantages of this is that all customer data is located in one place only, which makes it easy to protect and control access and backup permissions. Also, it makes edits made by one user available to all other users in real time.
And that main server is often a mainframe or a central computer.
Mainframe
The mainframe, mainframe, or mainframe is a large and very powerful server of a special nature, a special operating system, strong specifications, and a very high ability to process data with the lowest error rate, so you will often only find it in large organizations.
Many large institutions, governments and banks rely on mainframe computers to retain the data of their customers and users, conduct transactions on them, and host their services and programs because of their great capabilities to retain a huge amount of data and conduct operations on them in a large number.
An example of a Mainframe device is the IBM z15 Mainframe, which was announced in September 2019 and this is a picture of it.
Here’s a video that explains how to assemble and install the IBM Z mainframe in two minutes from the IBM English channel.
And don’t forget to subscribe to MYHOST‘s YouTube channel until you receive all the new.
How many websites does one server host?
Regarding the servers that are used to host websites. Many wonder how many websites a server can host.
The answer to that question is: there is no specific number of sites that the server can host, as the number of sites that the server can host varies according to the specifications of the server itself, its resources and capacity, and according to the nature and size of those sites that are hosted on it.
There are dedicated servers for the shared hosting service, which depends on server sharing between more than one user / site, and these servers can host dozens of sites and other servers that host thousands of sites. But this does not prevent that there are sites that need a server only for them in what is known as the dedicated server, such as servers that host important and confidential data such as banks, hospitals, etc.
There are also sites or applications that need more than one server so that they can withstand the number of requests they receive and the large number of visitors or that their nature needs very strong hosting that cannot stop even for a moment. These sites use a type of hosting service called cloud hosting, which relies on connecting more than one server to each other in a network that is more like one large server.
All this according to the capabilities of the server and the nature of the sites, as mentioned above, the server with high capabilities can host a larger number of sites and vice versa. In addition, sites that need large storage space and largebandwidth data transfer capacity reduce the number of sites that are hosted with them on the same server.
A set of images for servers
Frequently asked questions about the server
What is a server?
A server is a computer with special capabilities and specifications. But this is a simple definition and the server explanation in detail is in this lesson.
Should the server work constantly?
Yes, the server should work continuously without interruption as much as possible because stopping it means that all sites and applications hosted on it are stopped.
What is the server used for?
There are many uses for the server such as file hosting,web hosting, databases, etc. And you can know more uses of the server here.
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