How does a server differ from a regular PC? The difference between a server and a regular computer What does a server consist of?

Server is a computer that performs global functions that serve the work of users or the work of other computers.

Server functions

There are a huge number of functions for servers. Here are the main ones:

• file;
• mail;
• web server;
• database server;
• video surveillance server;
• Internet gateway;
• domain controller;
• network services server;
• remote access server, etc.

Thus a server is a computer that performs some function or task.

For example, a mail server is a server, or rather a computer, which manages the operation of all mail, on which all email is stored. Or, for example, a file server. This is a server, i.e. the computer on which user files are stored.

How does a server differ from a regular computer from a hardware point of view?

If you compare a server in terms of hardware and a regular computer, then servers are usually very powerful, i.e. they have powerful processors, a large amount of RAM, large hard drives, a good cooling system, etc. Those. the server can be called a powerful computer.

But why a server is a server, and a powerful computer is a powerful computer, what are the differences?

A server, essentially speaking, is the same computer, only a different program is installed on it.

It is necessary to differentiate: there is equipment for servers and there is equipment for ordinary computers.

Server equipment is usually very powerful, fault-tolerant and designed for round-the-clock uninterrupted operation without shutdown. Accordingly, it is more expensive.

Server from a software point of view

Again, a server is essentially an ordinary computer that performs some functions or tasks. For example, a mail server where mail is stored and all mail is managed; telephony server, which manages telephony and all phone-related functions; a file server on which files and data are stored, which performs storage functions, etc.

From a software point of view, a server is an ordinary computer. Those. you can take any computer and turn it into a server. But, as I wrote above, it will not be reliable and will probably work slowly.

The server function is controlled by the program installed on it. For example, if this is a mail server, then a program is installed on the computer that controls the operation of mail. The type of these programs is called a mail server. If this is a file server, then a program that manages the file storage process and is responsible for its operation is responsible for its operation. Those. The equipment itself does not provide any server functions. You need to install some program on it that will perform this function. And the equipment itself is a hardware resource.

Roughly classified, there are 2 operating system options for servers - Windows and Linux (all *NIX-like systems). In short, the operating system is the basis that controls the computer.

Depending on the functions, reliability and tasks required of the server, the operating system is selected.

Linux has two very big advantages:

• First of all, Linux is absolutely free!
• Secondly, Linux is very reliable.

Usually the word “server” scares users. It seems like some kind of colossus, like a computer from the middle of the last century, occupying the halls and requiring servicing by crowds of concentrated programmers. And she seems to be somewhere far away, and is not connected with ordinary human life, and solves terribly specific problems. In fact, a server computer has much more in common with the PCs we are used to, especially if the server is low-power and serves not a giant corporation, but a local area at the entrance level or a small office.

Definition

Server, or server computer - a computer that meets certain tasks and conditions, processes requests from other computers included in the same network, and is equipped with appropriate software.

Under regular computer understand a home or office PC with standard characteristics, regardless of participation in the local network.

Comparison

The difference between a server and a regular computer comes from the tasks of both. The server, as serving all network participants, must be more productive in order to process requests as quickly as possible. The wider the network, the more powerful the server. To organize a small network, no hardware specifications are needed; server software that manages multiple connections and provides remote access to resources is sufficient. For more serious tasks, the configuration must be appropriate: server multiprocessor motherboards, large RAM, many drives, all of this must be enclosed in a well-ventilated case.

A server, unlike a home PC, does not need graphics power; most often it does not have a video card, and the monitor is connected to an integrated one. The server can work as long as the owners need, but most often uninterruptedly on a 24/7 schedule, so the cooling system and power supply system must be resistant to overloads, not to mention the electronics of the most important element - the drives. In addition, special hard drives are installed in server stations; manufacturers often mark them. They are distinguished by a huge number of revolutions - 10,000, and are much more expensive than those installed in PCs. In general, all components for a server are more expensive, and its maintenance is not cheap, given that the energy-intensive system does not turn off for a long time.

In addition, the server requires careful attention to the creation of backup copies, and backups on it are a constant matter, even if it serves not a work network, but a home network. To do this, in addition to software, they use the ability to connect drives in RAID.

Conclusions website

1. The server serves many connected computers.
2. The server demonstrates higher performance.
3. The server requires special components.
4. The server ignores the graphics capabilities of the systems.
5. A server is an expensive pleasure.

Modern computer and local networks have either a peer-to-peer (when all nodes are directly connected and equal in rights) or a hierarchical structure, one type of which is client-server architecture. The idea of ​​organizing such a model is based on an understanding of the difference between a client and a server, and the division of resources.

Server– a computer that serves other computers on the network and provides them with its resources to solve certain problems.

Client– a computer that uses server resources and provides the user with the ability to interact with the system and network.

The same scheme is used when organizing network applications, only the server and client parts of the software act as the main nodes.

Comparison

This model of interaction can be visualized by remembering multi-user programs and games: we launch a client application on our device and see on the screen a farm, tanks or our own photo gallery in Dropbox. If there is no connection to a global or local network (depending on the location), feeding cows and fighting as a team will not work: all files and data are stored on the server.

Within a small home or office network built on a hierarchical model, the difference between a client and a server may lie solely in the software plane. The first one sends requests, the second processes them and returns the result; all processes are carried out through applications installed on computers. Technically, machines can be anything, as long as the software does not require a high level of component performance. To perform resource-intensive tasks, a powerful PC is used as a server, while a workstation should only be convenient for the user and ensure the operation of communication channels.

Computers performing server roles in a network with a large number of clients usually have hardware reinforced with several arrays of drives with high speed reading and writing data. Also, these machines are equipped with the maximum possible amount of RAM. But peripheral devices are superfluous for them: monitors, keyboards, mice, audio systems are simply excluded from the system due to the lack of direct contact with the user.

So what is the difference between client and server functionally? The first initiates the operation of the software (with or without user participation), the second waits for a request from the user. The client knows the full server address and how to contact it, and the server receives information about the client after the interaction begins. Workstations can be turned off according to a schedule or the user's desire, but the server PC is always running (or while the server application is running). The failure of one of the clients will not affect anything, while the failure of server equipment means the unavailability of service for all network nodes connected to it.

Table

Question about differences between a server and a regular computer arises for any programmer or developer: sometimes in the form of simple interest, sometimes in the form of a practical task. It is a pity that many managers do not know the difference when trying to organize complex enterprise-level management systems based on office PCs. And after that they wonder for a long time why something is working “wrong”.

A server, first of all, is a network computer whose task is to distribute resources for ordinary computers on its network. If the network is small, then the server can be an ordinary PC. There is no difference between computers here, but there is a difference in software - the server uses a server version of the operating system, as well as additional services and programs, which are also called servers: mail, web, DHCP, etc. As the network grows, the power of the server must increase proportionally, and that is why you have to look for stores that sell server equipment. And you will definitely need it:

• More powerful cases. Servers have significantly larger motherboard sizes due to the excess of connected interfaces and the number of processors.
• More power supplies. Often 2-3 power supplies are used, and they can be hot-swapped. In general, server cases and power supplies are often placed in special racks, and “standard” plug-in units can dramatically increase server scalability.
• High-speed network equipment. It is in the vicinity of the servers that the fastest cables and other interfaces are laid.
• Hard drives, memory. Server programs are very voracious in terms of resource consumption, so disk memory here is measured in tens and hundreds of terabytes, and RAM is 32-64 or more gigabytes. Moreover, for servers, RAM is produced with error control - ECC, and it is unsuitable for PCs.

In general, the server's appetite grows depending on many factors. The price for a server increases much faster, so servers are often rented rather than purchased. Moreover, not every enterprise can afford to have professional staff for its setup and round-the-clock support, as well as the maintenance of a special room - a server room, where an ideal microclimate for the equipment must be provided.

Interestingly, the desires of many gamers to “play on the server” are impossible, since in games the key factor is graphics, and in servers, graphics, including monitors, are an unnecessary thing and are used only to monitor the state of the system. So players will have to make do with regular PCs with 2-3 processors, while server Easily uses hundreds of processors.

It is known that an ordinary personal computer can be used for hosting websites. It is enough to connect a standard “personal computer” to a good Internet channel and leave it working 24 hours a day. In some cases this is the most acceptable and completely appropriate solution, but not always. In this article we will try to figure out what a regular PC lacks to become a full-fledged server for web hosting.

What is a server and how is it different from a regular PC? A server (from the English to serve - to serve) is a specialized computer that is specially “tailored” to perform certain tasks. Simply put, there is no way you can play PC games on a typical hosting server. And he doesn’t have a monitor, because hosting doesn’t require a screen. Actually, when we consider the differences between a server and a PC as a hosting system, we are talking specifically about the specialization of the server. Let's see what it is and how important it is. Are we ready to overpay many times over to get it?

Server specialization is achieved through two main factors: increased performance and redundant reliability. There are a number of special technologies that are found only in servers. By the way, many of them in the future have every chance of migrating to the regular PC market, as has happened many times before. Let us briefly list these “special” server technologies.

CPU

For a normal hosting server, one processor is clearly not enough, because modern web applications are very demanding. Executing scripts requires significant computing resources, as well as the currently fashionable Ajax technology, which results in a constant stream of XMLHttpRequest requests. The very nature of the web server pushes towards multiprocessing, that is, simultaneous servicing of many users. This task is ideally parallelizable.

Special processors are designed for servers, for example, Intel Xeon, which differ from typical Pentiums by supporting a faster processor bus and larger cache size.

Memory

Hosting servers use special server chipsets (for example, Intel E7520 and E7320) that work with faster DDR-2 RAM. This type of memory has greater bandwidth than conventional memory used in personal computers. Remote control of the server is also ensured by a special chipset.

Naturally, the server chipset supports larger amounts of memory than a typical home PC chipset. All server chipsets support memory parity control (ECC).

Tire

The bus is one of those bottlenecks that prevents a regular PC from being used as a high-performance web server. The fact is that a regular PCI bus has a throughput of 133 MB/s, while a standard gigabit network card, which is installed in a hosting provider's server rack, has a throughput of 125 MB/s. As you can see, even one such card will “eat up” all the resources of the PCI bus, leaving almost nothing, for example, for the hard drive. Well, two cards will not be able to work at full capacity. But this is critically important if your site suddenly receives a powerful stream of requests from Internet users. Of course, not every site becomes so popular, but dozens, or even hundreds of sites “live” on one hosting server.

This is why the hosting server uses several independent buses, usually PCI-X (4 GB/s bandwidth in PCI-X 2.0) or PCI Express (up to 16 GB/s).

HDD

Traditionally, servers use faster hard drives with a SCSI interface with a throughput of up to 320 MB/s. In addition to high speed, this interface has other advantages: hot-swappable disks, connecting up to 15 devices per channel.

SCSI drives are excellent for organizing RAID arrays, that is, systems of several hard drives with redundant copying of information. Using such arrays, you can almost 100% guarantee that information will not be lost even if one of the disks fails.

Frame

The hosting server looks completely different from a regular PC. The fact is that other types of cases are used for servers, which are placed in rack cabinets. These cases are called “rackmount”. You can fit several dozen of them in a closet. The chassis form factor is measured in “units”: one unit (1U), two units (2U), etc., which corresponds to the number of standard slots that the server occupies in the cabinet. One unit (that is, the height of the rack case) is 44.5 mm.

Motherboards in servers have a different form factor (Server System Infrastructure, that is, SSI), which is not found in regular PCs. ATX (E-ATX) format boards are now rarely used in servers.

Remote control

For a hosting server, it is very important to provide the possibility of remote control via the network, as well as remote diagnostics of equipment, because the server is usually located far from us, and not located next to the bed. And it doesn’t have a monitor, as we already said, so in any case you will have to manage and configure the server over the network.

A typical hosting server allows us to view all the information about its operation via the Internet: the temperature of the processor and motherboard, fan speed, complete statistics about the network load. Typically, even sending critical messages (for example, about overheating) via email or SMS is configured. The system administrator can even shut down or reboot the server via the Internet.

So, what is better to use for hosting - a special server or a regular personal computer? The answer is not at all obvious, which is why many hosting providers work on ordinary personal computers - and are not at all embarrassed. This approach is much simpler and more economical, although there is no need to talk about any kind of reliability and performance here. Using specialized servers can ensure reliability and performance, but will be more expensive.

Anatoly ALIZAR

The material was prepared with the assistance of the hosting provider