3e - Network Components - Servers

3e - Network Components - Servers

1. File Server

   • This stores files available on the network
   • It will normally have storage areas set aside for each user on the network that is only accessible to those users
   • It is also likely to have shared files that are available to some or all users

2. Application Server

   • This stores software for use across the network
   • This will save stoarge space, memory and processing power on the clients computer, but it will increase network traffic

3. Mail Server

   • This manages all emails for an organisation
   • It will only allow authorised users to access their own mail boxes
   • Any emails sent by users wil be sent by the mail server either to another user on the LAN, or via a router to a WAN or the Internet
   • It will also perform some additional functions:
     • Check all incoming mail for viruses
     • Filtering out any spam emails
     • Providing a central address book for the organisation
     • Setting a limit to the size of the mail box
     • Calendars

4. Proxy Server

   • This manages access to the internet within an organisation
   • It can perform the following fuctions
     • Store web pages in a cache, s the next user will have faster access to the web pages
     • A firewall that examines all data coming in and out of the network
     • Filter access to web pages so that undesirable web pages are blocked

5. Print Server

   • This manages access to printers within a LAN
   • Print jobs are sent by client computers to the print server where the job is processed
   • The print server will put all of the print jobs into a queue and deal with them in turn
   • It may also provide some of the following functions
     • Prioritise print jobs so that urgent ones can jump the queue
     • Charge users for each job
     • Restrict the number of pages that can printed at once
     • Restrict access to certain printers
     • Provide reports of who has printed what

6. Backup Server

   • The role of this server is to backup all data on a setwork so that individual users do not have to back up their own work
   • It will usually have tape drives connected to it and backups will schelduled automatically each day