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I've never really understood--what's a "server" for?

i mean, i generally know what it does but what i dont understand is why so many average joes have "a linux server." like, why would the typical schmore want to use an old p3 as a "linux server." what's the point?

i know that servers are dedicated computers that are used in centralized network hubs to distribute and organize files quickly and efficiently.... but that's about all i know .......:stupid;
 
A server is like a bank of the internet's data.

It can let you put files in, and will let you take files out. Just like a bank, you can choose who you want to be able to access those files, too.

Granted, you could just keep the files on your own computer, but the server is much better at handling it and managing it. Just as you could keep your money in a jar on your dresser, but that probably isn't the best idea.

Aside from serving files, a server can do other things too, like controlling a printer to print across a network or control access, just like a bank can give loans and financial advice and the sort.
 
Originally posted by: Broohaha
i mean, i generally know what it does but what i dont understand is why so many average joes have "a linux server." like, why would the typical schmore want to use an old p3 as a "linux server." what's the point?

i know that servers are dedicated computers that are used in centralized network hubs to distribute and organize files quickly and efficiently.... but that's about all i know .......:stupid;
Click to expand...

They're nice to have as a testbed to learn about new stuff, and they're good for offloading some tasks that you don't want running on a main machine (for instance if you have a lan party you don't want to host the game on the machine you're playing on). I imagine some people here also host webpages, ftp sites, or other things on their server.
 
Originally posted by: ness1469
A server is like a bank of the internet's data. It can let you put files in, and will let you take files out. Just like a bank, you can choose who you want to be able to access those files, too. Granted, you could just keep the files on your own computer, but the server is much better at handling it and managing it. Just as you could keep your money in a jar on your dresser, but that probably isn't the best idea. Aside from serving files, a server can do other things too, like controlling a printer to print across a network or control access, just like a bank can give loans and financial advice and the sort.
Click to expand...

cool. nice analogy. thanks.
 
Originally posted by: Broohaha
i mean, i generally know what it does but what i dont understand is why so many average joes have "a linux server." like, why would the typical schmore want to use an old p3 as a "linux server." what's the point?

i know that servers are dedicated computers that are used in centralized network hubs to distribute and organize files quickly and efficiently.... but that's about all i know .......:stupid;
Click to expand...



Well why didn't you say so 😉

A lot of people do it for personal practice because they are in or going to be in the IT field where that sort of knowledge comes in handy. Or because they don't want to pay someone else to do it. Sure, you could pay a monthly fee to have a place to upload your files so you don't have to carry them back and forth to school or work, but why can't you just do it yourself?
 
Originally posted by: Broohaha
i mean, i generally know what it does but what i dont understand is why so many average joes have "a linux server." like, why would the typical schmore want to use an old p3 as a "linux server." what's the point?

i know that servers are dedicated computers that are used in centralized network hubs to distribute and organize files quickly and efficiently.... but that's about all i know .......:stupid;
Click to expand...

Linux, being at least a philisophical derivative of Unix is inherently server-oriented. Linux can be both a server and a client, but Unix has generally be used only as a server. In other words, you don't see people throwing X onto a Sys V box to play MP3s and connecting to another box to store files. This is where you get the "Linux is great as a server, but not a client" debate that seems to go on ad infinitum.

Also, the idea of a server was a lot different in the days of mainframes where there were disctinct hardware differences, as the clients (terminals) were connected to the servers using serial cables through multiplexers. These terminals (e.g. Wyse-60) had little functionality outside of what the server provided as the client was only a conduit to the server. A later example of this would be Citrix's WinFrame and an IBM NetStation (or similar); the clients themselves had just about no functionality as it was all provided by the server to which it connected. An even later example would be the use of a RDP client to connect to Windows Terminal Services.

To summarize, many boxen these days play the role of a server and a client.
 
Originally posted by: nan0bug
Originally posted by: Broohaha
i mean, i generally know what it does but what i dont understand is why so many average joes have "a linux server." like, why would the typical schmore want to use an old p3 as a "linux server." what's the point?

i know that servers are dedicated computers that are used in centralized network hubs to distribute and organize files quickly and efficiently.... but that's about all i know .......:stupid;
Click to expand...

They're nice to have as a testbed to learn about new stuff, and they're good for offloading some tasks that you don't want running on a main machine (for instance if you have a lan party you don't want to host the game on the machine you're playing on). I imagine some people here also host webpages, ftp sites, or other things on their server.
Click to expand...

A "linux server" isn't there to serve linux... it's a computer running linux that has been configured to be a web or ftp or some other type of server. As a "server", it runs some kind of service that remote users can connect to for one purpose or another.

One of the wackier things you can do with it has to do with the X server, which serves the X Windows graphical output. Programs running on various forms of Unix can send graphical output to the X server, even if it's running on a remote machine. The net effect is that if you have a machine running an X server (even if it's on a Windows box or a Mac), you can output the display from programs running on remote Unix or linux machines. Nifty.
 
I use my home server for two things:

Windows application software development, since the company I work for now creates client software that "talks" to webserver-based Course Management Systems from WebCT, Blackboard, and eCollege. I sometimes work out of my home office and need both client and server machines to do this efficiently.

Music jukebox - I have 800 of my CDs so far stored in lossless FLAC format. Right now I just listen directly to the jukebox in my home office, but with wifi I could also be listening to its files on remote PCs or pocket PCs anywhere else in the apartment. Wireless roaming access to 800 CDs (or 1,200 when I finish with ripping) on a PDA will be very cool.
 
Everyone talks like they really know what a server is so here's a quiz:

A server is:

a. a printer
b. A computer with a server operating system
c. A process that provides a service.
d. A service thread.
e. A device attached to a printer to allow network printing.
f. None of the above.

Take your pick and we'll see how smart you really are.
 
Originally posted by: Broohaha
F as in F you.

and also as in f. none of the above.
Click to expand...

Way off.

Edit: you really was serious about not knowing what a server is. Shameful!
 
part of the problem is the confusion of terms.

some people think Server = hardware.

Server =/= hardware, server = FUNCTION.

WHAT the PC does determines whethor it's a WORKSTATION or a SERVER.

Server OS's also help with the distinction as Server OS's make the function of SERVER easier.

 
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