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This list,
courtesy of
serverwatch.com, categorizes the many different types of
servers used in the marketplace today. Click on the server
category you'd like to know more about, and you will be taken
directly to a serverwatch.com page that provides additional
information and resources. |
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Server Platforms |
A term often used synonymously
with
operating system, a
platform is the underlying
hardware or
software for a system and is thus the engine that drives the
server. |
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Application Servers |
Sometimes referred to as a type
of
middleware, application servers occupy a large chunk of
computing territory between database servers and the end user,
and they often connect the two. |
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Audio/Video Servers |
Audio/Video servers bring
multimedia capabilities to Web sites by enabling them to
broadcast
streaming multimedia content.
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Chat Servers |
Chat
servers enable a large number of users to exchange information
in an environment similar to Internet
newsgroups that offer
real-time discussion capabilities.
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Fax Servers |
A fax server is an ideal
solution for organizations looking to reduce incoming and
outgoing telephone resources but that need to fax actual
documents. |
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FTP Servers |
One of the oldest of the
Internet services,
File
Transfer Protocol makes it possible to move one or more
files securely between computers while providing file security
and organization as well as transfer control.
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Groupware Servers |
A groupware server is software
designed to enable users to collaborate, regardless of location,
via the Internet or a corporate
intranet and to work together in a virtual atmosphere.
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IRC Servers |
An option for those seeking
real-time discussion capabilities,
Internet
Relay Chat consists of various separate networks (or "nets")
of servers that allow users to connect to each other via an IRC
network. |
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List Servers |
List servers offer a way to
better manage mailing lists, whether they be interactive
discussions open to the public or one-way lists that deliver
announcements, newsletters, or advertising.
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Mail Servers |
Almost as ubiquitous and crucial
as Web servers, mail servers move and store mail over corporate
networks (via
LANs and
WANs) and across the Internet. |
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News Servers |
News servers act as a
distribution and delivery source for the thousands of public
news groups currently accessible over the
USENET
news network. |
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Proxy Servers |
Proxy servers sit between a
client
program (typically a Web
browser) and an external server (typically another server on
the Web) to filter requests, improve performance, and share
connections. |
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Telnet Servers |
A Telnet server enables users to
log on to a host computer and perform tasks as if they're
working on the remote computer itself. |
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Web Servers |
At its core, a Web server serves
static content to a Web
browser by loading a file from a disk and serving it across
the network to a user's Web browser. This entire exchange is
mediated by the browser and server talking to each other using
HTTP.
Also read ServerWatch's
Web Server Basics article.
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