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Overview of Computers Dr. Piyush Joshi Assistant Professor IIIT Sri City Server You may have heard the term server before, but what exactly is a Server? A Server in its most basic form: Is a computer device that provides a service to another computer program and...

Overview of Computers Dr. Piyush Joshi Assistant Professor IIIT Sri City Server You may have heard the term server before, but what exactly is a Server? A Server in its most basic form: Is a computer device that provides a service to another computer program and its user These server programs range in variety depending on what the server is designed for Using internet technologies, devices are able to establish a connection to a server to access it and make use of the resources or programs on the server Server The essential point is that a server offers a “service” to devices connected to it On a network, a server is known as a host The devices that are connecting to the server are known as clients Server Example The example shown below is known as a File Server because this server holds files that are shared around the business Instead of storing these files on their own computers, they can log into any computer that can access the server From here they can look for the file on the server, open it, edit it, save it, etc; and if another member is looking for the file they can connect to the server and access that same file Server Servers can come in many shapes and forms. Technically any computer with a suitable server operating system / software installed, and a way for devices to connect to it, is capable of being a server However in most cases, servers are specialized computers which are designed and built for the specific task of being a server: Servers are designed to be running 24-7 The processing power of servers can generate a lot of heat They need to be capable of computing and handling the tasks they are built for They need to be able to cope with the number of clients that are accessing it Server For this reason you will find that servers often don’t look anything like a typical desktop computer, laptop or mobile device. This is an image of a server that a company or organization may use. This server has server racks mounted inside a data center server cabinet Types of Server There are many different types of Servers that are used for a range of purposes, below are a few common uses for servers: File Server: Stores files that can be accessed and shared with many clients Web Server: Holds and stores webpages for clients to access Database Server: Similar to a file server, but stores and holds a database system, again for many clients to access Application Server: Holds applications for clients to access Game Server: Holds a game/games for clients to access and share. Typically used for online gaming Bootloader A bootloader or bootstrap loader, is a computer program that is responsible for booting a computer. When a computer is turned off, its software—including operating systems, application code, and data—remains stored on non-volatile memory. When the computer is powered on, it typically does not have an operating system or its loader in (RAM). The computer first executes a relatively small program stored in ROM to initialize RAM and load operating system into RAM.