Domain-Based Network Administration
What is a domain?
It is a security boundary for the resources held within a logical group of resources.
What is needed to create a domain?
A domain controller
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validates user log-on to the domain
centralizes user accounts and security policies into a single database
provides a single administrative unit for the network
Network Services Servers
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DNS, DHCP, Print Server, Email, etc.
Resource Servers
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provides data storage or application software for users
does not handle domain log-on, so is more efficient
runs applications like SQL database or Remote Access
Clients that participate in the requesting and use of resources
In addition, multiple domains can be combined into larger organization units or
models. One domain can utilize [trust] the accounts of another domain. This
provides scalability as the organization grows.
What Is a Server?
server
[a Webopedia definition]
(ser4ver) (n.) A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For
example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any
user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that
manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages
network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database
queries.
Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their
server tasks. On multiprocessing operating systems, however, a single computer can
execute several programs at once. A server in this case could refer to the program that is
managing resources rather than the entire computer.
If you're not familiar with the functions of a server, but have heard the term in passing, you
may think of a server as some mystical computer beast that performs amazing tasks and
generally is a hands-off system. Before we delve into the inner-workings of a server, let's start
by dispelling that "mystical" thing. From a hardware perspective, a server is simply a computer
on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications for the other
computers on the network. You may have a server in place to handle file or database sharing
between all users on your network, or have a server configured to allow all users to share a
printer, rather than having a printer hooked up to each individual computer in your
organization.
What makes the term server doubly confusing is that it can refer to both hardware and
software. That is, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a
computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the
software you would use depends on the type of network. LANs and WANs for example are
going to use file and print servers while the Internet would use Web servers. In this article we
provide an overview on some of the more common types of servers such as application
servers, database servers, mail servers, and Web servers.
Application Server [a Webopedia definition]
Also called an appserver. A program that handles all application operations between users and
an organization's backend business applications or databases. Application servers are
typically used for complex transaction-based applications. To support high-end needs, an
application server has to have built-in redundancy, monitors for high-availability, highperformance distributed application services and support for complex database access.
Print Server
Print servers are set up on a network to route print requests from other computer workstations
on the network. The server handles the print file request and sends the file to the requested
printer where it is spooled. A print server allows multiple users on a network to share the
printer.
Database Server
A database server is an application that is based on the client/server architecture model. The
application is divided into two parts: a front-end running on a workstation (where users collect
and display the database information) and the back-end running on a server where the tasks
such as data analysis and storage are performed.
Mail Server [a Webopedia definition]
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. Today, most people think of
mail servers in terms of the Internet. Mail servers, however, were originally developed for
corporate networks (LANs and WANs).
Web Server [a Webopedia definition]
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. Any computer can be turned into
a Web server by installing server software and connecting the machine to the Internet. There
are many Web server software applications, including public domain software from NCSA and
Apache, and commercial packages from Microsoft, Netscape and others.
FTP Server
An FTP server is a software application running the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), the protocol
for exchanging files over the Internet. FTP works in the same way as HTTP for transferring
Web pages from a server to a user's browser and SMTP for transferring electronic mail across
the Internet in that, like these technologies, FTP uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocols to enable
data transfer. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet
or to upload a file to a server (e.g., uploading a Web page file to a server).
Proxy Server [a Webopedia definition]
A server that sits between a client application, such as a Web browser, and a real server. It
intercepts all requests to the real server to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it
forwards the request to the real server. Proxy servers have two main purposes. Proxy servers
can dramatically improve performance for groups of users. This is because it saves the results
of all requests for a certain amount of time. proxy servers also Filter Requests to block or
disallow specific types of outgoing or incoming requests to the server.
Different Servers for Different Jobs
The type of system you would choose for a server depends mainly on its application within
your organization; how much data it will be responsible for storing and retrieving, the number
of user requests that you expect will be sent to the server, and how many clients will be
accessing the server are all things you will need to consider before choosing a server
architecture and software package.
A server is not just one piece of equipment that has the capability to perform a specific task.
From a basic file/print server, you could be looking at something as common as a Dell PC with
512MB of memory running Windows or Linux and configured to queue network printing. An
example of midrange server, used for more intensive database storage and retrieval functions
is HP's 900 midrange server with 32 PCI slots and 256GB of memory to handle the extra
workload.
As you can see from this introduction to the many types and configurations of servers, the term
is probably one of the most ambiguous tech terms you'll ever come across.