Different Types of Servers & Their Uses

A server is a dedicated computer that provides information, data, and services to other computers in a network, known as clients. Servers are designed to manage, store, and process large amounts of information, making them central to network operations in businesses, data centers, and online services. 

Servers can host websites, manage email systems, store files, run applications, and handle databases, among other tasks. They are crucial for ensuring that multiple users or devices can access and share information efficiently, securely, and reliably within a networked environment.

Database servers

A database server manages a database and provides database services to clients. Like a big data librarian who organizes and delivers the information you need, a database server handles data access, retrieval, and client requests.

In a typical company setup, you would use database servers to manage large volumes of data. Think of the HR department checking employee records. They rely on the database server to organize all that information and deliver it quickly. Popular examples of database servers often used for this include MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle.

Using database servers helps you enforce database management system (DBMS) constraints. This ensures recovery and security, allowing multiple users to access the database simultaneously without issues. For some applications, database servers are more efficient than file servers.

Most database servers operate on a client-server model. Your clients send requests, and the server responds with the needed data. These servers are powerful and can handle connections to multiple databases, often with the help of application and web servers. However, databases can directly serve resources to clients too, especially in on-premises setups.

For example, when your sales team needs client history data fast. They connect to the database server, which processes these requests efficiently. This setup makes your workflows smoother and more reliable, ensuring data is always at our fingertips.

Web servers

Web servers are the engines behind your website that make it accessible to anyone with an internet connection. When someone visits your site, their web browser makes a request to your web server. 

The server responds by sending back the requested webpage, similar to a 24/7 receptionist handling inquiries. This ensures your site is always available and responsive.

You may use web servers like Apache and Nginx. Apache is one of the oldest and most reliable web servers out there. It's highly customizable and supports numerous modules to extend its functionality. 

For instance, if you need to add SSL support for secure connections, Apache can handle that seamlessly. It's also compatible with various operating systems, which provides you with flexibility.

Nginx, on the other hand, is known for its speed and efficiency. It excels at handling a high number of concurrent connections, making it perfect for busy websites. 

When you expect heavy traffic on your site during a product launch or a special event, you can rely on Nginx to keep things running smoothly. Its lightweight architecture helps reduce resource usage, which is a huge plus.

Web servers don't just serve static web pages; they also handle dynamic content. Let's say you have an online store. When a customer browses products, the web server works with your application and database servers to display updated inventory, prices, and other details in real time. This integrated approach ensures a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

Security is another critical aspect managed by your web servers. They handle HTTPS to encrypt data between your site and its visitors, safeguarding sensitive information like login credentials and payment details. 

You may also set up firewalls and use other security measures to protect against attacks, ensuring your website remains secure and trustworthy.

Besides hosting your main company website, web servers also support web-based applications. For instance, if you have internal tools like project management and customer support systems accessible via a web browser, your web servers ensure those tools are always online and performing well, which helps your teams stay productive.

Mail servers

Mail servers are crucial for your email communications. They send, receive, and store all your emails. When you send an email to a client or colleague, it travels through your mail server before reaching its destination. Similarly, incoming emails land on your mail server first before they show up in your inboxes.

Security is paramount for mail servers. Protocols like SSL/TLS are used to encrypt email communications to sensitive information, like client details and contract documents, remain confidential. You may also implement spam filters and antivirus protection to keep your email system secure from threats.

Mail servers do more than just send and receive emails. They provide a centralized system for managing email storage. This means that all your email data is stored in one secure place, making it easier to back up and retrieve when needed. For example, if someone accidentally deleted an important email, you can recover it from the mail server's backup.

Another key feature of mail servers is their ability to support various email clients. Whether you use desktop applications like Microsoft Outlook or web-based clients, most mail servers ensure consistent performance and accessibility. This flexibility allows you to stay connected and productive, regardless of where you are working from.

Integration with other systems is essential for an email server. Most mail servers work well with calendar applications, contact management systems, and even project management tools. This integrated ecosystem helps streamline your workflows and keeps everything in sync.

Application servers

Application servers, often known as app servers, are essential in your daily operations. They act as a middleman between users and your back-end databases, managing business logic, security, and data access. Essentially, they handle the heavy lifting of running your software applications.

One of the critical roles of app servers is processing client requests and generating dynamic content. For example, your CRM software likely relies on an app server to manage client data. 

When your sales team needs to access or update client information, the app server handles these requests efficiently, ensuring the data is processed and served correctly.

There are different types of app servers you can use. These include Java EE app servers, designed to support Java Enterprise Edition applications, .NET app servers for NET framework needs, and PHP app servers, perfect for hosting applications, websites, and web applications developed using PHP, thanks to their ease of use and flexibility.

Node.js app servers are another option, optimized for running applications built on the Node.js runtime. If you use frameworks like Django or Flask, Python app servers that support our Python-based applications are ideal. These servers are well-suited for web development, offering a solid foundation for Python projects.

Ruby on Rails app servers streamline the deployment process for Ruby-based web apps. They’re optimized for Ruby on Rails applications, ensuring smooth and efficient performance.

For your needs on Windows servers, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) can function as an app server for .NET applications and other web technologies. While IIS is primarily known as a web server, its flexibility allows it to handle application server tasks effectively.

Finally, Nginx primarily serves as a web server, but it can also function as an app server. It’s particularly useful for serving static content or acting as a reverse proxy server, making it a versatile component in your server setup. 

Each of these app servers plays a unique role in your technology stack, helping you manage and deploy a variety of applications efficiently and securely.

Virtual servers

Virtual servers allow you to run multiple server environments on a single physical machine, maximizing resource utilization and flexibility. It's like having a bunch of smaller, individual servers operating within one larger server.

You may use virtualization platforms like VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V to create these virtual servers. VMware is great because it offers robust features for managing virtual machines (VMs). 

For example, you can easily spin up a new VM for testing a software application without needing additional hardware. This speeds up your development and testing processes significantly.

Virtual servers also offer unmatched scalability. So, if your marketing team needs more processing power for a big campaign, you can allocate additional resources to their VM without purchasing new servers. 

This elasticity helps you respond quickly to changing business needs, whether it's scaling up for a major event or scaling down during quieter periods.

Security is another big advantage of virtual servers. Each VM operates in its own isolated environment, reducing the risk of one compromised server affecting others. You can also create snapshots of your VMs, which are like point-in-time backups. If something goes wrong, you can easily roll back to a previous state, minimizing downtime and data loss.

Your use of virtual servers can extend beyond just running applications. For instance, you can have virtualized file servers, database servers, and even web servers. This approach simplifies your management tasks since you can control and configure all these different servers from a single interface. 

Tools like VMware vCenter or Hyper-V Manager make it easy to monitor performance, manage resources, and ensure everything is running smoothly.

You can also leverage containerization technologies like Docker alongside your virtual servers. Containers are more lightweight compared to VMs and are perfect for deploying microservices. This setup allows you to run multiple containers on a single VM, further optimizing your resource usage and making your deployments more efficient.

Running virtual servers gives you the flexibility to experiment and innovate without the constraints of physical hardware. Whether it's deploying a new application, scaling existing services, or ensuring robust security measures, virtual servers are key to keeping our IT environment agile and efficient.

Proxy servers

Proxy servers act as intermediaries between client devices and the internet. They enhance security, improve performance, and help you manage web traffic more efficiently. 

When someone in your company requests a web page, the proxy server intercepts that request, fetches the webpage on their behalf, and then sends it back to their device. This not only speeds up the browsing experience but also adds an extra layer of security.

One of the key benefits of using proxy servers is enhanced security. For instance, by masking your internal IP addresses, proxy servers make it harder for outsiders to target your network. 

This is especially useful when you access sensitive information or perform online transactions. You can use solutions like Squid for these tasks. Squid excels at caching web content, which means frequently accessed web pages are stored locally on the proxy server. 

Another example is using proxy servers to control and monitor internet usage within the company. With tools like Blue Coat ProxySG, you can set rules and restrictions on the types of websites employees can access. 

This is particularly helpful for maintaining productivity and ensuring a safe browsing environment. If your team tries to access a restricted site, the proxy server will block the request and log the attempt, giving us insights into internet usage patterns.

Proxy servers also play a crucial role in load balancing. They can distribute incoming web traffic across multiple servers, ensuring no single server becomes overwhelmed. This is particularly beneficial during periods of high traffic, such as a product launch or a marketing campaign. 

By balancing the load, your proxy servers help maintain optimal performance and avoid downtime. Nginx is often used for this purpose. While Nginx is widely known as a web server, it also functions effectively as a reverse proxy server, handling load-balancing duties seamlessly.

Further, you  can use proxy servers for content filtering and data loss prevention. Solutions like Zscaler can inspect outgoing data to prevent sensitive information from leaving our network. This is crucial for protecting intellectual property and complying with data protection regulations. 

If someone tries to send sensitive information via email or upload it to a cloud service, the proxy server can detect and block the action, ensuring our data stays secure.

Lastly, proxy servers facilitate remote access. By setting up a proxy server, you can allow your employees to access the company network securely from remote locations. This is particularly useful for your remote work policies, ensuring that team members can access necessary resources without compromising security. 

Using a combination of Squid and VPN services, you  can create a secure tunnel for remote connections, giving your team the flexibility to work from anywhere while keeping your network safe.

DNS servers

DNS (Domain Name System) is a hierarchical system in which there are different types of DNS servers at each level. These types are Root DNS servers, Top-Level Domain Servers, Authoritative servers, and DNS Resolvers.

Let's talk about recursive resolvers first. When you open a browser and type a URL, your device's DNS settings point to a recursive resolver, also called a caching server. This resolver is the first stop for your DNS query. 

If it's seen this domain name recently, it might already have the information cached, so it can quickly tell me the correct IP address. If not, it starts a recursive query to find this information. The recursive resolver begins by contacting the Root server.

Next in the line are DNS root name servers. These are maintained by IANA, a part of ICANN. The root server holds the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. It initiates the process of finding the right direction by pointing the resolver to the correct top-level domain (TLD) server. For example, if I type "menandmice.com," the root server directs the resolver to check with the ".com" TLD server. Sometimes, the root server may have the required info cached and can provide it directly.

Then, we have TLD name servers. These servers handle specific domains like .com, .net, or country-specific ones like .uk. Each TLD server manages a particular slice of the DNS hierarchy. 

The TLD server either has the information cached or sends the recursive resolver to the authoritative server. For instance, if you are heading to "example.com," the TLD server for ".com" would step in at this point.

Finally, authoritative name servers come into play. These servers hold the actual DNS records for domain names. When a company registers a domain, its information is recorded in an authoritative server. 

When the recursive resolver queries this server, it gets the definitive IP address for the domain name. After retrieving this data, the resolver may cache it for future use and relays it to your client device, ensuring quicker access next time.

Understanding the roles of these types of DNS servers helps you appreciate how browsing the internet remains seamless. They form a well-structured hierarchy, each with specific responsibilities, to ensure you reach your desired online destinations efficiently.

Backup servers

Backup servers are the unsung heroes of our IT environments. They ensure we don't lose valuable data. When something goes wrong, these servers swoop in to restore everything back to normal.

Backup servers create copies of your critical data. For instance, every night, your backup server kicks into action to duplicate files from your file server. This way, if someone accidentally deletes an important document or if there's a hardware failure, you can recover it seamlessly. 

The beauty of backup servers is their versatility. They don’t just store copies of your files; they also back up applications and databases. For example, your database backup server runs nightly jobs to copy data from your SQL Server databases. So, if your HR database gets corrupted, you can restore it to a point just before the error occurred.

You can also employ incremental and differential backups to optimize your storage. Incremental backups save only the changes made since the last backup, making them quick and efficient. 

Differential backups, meanwhile, save all changes made since the last full backup, providing a middle ground. This approach ensures you have multiple layers of protection without consuming excessive storage space.

Your backup servers use both on-premises and cloud solutions. On-premises backup servers offer faster recovery times since the data is stored locally. You can use Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems for this purpose. They're easy to manage and integrate well with our existing infrastructure. 

However, you can also use cloud backup services like Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure. These add an extra layer of protection by storing your data off-site, safeguarding it against physical disasters like fires or floods.

Automating backups is crucial. You can schedule regular backup jobs, so you don't have to remember to do them manually. Solutions like Veeam offer extensive automation features, including backup verification. This ensures that your backup files are not corrupted and can be restored successfully when needed. 

Print servers

Print servers make your office life so much easier, handling all your printing tasks efficiently. They act as a central hub for managing print jobs from multiple devices and routing them to the appropriate printers. Instead of each computer needing a direct connection to a printer, your print server manages all these links seamlessly.

Security is critical when it comes to print servers. You must set up permissions to control who can print, manage printers, or clear print queues. This ensures that sensitive documents don't fall into the wrong hands. 

For example, your finance department should restrict access to their printers, so only authorized personnel can print confidential financial reports.

Print servers can also help you save on resources. By monitoring printer usage, you can identify which printers are most in demand and allocate resources accordingly. 

Tools like Print Manager Plus can give you detailed reports on print jobs, helping you track toner and paper usage. This way, you can make informed decisions about when to refill supplies or whether you need additional printers.

Your print servers can also be set up to handle various print protocols like IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), LPR/LPD (Line Printer Remote/Line Printer Daemon), and SMB (Server Message Block).

That versatility ensures that regardless of the device or operating system, printing tasks are smoothly handled. For instance, whether someone is printing from a Windows laptop or a MacBook, your print server ensures the job gets done without compatibility issues.

Print servers can also be relied on to manage print queues effectively. If a printer goes offline or runs out of paper, the print server can reroute jobs to another available printer. This minimizes downtime and keeps our workflow uninterrupted. 

For example, during busy periods like quarterly reviews, having this failover capability ensures all your important documents get printed on time.

In our hybrid work environments, print servers play a crucial role in supporting remote printing. Using solutions like PrinterLogic and uniFLOW, you can enable team members working from home to send print jobs to office printers. This flexibility keeps everyone productive, no matter where they are working from.

Secure Access to your Servers with Netmaker

No matter what type of server you're deploying, you probably want to remotely manage and access it. This is where Netmaker comes in. Add your servers as endpoints to a Netmaker network, and get secure, remote access anytime you need, no matter where you are.