CHAPTER 4 - SERVER, EXTERNAL

DEVICES AND PERIPHERALS

SERVER
Server computer definition
 A server computer is a computer dedicated to providing
one or more services over a computer network
 There are various types of server computer:
Application server
web server
E-mail server
 Application server
A server program in a computer in a distributed network that
provides the business logic for an application program.
 Web server
A web server is a computer that stores websites and their
related files for viewing on the Internet.
 E-mail server
A computer in a network that provides "post office" facilities. It
stores incoming mail for distribution to users and forwards
outgoing mail through the appropriate channel.
RAID

 RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive

Disks. A RAID system consists of two or more disks
working in parallel. They appear as one drive to the
user, and offer enhanced performance or security
(or both).
RAID Level

 Level 0
 Level 1
 Level 2
 Level 3
 Level 4
 Level 5
 Level 6
In a RAID 0 system, data are split up in blocks that get
written across all the drives in the array. By using
multiple disks (at least 2) at the same time, RAID 0
offers superior I/O performance. This performance can
be enhanced further by using multiple controllers,
ideally one controller per disk.
 Advantages
RAID 0 offers great performance, both in read and
write operations. There is no overhead caused by
parity controls.
All storage capacity can be used, there is no disk
overhead.
The technology is easy to implement.
Disadvantages
RAID 0 is not fault-tolerant. If one disk fails, all data in
the RAID 0 array are lost. It should not be used on
mission-critical systems.
Ideal use
RAID 0 is ideal for non-critical storage of data that
have to be read/written at a high speed, e.g. on a
PhotoShop image retouching station.
Data are stored twice by writing them to both the data disk (or set
of data disks) and a mirror disk (or set of disks) . If a disk fails, the
controller uses either the data drive or the mirror drive for data
recovery and continues operation. You need at least 2 disks for a
RAID 1 array
 Advantages
RAID 1 offers excellent read speed and a write-speed. In case
a disk fails, data do not have to be rebuild, they just have to be
copied to the replacement disk.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage is that the effective storage capacity is
only half of the total disk capacity because all data get written
twice.
Ideal use/ Application
RAID-1 is ideal for mission critical storage, for instance for
accounting systems.
EXTERNAL STORAGE DEVICES
 Tape Drive
- also known as a streamer, is a data storage device that reads and
writes data stored on a magnetic tape.
 Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
- is a file-level computer data storage connected to a computer
network providing data access to heterogeneous (not of the same
kind) network clients.
 Storage Area Network (SAN)
-  is an enterprise-level storage network of several (often, hundreds
of) hard drives managed by an intelligent device.  If a drive crashes,
your data is not lost
Tape Drive
Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
Storage Area Networks (SAN)
Storage Solution

 Data replication and mirroring

-Data replication and mirroring enable volume/site
failover and recovery for uninterrupted storage
operations
 E-mail archiving
-E-mail archiving is a systematic approach to saving
and protecting the data contained in e-mail messages
so it can be accessed quickly at a later date.
Storage Solution

 Hot failover
- The backup is maintained at a location that is
reasonably fast to access. Usually is a second disk
drive local to the machine.
 IP based storage
-IP storage is a general term for several approaches to
using the Internet Protocol (IP) in a storage area
network (SAN) usually over Gigabit Ethernet.