Server Roles

The term server refers to a machine that is providing a service for other machines, e.g. A computer which shares files on the network would be classed as a file server. For example, A Domain Controller is classed as a server because it is providing a service for the rest of the clients on the network. Windows 2003 can take several different server roles. These are as follows:

File Server

A File Server stores files and folders that are used by other machines on the network. It can hold applications, text documents, or a user’s My Documents Folder.  For security, many shared folders are housed on file servers. A distributed file system is housed on more than one file server for the sake of fault-tolerance and ease of access.

A Windows XP Professional machine may act as a limited File Server.

A Windows Server 2003 Computer can also act as a file server for different operating systems, e.g. Apple Macintosh.

Print Server

A Print Server is a computer that has a printer attached to it and shares the printer for use on the network.

A Windows XP Professional Machine can be a reasonably capable Print Server.

Application Server

Besides being a Domain Controller, Windows Server 2003 can also be a host to many different services e.g. as a Database Server and a Terminal Server.

Some Common Microsoft Servers:

Microsoft Exchange allows you to setup an e-mail server and also allows you setup a messaging and collaboration system for your company’s network.

Microsoft SQL Server enables you to setup up powerful database servers for your company’s network.

Microsoft ISA Server allows you to setup an Internet Gateway/Proxy Server for your company’s network.

These applications require Windows Server 2003. Their integration with Active Directory allows for tighter security and easier administration.

A Database Server holds a database! This is not just a list of information. It is structured, and dynamic. It needs to be managed, updated, extended and secure, while at the same time being accessible to users.  A dedicated server is required for this.

Remote Administration enables an administrator to manage a server from almost any workstation on the network using Terminal Services. Terminal Services lets workstations use powerful applications housed at the server as if they were installed at that workstation.

Web Servers

A Web Server hosts and manages websites for the Internet or an intranet. Because of the need to manage heavy and burst-mode traffic while maintaining security, a dedicated server is recommended.

Windows 2003 can function as a web server using the Internet Information Services (IIS) service

Windows XP Professional ships with a limited version of IIS which allows a workstation to host a single website.

File And Folder

A file is a collection of numbers which have been written to your computer’s hard drive. These numbers can be converted into a picture, a sound, text, or a set of instructions for a program to perform certain actions. A clue to a file’s type is given by its Icon or by its file extension. Folders are containers for anything on a computer including files and other folders. A path lists the folders that have to be opened to get to the required file. Folders were called directories on older Microsoft systems.

These are some typical file icons. They help the user to identify the file type. There are innumerable file types, some of the common ones are represented here:

1. .bmp – a bitmap image
2. .ppt  – animated slides
3. .txt – plain text
4. .xls – a spreadsheet
5. .dbf – a database file
6. A shortcut (note the arrow)
7. .exe – an application (a program)
8. .doc – a Word document
9. .wav – a sound file

Windows allows you to view information about files in different ways. the icon view – the default used by Windows XP.

To change the icon view, click on View on the menu bar. Select the required view from the available list.

By default if a file type is a  known one, such as a Microsoft Word Document, Windows won’t display its file extension. To view all file extensions click on Tools on the menu bar.

Various options can be configured. e.g. Display compressed files and folders with alternate colours. To display all file extensions, untick the Hide file extensions for known file types box.

File extensions are best left alone. Opening a file with the wrong application can sometimes damage the file. However you may at some stage need to change a file’s extension.

Folders

Each of these is a folder. They may contain files or other folders (called subfolders) or both. There may be many “nestings” of folders within folders.

Files and folders are located on the computer by using a file path. The “James” folder is located inside a folder called “Home”, which is located inside a folder called “es-net”, which is located on the “C:” drive. The file path will be “C:\es-net\Home\James”.

Moving and Copying

To move a file or folder, either right click on its icon OR left click on the Edit  option on the toolbar. Choose cut to move or copy to copy!

At this point the item has been placed onto a clipboard – an area of memory accessible from nearly any application in Windows. Right click (or open Edit in the toolbar) in an open destination folder and choose “Paste” (or use drag and drop) .

When  an attempt is made to move an item between volumes, it is effectively copied, and the original remains.