Things You need to know before create a server
What is a Server?
A server is a computer program or device that provides a service to another computer program and its user, also known as the client. In a data center, the physical computer that a server program runs on is also frequently referred to as a server. That machine might be a dedicated server or it might be used for other purposes.
In the client/server programming model, a server program awaits and fulfills requests from client programs, which might be running in the same or other computers. A given application in a computer might function as a client with requests for services from other programs and as a server of requests from other programs.
Next thing we need to see is how these servers work
The term server can refer to a physical machine, a virtual machine or to software that is performing server services. The way that a server works varies considerably depending on how the word server is being used.
Some Network Protocols that servers use
(A network protocol is an established set of rules that determine how data is transmitted between different devices in the same network)
· SSH is typically used to log into a remote machine and execute commands, but it also supports tunneling, forwarding TCP ports and X11 connections; it can transfer files using the associated SSH file transfer (SFTP) or secure copy (SCP) protocols. SSH uses the client-server model.
· FTP is a widely used network protocol for transferring files between computers over a TCP/IP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP lets people and applications exchange and share data within their offices and across the Internet.
· The domain name system (DNS) is a directory service used for transforming alphanumeric domain names into numeric IP addresses. … Every internet address you enter into your web browser’s search bar is then forwarded by your router to a DNS server
There can be Physical and virtual servers
A physical server is simply a computer that is used to run server software. The differences between a server and a desktop computer will be discussed in detail in the next section.
A virtual server is a virtual representation of a physical server. Like a physical server, a virtual server includes its own operating system and applications. These are kept separate from any other virtual servers that might be running on the physical server.
Server software
At a minimum, a server requires two software components: an operating system and an application. The operating system acts as a platform for running the server application. It provides access to the underlying hardware resources and provides the dependency services that the application depends on.
Server Operating systems
Another component is the server operating system. A server operating system, such as Windows Server or Linux, acts as the platform that enables applications to run. The operating system provides applications access to the hardware resources that they need and enables network connectivity.
Types of servers
Servers are often categorized in terms of their purpose. A few examples of the types of servers available are as follows:
· A web server is a computer program that serves requested HTML pages or files. In this case, a web browser acts as the client.
· An application server is a program in a computer in a distributed network that provides the business logic for an application program.
· A proxy server is software that acts as an intermediary between an endpoint device, such as a computer, and another server from which a user or client is requesting a service.
· A virtual server is a program running on a shared server that is configured in such a way that it seems to each user that they have complete control of a server.
· A blade server is a server chassis housing multiple thin, modular electronic circuit boards, known as server blades. Each blade is a server in its own right, often dedicated to a single application.
· A database server is responsible for hosting one or more databases. Client applications perform database queries that retrieve data from or write data to the database that is hosted on the server.
How to configure a Server
Server network configuration tasks include enabling protocols, modifying the port or pipe used by a protocol, configuring encryption, configuring the SQL Server Browser service, exposing or hiding the SQL Server Database Engine on the network, and registering the Server Principal Name.
And also when configuring servers we may have to focus on firewalls and proxy servers. Firewalls are critical for regulating network access. You must make many decisions about how you will use firewalls, how the application server will communicate with database servers, and what if any access you will allow Anonymous users through the firewall. A proxy server is a dedicated computer or a software system running on a computer that acts as an intermediary between an endpoint device, such as a computer, and another server from which a user or client is requesting a service.
Network Ports
Next let’s looking into Network Ports we have to use when server configuration
When you are focus on server configuration and firewalls, you will often come across IP addresses in this format:
204.1.116.0:8080
The first part may be familiar to you, but the part after the colon (:) may not. That number (8080) represents a network port.
An IP address is a unique sequence of numbers that represents an interface on a network, often on the internet. With an IP address, the network can route packets of data to the network interface of a specific device, which might be a server or a router or even your phone.
There are lots of programs running on those devices that might be interested in receiving data from the network and sending data to other devices. But the IP address tells the receiving device nothing about which program the data is intended for. That’s the role of the network port.
Ports are represented by numbers that range from 0 to 65535, the most that will fit into a 16-bit unsigned integer. Some of those numbers are associated with particular types of services. Ports 0 to 1024 are called well-known ports, and are conventionally associated with the most common types of network service. Web servers use port 80, SSH servers use port 22, and so on.
Ports from 1024 to 49151 are registered ports. They can be registered with ICANN by organizations for use with their software. Ports above 49151 are private ports that can be used for arbitrary purposes.
Ports are also useful for configuring firewalls and for running development servers: it’s common to use port 8080 as an alternative to port 80 for web servers.
Why people are migrating to cloud computing
Many organizations are shrinking the number of physical servers in their data centers as virtualization enables fewer servers to host more workloads. The advent of cloud computing has also changed the number of servers an organization needs to host on premises. Packing more capability into fewer boxes can reduce overall capital expenses, data center floor space and power and cooling demands. Hosting more workloads on fewer boxes, however, can also pose an increased risk to the business because more workloads will be affected if the server fails or needs to be offline for routine maintenance.
Here are some Cloud Platforms and Solution if you are interested
1. Amazon Web Services: Top 10 most used services
2. Google Cloud Platform: most used services
3. Microsoft Azure: Top 10 most used services
4. DigitalOcean
