Server Types and Respective Server Roles

Whether you have a small business or larger company, many of the server types below are serving your network and users. In larger network environments different types of servers assume different roles, these roles are split amongst individual servers, to provide greater redundancy.

Database Server

This can be running SQL Server, Filemaker Pro, ACT, or any other database program.

POS Server

A Point of Sale Server is mostly used in retail or restaurant environments where a cash register is needed.

File Server

All companies have at least one File Server, or a server that is playing this role,if there is File Sharing going on amongst users.

Print Server

Simply makes it easy to share printers over a network for all computers.

Domain Controller

Manages the security and permissions of users on the network. This is running a program called Active Directory, which is at the heart of networking and security.

Exchange Server

Microsoft’s email and Calendar software is called Exchange Server. Outlook is a common program that connects to Exchange Server.

Web Server

This server is responsible for hosting your Internet web site or Intranet site.

Microsoft Small Business Server:

Microsoft’s Small Business Server (SBS) offers all of the server needs for a small business. It includes Exchange Server as well. While often a good solution for small businesses, it does not provide redundancy, so is limited in terms of practical network size that is recommended

At the end of the day, the number of servers, and server types you need depends on the redundancy, reliability and failover you depend on from your server architecture.