File servers provide access to static files via a local intranet through Windows or Unix protocols as well as over the internet through file transfer or hypertext transfer protocols FTP and HTTP. The primary function of a file server is storage. For the home user, one central storage location can increase overall computing efficiency and reduce overall computing cost. By placing all of your important files in a single location, you do not need to worry about different versions of files you're actively working on, wasting disk space by having multiple copies of less-than-important files scattered on different systems, backing up the right files onto the right backup storage medium from the right computer, making sure every PC in your home has access to the appropriate files, and so on.
From a system builder's perspective, a file server can also liberate your various workstation computers from having to accommodate multiple hard drives, and decrease overall hard drive expenditures. With the rise of SSDs, which offer tremendous performance at a high cost per GB, a file server can free workstations from the performance shackles of platter-based disks - an especially useful consideration for laptops and netbooks, where the small capacity of an SSD is often a deal breaker since these mobile computers usually can house only one drive.
A dedicated file server allows every user in a home - whether they're at home or on the road - to access every file they might need, regardless of which particular device they might be using at any given time.
Dedicated file servers also allow you to share your files with friends and coworkers - simply provide them with a URL, a login name and password, and specify what content they can access. For example, maybe you'd like to share your kids' camp photos with the in-laws - but your cloud storage capacity won't fit all of those photos plus all of the other stuff you have stored in your cloud drive locker.
Maybe you'd like to share sensitive information with a colleague that you'd rather not upload to a server owned by Amazon or some other third party, but the files are too big to email.
These few examples are really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the utility of a file server. That said, there are alternatives to a file server for all of these needs.
You could dump all of your photos onto a flash drive and give them to the in-laws the next time you see them - but you have to do this every time you want to share more photos - and who knows if you'll get your flash drives back? If you're on the road, you could just bring along your portable external hard drive - which takes up space, and can be lost or stolen. A file server is a simple, singular solution to all of these problems. Home file servers do not require enterprise-grade hardware and can be very affordable.
They can also be made from power-sipping components that won't spike your electrical bill. Because the primary role of a file server is storage, this is the most important aspect to think about. We've also created load profiles to help you determine the size of your site. The values below refer to the minimum available hardware required to run Confluence only; for example, the minimum heap size to allocate to Confluence is 1 GB and 1 GB for Synchrony which is required for collaborative editing.
You'll need additional physical hardware, of at least the minimum amount required by your Operating System and any other applications that run on the server. On small instances, server load is primarily driven by peak visitors, so minimum system requirements are difficult to judge. We provide t hese figures as a guide to the absolute minimum required to run Confluence, and your configuration will likely require better hardware.
Note: Please be aware that while some of our customers run Confluence on SPARC-based hardware, we only officially support Confluence running on x86 hardware and bit derivatives of x86 hardware.
Confluence typically will not perform well in a tightly constrained, shared environment - examples include an AWS micro. Please be careful to ensure that your choice of hosting platform is capable of supplying sustained processing and memory capacity for the server, particularly the processing-intense startup process.
These are example hardware specifications for non-clustered Confluence instances. It is not recorded whether the amount of RAM refers to either the total server memory or memory allocated to the JVM, while blank settings indicate that the information was not provided. When planning server hardware requirements for your Confluence deployment, you will need to estimate the server scalability based on peak visitors, the editor to viewer ratio and total content.
Confluence scales best with a steady flow of visitors rather than defined peak visitor times, few editors and few spaces. Users should also take into account:.
These values are largest customer instances reported to Atlassian or used for performance testing. In spite of their stripped-down form, blade servers pack more computing power into a given space than any other server system.
Due to the modular nature, adding new servers is simple and all you have to do is slide in a new blade into the chassis. You can also install network components, such as switches, firewalls, load balancers, etc. Blade servers are designed to save space, conserve energy, and to maximize processing power. They are also rugged, durable, and stress-tested for intense usage. Due to these reasons, they are typically used in massive cloud data centers and for resource-intensive applications.
As we mentioned earlier, servers can perform a wide variety of tasks. The hardware and features you need will depend on what your server is actually required to do. Businesses use servers to handle one or more specific tasks. File servers are usually part of a computer network and function as a central storage location for files. If your file server is connected to the Internet, authorized users can access the files not just via the local network but also remotely. File servers, thus, can function as a private cloud storage.
Most websites and applications are built upon a database layer, which is stored on a database server. In order to function as a database server, you would need the server to have hard drives rated for fast writes. You would also need to consider the expected traffic and requests before deciding the capacity and scalability.
A web server is a server dedicated to handling client requests on the World Wide Web. Its primary function is to store, process, and deliver web pages to clients, usually web browsers. The web servers use Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTP to server files, which make up the web pages, to users who are browsing the website.
For web servers, you would want high RAM capacity for better page loading performance. The function of a mail server or email server is to transfer email messages, including attachments, from one computer to another. The mail servers usually also keep the mailboxes for the emails. Every email passes through a number of different mail servers before reaching its intended recipient.
An example of a mail server is Microsoft Exchange , which is utilized by companies using Microsoft Outlook. For optimal performance, look for servers with specifications similar to file servers as discussed above.
A print server or a printer server is one that connects printers to client computers over a network. Its function is to accept printing jobs, queue them, and send the jobs to appropriate printers. This prevents printing bottlenecks at the printer. Print servers are also useful for enforcing corporate policies such as printing quotas, user authentication, etc.
In most cases, a server with basic specifications will be sufficient for a print server. It is also possible to repurpose a PC as a printer server. Some printers even come with a built-in print server. A domain controller server is a server that stores and verifies all the usernames, passwords, levels of access, and security settings.
The most common example is the Active Directory Domain Services AD DS implemented in a Microsoft Windows environment, where it is responsible for authenticating and authorizing all users and computers as well as for assigning and enforcing security policies, and installing or updating software. Whenever a user logs in, the Active Directory verifies the submitted login credentials and checks if the user is an administrator or not. Basic specifications should be sufficient to effortlessly manage the users that any small to medium-sized businesses may have.
However, you may need virtualization capabilities in your server. An application server is a server that is used for hosting an application. Centrally hosted applications improve performance under heavy usage, makes updating the application easier, and reduces the total cost of ownership TCO for the organization. The choice of a server depends largely on the purpose of the server, i.
The second important thing is the number of users or traffic. For example, if you just need a file server for ten or fewer people, a network-attached storage device NAS or a consumer-grade home server should be sufficient.
On the other hand, if you need to manage a complex database you would need a more robust rack or blade server with a large core or higher CPU.
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