Server

A server is a computer which responds to requests from clients (other computers) and provides them with data or services.

For example, a web server is a computer that responds to requests from a user’s web browser and can then responds with something like a web page, a video, an image, a script, or a downloadable file.

Servers in a LAN

In a local area network, we can have a central server that manages the network and all the devices on it. It can do things such as:

• Store files and data for the devices on the network to access
• Manage user accounts and permissions for the devices on the network
• Provide security and other protections for the devices on the network make sure the computers are up to date with the latest version of software (which is important for security and performance)
• Keep backups of important data, so that if something goes wrong, the data can be restored easily from one central location.

Computing power

Generally, because a server needs to deal with loads of different clients all connected to it at once, it needs to be more powerful than a normal computer.

This is usually accomplished by having more RAM and more CPU threads than a normal computer, so that it can handle more requests at once without crashing or slowing down to a crawl.

It also often needs a lot of storage space, if it’s actually storing any user files.