• Servers : A server is a computer that shares its resources across the network. It responds to client's requests. Depending upon the services provided by the servers, there are different types of specialized servers.
Types of Servers :
• File & Print Server : They provide basic networked file storage and retrieval services, and access to network printers. Such servers let users run applications locally but keep their data files on the servers and print these files when they want hard copy output.
• Fax Servers : They manage fax traffic for network. They receive incoming faxes via telephones and distribute them to their recipients over the network. They collect outgoing faxes across the network before sending them via telephone. One or more fax modem interfaces are used.
• Mail Server : These server handle e-mail messages. They provide 'store-and-forward' services, where incoming e-mail messages are held at the server while waiting for users to access them. Outgoing messages can be stored on the server until a connection to an appropriate external mail server is established.
• Communication Servers : They provide mechanism for users outside a network to access that network's resources. They provide users on the network to access resources outside the network's local scope.
• Domain Controllers or Directory Servers : Directory services permit users to locate, store and secure information about a network and resources available from a network. Windows NT server permits computers, users, groups and resources to be combined into logical groups called domains. The server that handles the login service, that manages the domain is called a domain controller or directory server.
• Application Servers : They supply the server side of client/server applications, and the data to network clients. A database server supplies the query-processing and data analysis facilities. Microsoft's SQL server delivers complex client server application support that runs on Windows NT server.
• Web Servers : World Wide Web (WWW) is the most popular service. Many organizational intranets that use Windows NT take advantage of internet information server (IIS). Web page is a computer connected to internet that can store multimedia indexed using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).