File Server
Content
File Server
تحت اشراف الدكتور
د.عمار الزهاري
السم :سامي يحيى احمد عبدال معوضه
الرقم009\48:
An Introduction to a File Server
What is a file server? This is a very basic concept in computer infrastructure technology, yet one that many
people get confused about. This article explains what a file server is and what one is used for.
What is a Server?
It is important to understand what a server is before anything else. A server is essentially any combination of
hardware and software that provides some sort of service to a given client. Sound a bit vague? Well, it is a very
broad concept, encompassing a vast array of potential services, hardware/software combination, and clients.
On a micro level, a single personal computer may be thought of a series of server-client operations acting in
parallel, with all the various software applications and hardware devices operating hierarchically in tandem. On a
macro level, the Internet itself may be thought of as yet another series of server-client relationships within the
vast array of computers that make the Internet the... well, interconnected network that it is today.
However, the term server in this sense isn't all that useful. So, it tends to have a more precise connotation denoted
by the type of server you're talking about. This article discusses one of them, the file server.
File Server Definition
File servers function primarily to provide a location to store shared files to a given client within a network. These
files could be virtually anything, multimedia from text documents to sound files to photographs, as long as it is
stored in a file. The clients typically consist of individual workstations, often as employees in a business or
students at a school. That's it!
File servers will often double as other types of servers as well, such as print servers or other types of peripheral
servers. File servers are also a type of server computer, that is, where the entire computer is dedicated to the
operation of a server, as opposed to the server-client relation being relatively “macro” or “micro” in nature.
File servers tend to have large hard drives to store all of these files, especially in large file server systems as may
be encountered in a business.
Types of File Servers
A file server may be either dedicated or non-dedicated.
A dedicated file server means that there may be a specific computer server that fulfills this function, typically for
a larger network, and has specialized hardware and software to handle the greater workload. This may include
more hard drive memory storage, better cooling systems, better security such as limited physical access, and
specialized software contained within special server operating systems.
A non-dedicated file server just means that the computer functioning as a file server isn't used exclusively as
such, and may also be used for other purposes, such as a workstation. This is more typical of small-scale systems,
such as at home or in a small business.
Beyond that distinction, the varieties of file servers are characterized by the method of filesharing used within the
network. These include use of FTP (File Transfer Protocol), SMB/CIFS protocol, HTTP, or NFS, just to name a
few. The protocol used depends on the operating systems in use and the individual requirements of the network in
question.
File Server Management
Understand what is on your file servers: File Analyzer reporting and analysis gives you the understanding and
insight into your file server storage usage. With File Analyzer, you will immediately see how your file storage is
.being used and wasted
Clean Up: File Analyzer gives you reports where you can see the oldest, most duplicates, and clear vision into
the "junk" that fills up your file servers. From any report, click on a file or folder and toss it into the trash to
remove the files from your file server. Reclaim valuable storage space. You can use File Archiver policies for file
.archiving to delete files that are old or unneeded
Set a Storage Goal and use Automated Policies: File Archiver has automated policies that can free up space on
your file servers. Files that are older than a specified time period, unneeded, or unused are automatically moved
to a file archive where they are compressed, encrypted and stored for automatic retrieval. You can have different
policies for different folders. The original file location contains a tiny 1K shortcut link "stub" that automatically
retrieves the file from the archive. You can migrate the shortcut to the new file server. It's seamless to users. Files
are shrunk and deduplicated on to lower cost storage. File Archiver packs your files (compressed, encrypted,
.deduplicated, single instanced) into folders on low cost storage that reduce your long backup time even more
What are the specifications of a file server?
Three main things I like to maintain when dealing with file servers.
1) Gigabit connection from the server to swtich. This way if your clients are all 10/100 no one
person can saturate the server.
2) Don't use built-in NICs. Spend the extra $200 or so for a server-class add-in network card
whether it be PCI, PCI-X or whatever. It will alleviate the main CPUs from dealing with network I/O.
3) RAID: Split the RAID backplane if you can and seperate the OS and Data. Install the OS on a 2
disk RAID-1 array and then do a RAID-5 array for your data files. If the OS gets hosed you won't
have to mess with your data files. This also allows for 1 OS drive failure and 1 Data drive failure. If
you have enough slots in the server then allocate 1 hot standby spare to the controller. If you
cannot split the backplane then just go RAID-5 with a hot spare available.
Windows Server 2003 R2 I hope? 2GB of RAM should be plenty for a file server. You can get by with
1, but since the SATA drives may be a bottleneck then the less paging you need to do the better.
تحت اشراف الدكتور
د.عمار الزهاري
السم :سامي يحيى احمد عبدال معوضه
الرقم009\48:
An Introduction to a File Server
What is a file server? This is a very basic concept in computer infrastructure technology, yet one that many
people get confused about. This article explains what a file server is and what one is used for.
What is a Server?
It is important to understand what a server is before anything else. A server is essentially any combination of
hardware and software that provides some sort of service to a given client. Sound a bit vague? Well, it is a very
broad concept, encompassing a vast array of potential services, hardware/software combination, and clients.
On a micro level, a single personal computer may be thought of a series of server-client operations acting in
parallel, with all the various software applications and hardware devices operating hierarchically in tandem. On a
macro level, the Internet itself may be thought of as yet another series of server-client relationships within the
vast array of computers that make the Internet the... well, interconnected network that it is today.
However, the term server in this sense isn't all that useful. So, it tends to have a more precise connotation denoted
by the type of server you're talking about. This article discusses one of them, the file server.
File Server Definition
File servers function primarily to provide a location to store shared files to a given client within a network. These
files could be virtually anything, multimedia from text documents to sound files to photographs, as long as it is
stored in a file. The clients typically consist of individual workstations, often as employees in a business or
students at a school. That's it!
File servers will often double as other types of servers as well, such as print servers or other types of peripheral
servers. File servers are also a type of server computer, that is, where the entire computer is dedicated to the
operation of a server, as opposed to the server-client relation being relatively “macro” or “micro” in nature.
File servers tend to have large hard drives to store all of these files, especially in large file server systems as may
be encountered in a business.
Types of File Servers
A file server may be either dedicated or non-dedicated.
A dedicated file server means that there may be a specific computer server that fulfills this function, typically for
a larger network, and has specialized hardware and software to handle the greater workload. This may include
more hard drive memory storage, better cooling systems, better security such as limited physical access, and
specialized software contained within special server operating systems.
A non-dedicated file server just means that the computer functioning as a file server isn't used exclusively as
such, and may also be used for other purposes, such as a workstation. This is more typical of small-scale systems,
such as at home or in a small business.
Beyond that distinction, the varieties of file servers are characterized by the method of filesharing used within the
network. These include use of FTP (File Transfer Protocol), SMB/CIFS protocol, HTTP, or NFS, just to name a
few. The protocol used depends on the operating systems in use and the individual requirements of the network in
question.
File Server Management
Understand what is on your file servers: File Analyzer reporting and analysis gives you the understanding and
insight into your file server storage usage. With File Analyzer, you will immediately see how your file storage is
.being used and wasted
Clean Up: File Analyzer gives you reports where you can see the oldest, most duplicates, and clear vision into
the "junk" that fills up your file servers. From any report, click on a file or folder and toss it into the trash to
remove the files from your file server. Reclaim valuable storage space. You can use File Archiver policies for file
.archiving to delete files that are old or unneeded
Set a Storage Goal and use Automated Policies: File Archiver has automated policies that can free up space on
your file servers. Files that are older than a specified time period, unneeded, or unused are automatically moved
to a file archive where they are compressed, encrypted and stored for automatic retrieval. You can have different
policies for different folders. The original file location contains a tiny 1K shortcut link "stub" that automatically
retrieves the file from the archive. You can migrate the shortcut to the new file server. It's seamless to users. Files
are shrunk and deduplicated on to lower cost storage. File Archiver packs your files (compressed, encrypted,
.deduplicated, single instanced) into folders on low cost storage that reduce your long backup time even more
What are the specifications of a file server?
Three main things I like to maintain when dealing with file servers.
1) Gigabit connection from the server to swtich. This way if your clients are all 10/100 no one
person can saturate the server.
2) Don't use built-in NICs. Spend the extra $200 or so for a server-class add-in network card
whether it be PCI, PCI-X or whatever. It will alleviate the main CPUs from dealing with network I/O.
3) RAID: Split the RAID backplane if you can and seperate the OS and Data. Install the OS on a 2
disk RAID-1 array and then do a RAID-5 array for your data files. If the OS gets hosed you won't
have to mess with your data files. This also allows for 1 OS drive failure and 1 Data drive failure. If
you have enough slots in the server then allocate 1 hot standby spare to the controller. If you
cannot split the backplane then just go RAID-5 with a hot spare available.
Windows Server 2003 R2 I hope? 2GB of RAM should be plenty for a file server. You can get by with
1, but since the SATA drives may be a bottleneck then the less paging you need to do the better.
