(ser´ver)
(n.) A
computer or
device on a
network that manages network
resources. For example, a
file server is a computer and
storage device dedicated to
storing files. Any
user on the network can store files on the server. A
print server is a computer that manages one or more
printers, and a
network server is a computer that manages network
traffic. A
database server is a
computer system that processes database
queries.
Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their server tasks. On multiprocessing operating systems, however, a single computer can execute several programs at once. A server in this case could refer to the program that is managing resources rather than the entire computer.
Also see the Server Types page in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia for a comparison of server types.
