Stupid question regarding server

D

deepakvrao

Explorer
Complete newb here so please bear me out.

What exactly is a server. Why not just have a Win XP machine permanently on, and connected to the network. Won't it be the same as a server?
 
You are talking as a file server, yes, it can be done.

What I would say is, tell us what you are looking for. And rather than Windows XP - Ubuntu would be a better choice.
 
In layman terms, it is the same as the difference between a CPU and a dedicated GPU. While the CPU will do a decent enough job of rendering games, 3D, etc a GPU will perform the specific task of rendering in a much faster way using less resource/power. The CPU is used for all tasks and as such is not optimized for any specific task.
In case of a server, WinXP will handle the task as it is a general purpose OS but if you have only a specific need for the server then it is always better to use an OS which is optimized for that task. The resources/component cost for WinXP will be much higher if performance needs to be matched with a "Server OS".
 
deepakvrao said:
What exactly is a server.
Click to expand...
A program that sits waiting for a request and then responds (or not when it hangs as i hear sometimes at the local bank). Its sole purpose in life is to do just that. This program can live either on a pc or in specialised hardware.

deepakvrao said:
Why not just have a Win XP machine permanently on, and connected to the network. Won't it be the same as a server?
Click to expand...
Yes it will but it will require a computer to do what a more specialised device could do better and cheaper. You could dedicate a PC to do this say one that isn't very heavily used. In the good old days this was common, but nowadays there are more alternatives. Depends on the purpose and traffic demand.
 
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