Choosing the

Right Server

an Networking eBook
contents
[ ] Choosing the Right Server

Paul Rubens is an IT consultant based in Marlow,

England, and has been writing about business
technology for leading US and UK publications for
almost 20 years.

2 The Evolution of the Server

4 Working Out Your

Server Requirments

4 9 9 The Availability Question

Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook.

© 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.

1
 [ Choosing the Right Server ]

The Evolution of the Server

By Paul Rubens

But personal computers don't do all the work: they

I
n the early days of corporate data processing, com-
puters were large, expensive machines that were
housed in their own dedicated computer rooms and
operated by teams of white-coated technicians.
Programs and data were stored on special cards,
which were fed into the machine to be processed.
Later on these machines could be operated from
"dumb terminals": Teletype
machines or keyboard-and-
screen devices that allowed
users to share the processing
power of the mainframe com-
puter.
The computing landscape
began to change radically in
the early 1980s with the intro-
duction of the personal com-
puter – the desktop device we
are familiar with today. With a
personal computer there was
no longer a need to share pro-
cessing power: users could install and run whatever
programs they needed on the machine on their desk.
Today, personal computers have become ubiquitous
in the workplace, but they no longer work in isolation.
In a typical office scenario these computers are con-
nected to each by a local area network (LAN) that runs
throughout the building.
need help. That's why in most organizations they are
now connected to computers called servers, which as
the name suggests, provide services such as sending
and receiving e-mail, and file storage. Servers are the
unsung heroes of the corporate computing environ-
ment, working behind the scenes to help get the max-
imum benefit from the per-
sonal computers that people
use every day.
What is a Server?
The term "server" is a con-
fusing one, because it is used
to mean two quite distinct
things:
• A software application that
provides a specific set of
services to other computers
• A computer that provides
services to other computers
Jupiterimages
For example, a server computer may run an e-mail
server application and a Web server application. In
this case, the server (computer) could be said to be
running two servers (the e-mail and Web server appli-
cations). Just to confuse things further, a server com-
puter running a single server application is often
known by the name of the application, so a server
computer running an e-mail server application will be

“
Servers are the unsung heroes of the corporate computing environment,
working behind the scenes to help get the maximum benefit from the personal
computers that people use every day.

2 ”
Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
 [ Choosing the Right Server
called "the e-mail server."
For the purposes of this eBook, the term "server" will
be used to refer to server hardware – the physical
computer that is acting as a server.
Why Are Servers Necessary?
If you just have a single personal computer in your
organization, then you probably don't need a server.
In fact, even if you have two or three computers work-
ing independently, you still may not need a server.
But once you have two or more computers, it's com-
mon to connect them over a network. That's because
networking allows computer users to share files and
information easily. A document stored on one com-
puter can be accessed and worked on from another,
and duplication of work can be avoided. A network
also allows one computer user to print out documents
on a printer connected to different computer on the
network. A network, in other words, can increase the
productivity of the people using it, and allow people
to share resources such as a printer.
But there are downsides to this type of networking.
Whenever one computer user accesses a document
stored on another computer it causes that computer
to slow down. If many users are trying to retrieve or
store documents from the same computer they may
find they have to wait an inconvenient amount of
time. Anyone actually trying to carry out his or her
own work on that computer is also likely to find it too
slow to be practical. Far from increasing productivity
then, a network can slow everything down, actually
reducing productivity.
At a certain point, it makes sense to relieve the bur-
den of any individual user's machine by having a ded-
icated computer that is capable of providing file stor-
age and print services – or any other services that may
be required – to all the users in the organization
quickly and reliably, so that productivity can go up,
not down. This is a server.
Why is a Server Different from a
Personal Computer?
In a small business with just a few users, it is possible
to use a "spare" personal computer as a server, but
3 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
]
the special requirements of a server mean this is usu-
ally not practical.
In general, a server needs to have the following attrib-
utes:
• Speed. A server is expected to provide services to
many client computers at once, and the purpose of
having a server is defeated if doesn't have the
power to provide these services quickly. To do this,
servers are often equipped with microprocessors
that are more powerful than normal desktop com-
puter processors, and more random access memory
(RAM).
• Large storage capacity. If a server is to act as a
central storage repository, it needs plenty of disk
space to accommodate everyone's needs. While a
desktop computer will typically have just one disk
drive, it's not uncommon for a server to have four or
more.
• Reliability. When a server breaks down, many
people in the organization may be unable to do
their work, and the business as a whole may not be
able to function. Servers are usually built using high-
quality components that tend to be more expensive
than normal ones. They are also usually built to be
fault tolerant – many are supplied with an extra
power supply that can take over if the primary one
fails, for example – and have "hot swappable" parts
that can be removed and replaced without having
to turn the server off. A technology called RAID is
also usually employed to ensure that data is not lost
even if a hard drive fails completely. Server operat-
ing system software is also designed for maximum
stability to minimize the chances of crashing, and to
minimize the need for rebooting the system.
• Security. This can include a lockable case for
physical security, as well as a server operating sys-
tem that has been hardened to minimize the
chances of intrusion by malicious hackers.
Additionally, it's usually desirable to have a long and
comprehensive warranty and service agreement.
Because of all of the above, it should be no surprise
that servers generally cost more than desktop
machines, and it's usually wise to stay away from low-
cost servers from unknown vendors: the extra cost of
buying a good quality server from a well-known man-
ufacturer is likely to be insignificant compared to the
cost to your organization if a server fails and prevents
you from carrying out your business. I
 [ Choosing the Right Server ]

Working Out Your Server Requirments

Print Server
T
here are a number of requirements you need to
explore before purchasing your server. They
Significant savings can be made by allowing many
include: server role, form factor, operating sys-
users to share a printer connected to a print server
tem, processor, and storage. Before buying a server,
instead of providing each user with his or her own
it's vital to decide exactly what you want your server
printer. Typically, the roles of file server and print serv-
to do – both now, and in the foreseeable future. Here
er are combined into a single file-and-print server.
are some typical roles that a server can fulfil:

File Server E-Mail Server

In small organizations, e-mail
A file and print server pro-
is typically received and for-
vides a place for users to
ward by a third party – usu-
store files, which may or may
ally an Internet service
not be shared with other
provider (ISP). Medium and
users. One advantage of
large organizations frequent-
using a file server rather than
ly run their own e-mail sys-
storing files on individual
tem – often Microsoft
users' PCs is that it is much
Exchange, IBM Lotus
easier to back-up a single file
Domino, or Open-Xchange –
server than it is to back up
on a dedicated e-mail serv-
the files on many different
er.
personal computers. Backing
up a server can easily be Jupiterimages

automated and scheduled for a convenient time (such Other Roles

as the middle of the night) while backing up individual
computers can be complicated if they have been
switched off or, in the case of laptops, disconnected
from the network and removed. The data on a single
file server is also much easier to protect against theft
or intrusion than multiple machines throughout the
organization.
• Web Server: making Web pages available over the
Internet
• Intranet Server: publishing information for internal
use within an organization
• Database Server: holding corporate information
from one or more corporate applications
• Application Server: running applications that are

“
Before buying a server, it's vital to decide exactly what you want your server to do –
both now, and in the foreseeable future.

4 ”
Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
 [ Choosing the Right Server
Form Factor Chooser
Tower
Single server required Suitable
Total number of servers About 10 max
in organization
Limited floor space Not suitable for more
than small number
accessed by users with special client software running
on their personal computers, or simply via a Web
browser such as Internet Explorer.
Form Factor
Form factor is the term given to the overall size and
shape of the server, which is determined by the case
or housing into which all the components are fitted.
These include:
Tower
If you are only intending to buy a very small number
of servers, and are unlikely to need more, then a
tower form factor is probably the best choice. A serv-
er with a tower form factor is a self-contained unit that
looks much like a standard desktop PC -- although it
is likely to be slightly taller, allowing it to accommo-
date as many as 10 disk drives.
In fact, there are a variety of tower form factors, which
in descending order of height include: Full tower, mid
tower, mini tower, micro tower.
Rack-Mounted Server
Bigger organizations that require larger numbers of
servers tend to choose a more compact and easy-to-
manage rack mountable form factor. The standard
rack-mounted form factor is 19 inches wide, and 1.75
inches deep, which is known as one unit, or simply
1U. Servers and other equipment are made with a
depth or thickness of multiples of 1.75 inches, so a
server may have a 1U, 2U, or even 6U form factor.
Rack-mounted servers are housed in a standard server
rack that is 42U high. A server rack can therefore
house 42 1U servers, 21 2U servers, or combinations
of rack-mountable devices with a combined height
that does not exceed 42U. Server racks usually con-
5 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
]
Rack Mounted Blade
Not suitable Not suitable
10+ 40+
Suitable Suitable
tain power supplies and efficient cooling systems to
dissipate the heat that such a large concentration of
computing resources can produce.
The advantage of the rack-mounted server form factor
is that large numbers of servers can be accommodat-
ed in a small area of floor space. Rack mounting can
also significantly simply power and network cabling
requirements.
Blade
Since the standard rack-mounted server form factor is
1U, this is, in theory, the smallest form factor a rack-
mounted server can have. In practice there are even
smaller servers, called blades, which can be rack
mounted.
Blade servers are extremely thin, stripped down
servers, which are fitted into a blade enclosure. A
blade enclosure may have a 10U form factor but
could contain 16 blades. The blade enclosure itself
often contains components such as network adapters
and power supplies that are shared by all the blades
in the enclosure, allowing the blades to be made as
small as possible.
Operating System
While desktop computers use an end-user operating
system such as Microsoft Windows XP or Vista, or SUSE
Linux Enterprise Desktop, servers run operating sys-
tems that are tailored to the special needs of servers.
In general, a server operating system is designed for:
• Stability
• Reliability
• Security
• Ability to offer services to multiple client machines
simultaneously
 [ Choosing the Right Server
Your choice of operating system may be largely deter-
mined by the use to which you intend to put the serv-
er. For example, if you intend to use the server as a
mail server running Microsoft Exchange, you will need
a Windows server operating system – either Windows
Server 2003 or Server 2008. Similarly, if you want to
run the popular open-source Web server Apache, you
will need to run a Linux operating system such as
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or Ubuntu Server
Edition.
For less specific applications, such as running your
server as a file server, the choice of operating system
is much wider. Even if the majority of desktop com-
puters in your organization are running Windows
operating systems, the file servers can run:
• Windows Server
• Any flavor of Linux server operating system,
• Mac OS X Server operating system (this can only
run on Apple Macintosh hardware, and would nor-
mally only be run in an organization which uses
Apple Macintosh desktop computers.)
• In very large organizations it may be preferable to
run Unix operating systems such as Sun
Microsystems's Solaris or HP's HP-UX.
]
In general, the main considerations that determine
the choice of server operating system are:
• Skill sets of your staff. If no one in your organiza-
tion is familiar with Linux then it is not a practical
choice
• Total cost of ownership. Linux software is freely
available while Windows software involves both
server and client access license fees. However,
license fees are only a component – together with
support -- of the total cost of ownership of a server
operating system.
• Compatibility with any applications you wish the
server to run.
Processors
Linux and Windows-based servers usually run on
processors made by either Intel or AMD. It is possible
to run a server using a standard Intel or AMD desktop
processor, but in practice it is more common to use a
more powerful processor specifically designed for use
in a server.
Intel Xeon Server Processors
Intel offers three lines of Xeon processors:
• 3000 sequence Dual or Quad core

Operating System Chooser

Windows Linux Mac OS X Server Other
Predominantly a Suitable – Suitable if staff Not suitable Not suitable
Windows environment, Windows Small have Linux skills
small organization Business Server
2003 or Windows
Small Business
Server 2008

Predominantly a Suitable – Suitable if IT staff Not suitable Suitable if IT staff

Windows environment, Windows Server have Linux skills have UNIX skills
medium or large sized 2003 or Windows
organization Server 2008

Predominantly Not suitable Possibly suitable Suitable

Mac OS X if IT staff have
environment Linux skills

Running a particular Depends on Depends on Depends on Depends on

server based application application application application
application

6 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
 [ Choosing the Right Server ]
Processor Chooser
Intel AMD Other
Small business Xeon 3000 sequence Opteron 1000 range
Dual or Quad core

Medium sized business / Xeon 5000 sequence Opteron 2000 range

standard business Dual or Quad core
applications

Large business / Xeon 7000 sequence Opteron 8000 range UltraSparc T1

high performance Dual or Quad core
data or transaction
intensive applications

Mission-critical Itanium 2 9000 UltraSparc T1 / T2

high end computing sequence

Redundant Array of
• 5000 sequence Dual or Quad core

Inexpensive (or

S
• 7000 sequence Dual or Quad core

In addition, it offers the very high-end Itanium 2 9000 Independent) Disks (RAID)
sequence
ince one of the key attributes of a server
discussed earlier is reliability, it follows
AMD Opteron Server Processors
that the server's storage system must be
AMD offers thee lines of Opteron processors
reliable. For this reason it is very common for a
• 1000 range
server's hard disks to be configured using RAID
• 2000 range - up to two per server

technology to introduce redundancy. When

• 8000 range – up to eight per server

disks are configured in a RAID array, one or

more disks can fail and be replaced (often with-
Other Processors

out the need to shut the server or storage device

Linux, and Sun's Solaris Unix-based operating system

down) without any data being lost.

can also be run using Sun Microsystems's UltraSPARC
processors.

Storage RAID works by copying the contents of the

All servers need a storage subsystem to hold the
operating system, applications, and data that they
need. This normally takes the form of one or more
hard disks, and these can physically be located inside
the server case, or externally, connected to the server
by a cable or network connection.
disks in an array to one or more others in the
array. When one disk fails and is replaced, the
contents of the failed disk can be rebuilt onto
the new disk from the content stored on the
other disks. The capacity of a RAID array is
always less than the sum of the capacities of
the disks that make up the array.

There are a number of types, or levels, or RAID,

The most common type of hard drives are:

including:
• Serial ATA (SATA) drives

• RAID 1: mirrors the contents of one disk onto

• Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) drives

another (and sometimes more than one other).

continued
SATA drives tend to be cheaper than SCSI drives, but

7 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
 [ Choosing the Right Server
SCSI drives are much faster, allowing a server to pro-
vide services to clients much more efficiently in a busy
environment.
Hard drives are commonly available in capacities
ranging from about 80GB up to 750GB or more.
Larger capacities are often achieved by increasing the
areal density (i.e., the bits per square inch) of the
disk's storage platters, and there is some evidence
that disks with very high areal densities are less reli-
able than those with lower densities when used in an
intensive server environment. Given this, is it wise to
specify a larger number of lower capacity disks (350 to
500GB) than a few very high capacity disks (750GB+)
Internal Hard Drives
The simplest storage option is to use hard drives fit-
ted inside the server. Servers may sometimes house
six or more hard drives, giving a storage capacity of
between 2 and 6 TB without RAID.
External Hard Drives
Many servers use storage disks that are physically
located outside the server case. Devices that provide
external storage include:
• Direct Attached Storage (DAS): a device that
contains one or more hard drives, connected to the
server.
• Network Attached Storage (NAS): a device con-
taining one more hard drives, connected to the
same LAN as the server. The server may have exclu-
sive use of the NAS, or the NAS may be used by
one or more other servers or client computers.
Storage Chooser
Internal disks
Single server Y Y
Multiple servers
Storage requirement Y Y
<6TB
Storage requirement
10TB to 100TB
Storage requirements
>100TB
8 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
]
Redundant Array of Inexpensive (or
Independent) Disks (RAID)
No data is lost as long as at least one disk is
functioning. The capacity of the array is equal
to the capacity of one disk; so two 500GB disks
configured using RAID 1 result in an array with
a capacity of 500GB.
• RAID 5: the most common RAID level, RAID 5
uses three or more disks in an array, and dis-
tributes and copies the data across the disks in
such a way that no data is lost if a single disk
fails.
• RAID 6: this is similar to RAID 5, but can tol-
erate up to two disks failing without any data
being lost. I
• Storage Area Network (SAN): a storage area net-
work is actually a complex system which connects
an array of disks (or other storage devices) to a serv-
er in a way that makes the storage look (to the serv-
er) as if it is attached directly. They tend to be
expensive and the preserve of large companies.
When assessing your likely storage requirements con-
sider:
• How much data you have now
• How much new data you are likely to create every
month
DAS NAS SAN
Y
Y Y
Y
Y - multiple DAS Y -multiple NAS
devices required devices required
Y – multiple NAS Y
devices required
 [ Choosing the Right Server ]

The Availability Question

memory modules, mirrored memory or hot-plug-

S
ervers usually play an important role in a busi-
ness, and if one or more is unavailable (i.e., is gable RAID memory.
not working) it can be anything from inconven- • A server cluster: this involves two or more servers
ient to disastrous. that are linked together and to a shared storage
device. Usually one server, or cluster node, is put
Asking the following questions may help you get an into operation, while the other waits as a standby
idea of the importance of machine. If the standby machine sees that the other
server availability: has failed, it takes over the
• How costly would it be for duties that the failed
your business if a server machine was previously per-
were unavailable for an hour, forming. Sometimes both
a day, or a week? nodes in a cluster can work
• How much time can you at the same time, but will
afford for a server to be take over the duties of the
unavailable? other should it fail.
• How much time and • A fault tolerant server:
money would it take to fix fault-tolerant servers are
any problems caused by los- designed from the ground
ing data if a server failed up to work continuously,
unexpectedly? even when components fail.
They do this by duplicating
Depending on your answers, almost all of their compo-
it may be worth paying a nents, so that any or all of
premium for a high-availabil- their vital parts can fail with-
ity server system. Jupiterimages out causing the server to
These include: stop operating. The components are "hot-swap-
• A hardened standalone server: this is a server that pable" so they can be replaced while the server is
is fitted with extra parts such as an extra power sup- running, and software monitoring alerts administra-
ply and RAID storage, making it more reliable than tors when components are beginning to fail so they
a normal desktop machine. Companies such as HP can be swapped out as quickly as possible.
offer fault tolerant memory subsystems with spare

“
A hardened standalone server: this is a server that is fitted with extra parts
such as an extra power supply and RAID storage, making it more reliable than
a normal desktop machine.

9 ”
Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
 [ Choosing the Right Server ]
Comparison Chart
Standalone server Failover cluster Fault tolerant server
Cost Very low cost Low to moderate cost Relatively high cost

Frequency of downtime Quite frequent Relatively frequent, but Almost never

only for very short periods

Recovery time after Hours or even days Usually not more than Should never happen
a server failure a few minutes except during a
catastrophe

Technical measures Software needs Some applications may Software needs no

no modification need modifying to modification
become cluster aware.
IT staff need to manage
cluster

Space required Single server Two or more servers, Single server

could be in a rack

Server Virtualization

I
f you think you need more than one server, you may be able to cut your costs significantly
through server virtualization – running two or more virtual servers on a single physical server
computer.

Using virtualization software available from companies including Microsoft (its Hyper-V virtualiza-
tion system is bundled with most versions of its new Windows Server 2008 operating system) and
VMware, it is possible to use a single server to host multiple virtual servers running different operat-
ing systems – a Linux virtual server running Apache Web server software, and a Microsoft Windows
server running Microsoft Exchange, for example.

The benefits of server virtualization are:

• Lower hardware costs: virtualization obviates the need to purchase one or more physical servers
• Lower maintenance costs: fewer severs means less components to go wrong
• Lower power consumption: running a single physical server near to its full capacity is more ener-
gy efficient than running multiple servers at lower capacity
• Less floorspace required
• Higher stability: running separate applications on their own virtual servers instead of on the
same server reduces the likelihood that changes to one application can adversely impact another

On the other hand, running many virtual servers on a single physical host server makes them all vul-
nerable should the physical host break down. To counter this problem both Hyper-V and VMware
offer a system suitable for larger organizations that can transfer the states of all the virtual servers
to a backup physical host and resume their operations very rapidly.

HP, Dell, and others will effectively be bundling Hyper-V when they supply servers running Microsoft
Windows Server 2008 to their customers, and some vendors including HP and IBM are also offering
the option of embedding VMware's ESX Server 3i virtualization product on their servers – on USB
storage or a flash memory card that can be inserted to start the virtualized environment. I

10 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.
 [ Choosing the Right Server ]
Server Buyer’s Checklist
Options
Server Role File and print server
Mail Server
Email server
Web Intranet server
Database server
Application server
Other server

Form Factor Tower

Rack mounted
Blade

Operating System Windows Server 2003 or 2008

Windows Small Business Server 2003 or 2008
Linux Server
Mac OS X Server
UNIX / other

Processor Intel Xeon

AMD Opteron
SPARC / other

Storage SCSI or SATA disks+

DAS
NAS
SAN

High availability features Redundant components

Cluster system
Fault tolerant system

Management software Many options available

Service / warranty 1 year, 3 year, 5 year

Management Software
1 hour response, same day, etc

As the number of servers in your organization grows, so too does the time and skills needed to manage them.
Keeping a single server running efficiently and ensuring that the latest operating system and application
patches have been applied is a very different matter to managing a large number of servers.

That's why many companies offer server management software to help automate and simplify the management
process. These products include HP's Insight Control and Microsoft's System Center family of management
products (and System Center Essentials software for smaller companies.)

Management software enables server administrators to monitor all servers from a single management console,
spot and fix potential problems, ensure servers are fully patched and virus-free, and reduce downtime and man-
agement costs.

11 Choosing the Right Server, An Internet.com Networking eBook. © 2009, Jupitermedia Corp.