Chapter 2 Preparing for Server Installation

At a Glance

Instructors notes
Chapter Objectives Instructor Notes Discussion Topics Quick Quizzes Key Terms

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Identify server categories Evaluate server components Plan for system disasters and reduce their effects Evaluate network components Set up IP addressing

INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Identify server categories
There are two major categories of servers. The file server emphasizes sending and receiving files. Because the focus is on files, a fast disk subsystem is the most important. A file server is needed when the Web server has a lot of static HTML pages and for FTP servers. The application server focuses on the complexity of handling an application. Exchange server and a DBMS are examples of application servers. Both can require extensive processing power. Sometimes the server that is needed combines the need for a fast disk subsystem and a fast processor. Often DBMSs need fast disk subsystems too. In other instances, small organizations may put their Exchange server on the same computer with their Web server.

QUICK QUIZ
1.
2.

True/False. For a file server, a disk subsystem is more important than a fast processor. Answer: True
True/False. The tasks performed by an application server are more complex than those carried out by a file server. Answer: True

Evaluate server components

The Intel processors are the most commonly used today. Although the Itanium is the current high-end processor based 65-bit processing, most computers today are based on the 386 architecture that processes data 32-bits at a time. They use a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) architecture which means that their instructions typically do more work than an instruction on a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) computer. The trade-off is that a CISC processor is more complex. As new processor versions arise, not only are they faster, but at a given speed, the newer processors can do significantly more work. That is, even if you had a Pentium III and a Pentium 4 running at the same speed, the Pentium 4 would be faster. Sun manufactures the UltraSPARC processors for their Sun servers. They are 64-bit RISC processors. They are significantly more expensive than their Intel counterparts. Many applications, such as DBMSs, can take advantage of multiple processors. However, applications must be designed to use multiple processors. IDE drives are common in workstations and low-end servers. Only a maximum of two hard drives can be used. The SCSI interface can support many drives. As will be discussed later, the SCSI interface can be used to create a fault tolerant system of drives called RAID 5.

Network interface cards (NICs) connect computers to a network. The most common NIC is Fast Ethernet which operates at 100 Mbps (Megabits per second)

QUICK QUIZ
1. Most Windows computers use processors manufactured by what company? Answer: Intel 2. The 64-bit processor from Intel is called what? Answer: Itanium
3. True/False. The 386-based chips process data how many bits at a time. Answer: True 4. The least expensive hard drive interface is what? Answer: IDE

Plan for system disasters and reduce their effects

Disaster planning helps you avoid problems with hardware and software. Reducing the effects of disasters is like buying insurance. You want to have enough but you dont want to waste money on buying too much. Basically, it is a challenge to balance the costs and the benefits. In a server, the objective is fault tolerance which is the ability of a system to keep running even when a component fails. It is a good idea to determine what can go wrong, what effects it will have on the organization, and what it will take to fix it. For example, if a server fails, how are you going to replace it? How will you restore the software on it? Who will diagnose the problem? Often hardware components will be redundant. For example, a server may have multiple power supplies. The data across two drives can be duplicated using RAID 1, also called mirroring. RAID 5, which is the most common, distributes data across a minimum of three drives, with the ability for any one drive to fail and still allow the system to keep running. There are three types of backup methods: full (all data is backed up), differential (all files that are new or changed since the last full backup), and incremental (all files that are new or changed since the last incremental backup). Typically, a combination of full and differential makes backups take longer but restores are faster. With full plus incremental, it is the reverse.

QUICK QUIZ
1. Which backup method takes the longest time? Answer: Full 2. Which RAID method would be appropriate for IDE? Answer: RAID 1

Evaluate network components

Hubs connect computers. However, with a lot of traffic, congestion can occur. Switches also connect computers but they give the appearance of a dedicated circuit between computers which almost eliminates any problems with too much traffic. Routers connect one network to another. A common example is when you connect your LAN to the Internet. Routers are also used within an organization.

Set up IP addressing
IP addresses are divided into the network portion and the host portion. The host portion is different on every computer on the network. The network, in the sense of IP addressing, represents the computers physically connected together. Each IP addresses has four numbers separated by dots. Each number can range from 0 to 254. There are three common classes of IP addresses: Class A has a first number of 1 to 127. Class B has a first number of 128 to 191. Class C has a first number of 192 to 223.

Discussion Questions
1. What other examples of file servers and application servers can you think of? 2. What other processors are available for computers? Does anyone have a computer with an AMD processor? Any problems with it? 3. Find out the range of computers that the students have. What problems do students with slower processors have, if any? Beyond what speed is the speed irrelevant for a typical student?

Key Terms
application server A server that focuses on processing information. For example, a server that contains a DBMS is an application server. bottleneck The component of the server that causes system performance to slow, thereby keeping parts of the system from working optimally. bus The path that data travels between devices. Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) A processor architecture that emphasizes the number of different instructions the processor can understand. contention A state of data transfer where the more traffic there is, the slower it travels. database management system (DBMS) A system that stores data on a computer in an organized format. It typically uses SQL as the language to define and manipulate the data, and stores data in an organized manner for processing. dynamic Web page A page that contains programming statements to customize its output. A number of languages can be used to create dynamic Web pages, including PHP, Perl, ASP, and ASP.NET. Ethernet A network technology that connects multiple devices, such as PCs and printers, on a LAN, and passes information from one device to another. fault tolerance The ability of a system to keep running even when a component fails. file system A data structure that provides the input and output mechanisms for an operating system. GNU General Public License A license intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software, thereby making sure the software is free for all its users. host An individual computer on a network. hub A device used to connect computers. Because hubs are shared devices, as more computers use a hub, traffic can slow. Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) The most common hard drive interface available. The controlling electronics are integrated with the hard drive. Internet service provider (ISP) The organization that provides you with a connection to the Internet.

intranet A private network. network access point (NAP) Each NAP provides a major Internet connection point. redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks (RAID) Allows multiple drives to operate together as a single drive. A variety of configurations are available. Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) Processor architecture that focuses on very efficiently processing few types of instructions. router A device used to connect one network with another. It can serve many purposes, including connecting an internal network to the Internet. Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) A parallel interface that allows multiple devices to communicate with the local system at the same time. It is commonly used to connect multiple hard drives to a server. switch A device that allows computers to communicate as if they were directly connected to one another. It produces a virtual connection between the computers.