Servers vs Computers

[gmpirate]

What is the actual difference between a workstation and a server.

besides a server generally having more speed, memory, and storage

[mrdisco]

The difference is not so much in the hardware, but in how it's being used. A workstation is usually used locally by one person at a time while a server is usually used remotely by several people.

Hardware should be planned around the purpose of the computer, rather than trying to determine the purpose from the hardware. However, some computers make better workstations or better servers based on their configurations.

A system with a high speed network connection, large storage but no graphics may make a good server but a lousy workstation. Likewise a computer with advanced graphics and small storage may be a good single-user workstation but a lousy server. They may have the same processing power and yet serve two different purposes.

[hd581]

Their differences lie in how they are used. There aren't really machines that you would point to and say "That is a workstation and can only be a workstation." Workstations tend to optimize the foreground task while servers try to dole out timeslices w/ more generosity to the background than workstations. Since servers serve multiple users, multiple CPU's make more sense than in workstations, as well as a fast HD system. Servers are tailored to be "hit" by many users at one time, while workstations are cheap machines that can handle the single user well.

[hd581]

LOL mrdisco! We posted at the same time and had almost the same opening line!

P.S. I like your answer better. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by hd581 (edited 04-19-2000).]

[Konan555]

A servers monitor should NEVER be in front of a keyboard - it just doesn't look right

[Axel]

And Axel waxes historical -

A server used to be a mainframe computer - work stations used to be wired into com ports on the mainframe - a work station used to be a monitor and a keyboard with a network card linking you to the mainframes communications bus. I.E. - you had no CPU sitting in a workstation - you only had a "window" into the main computer.

next generation was a "workstation" with extremely limited CPU and you'd have to hit <send> to transmit an action to the mainframe/server - again - your "box" was mostly a network interface and a place to plug in the monitor and keyboard.....

And today we all have PC's which have their own fully functional processors and hard drives not to mention operating systems - you have full applications loaded on the PC instead of having to have it fed to you off the mainframe/server. Typically - these days a "server" is typically a place to store files for later retrieval ( e-mail is most common - next to webpages ) or retrieval on demand. Then there are application servers which "share" a large block of application code function to a PC which couldn't run it on it's own with it's limited resources. One common definition for this is a CAD server - computer aided design for aircraft, missles, cars, and other large complex items can't fit on a PC - but a PC can design a "fender" of a car and send it to complete the design of a totally new vehicle which is stored and tested on a mainframe. The CAD program however, might not be on the mainframe, but be on an application server which feeds the pc workstations the parts of code they need to run a small part of the overall design process.....

What I have on my desk today was a "server" just a year ago - I've got a PIII 550 mHz desktop PC.

The first space shuttles had "servers" on them which were little more than "robust" compaq 64 desktop PC's and handled various different ultra-precise timing and control functions.

We've come a long way......

[tantone]

Holy cow, those were some good answers.

Keeping with the definitions stated above, keep in mind that a workstation can act as a server in a lot of ways.

Since you asked about workstation/server differences rather than client/server, are you referring to Microsoft's line of products and their differences?