Over the years, organizations have seen an increase in the amount of data produced across various business functions due to the rapid adoption of digital technologies. With more data at their disposal, companies must find innovative ways to store, access, use and retrieve important information – anytime, anywhere.
To meet these growing data storage requirements, many are turning to storage servers as a data storage solution due to their cost advantages, scalability, efficiency and convenience. Stick around to learn what storage servers are, how they work, their benefits, and much more.
What is Storage Server?
A storage server, also known as a file server, is a type of server used to store, secure, and manage data and applications. This server is primarily created to store and access data over the Internet or a shared network.
Unlike a standard server, storage servers have multiple interfaces to access storage, storage spaces, and advanced data retrieval and management capabilities. However, they have fewer applications than regular servers. It functions as file, print, web and application database servers.
Because storage servers are designed for a specific purpose, they are configured differently. In other words, it serves as a central access point for storing and accessing data. Remote computers and local client nodes access the storage server through File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and a GUI control panel, or through programmed API access.
How a storage server works
Storage servers are divided into two, i.e. dedicated and non-dedicated servers. The main difference between the two is the type of data they store. For example, dedicated servers are designed specifically for file servers whose workstations are used to read and write databases and files. On the other hand, non-dedicated servers can store any data, from everyday files to application repositories.
Regardless of the type, the principle of operation of a storage server remains quite simple. This means that once the primary computing device is configured and published, other users on the network can access the device's available storage space. Users on the network access the storage server by mapping the drives on their devices, and their computer's operating system identifies the storage server as another drive.
With proper network configuration, it's easy to grant permission to all computers on the network to create, access, and run files directly from the storage server, while adding additional storage space to connected computers.
However, storage servers should not be confused with regular servers. The former comes with a huge storage capacity. Storage servers are also available either as a single unit or in two separate units, i.e. one box as dedicated data storage and the other as a server.
This means that they can store and access stored data over a shared network or over the Internet. We can conclude that the storage can be either a separate unit or a hardware component inside the computer that offers data storage services. By themselves, these devices do not necessarily have access to other devices on the network unless specifically configured.
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