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Servers and Their Functions

Depending on the needs of a business or organization, there usually is one server or a group of servers. For example, a bank would have a group of servers, one servicing each branch. The server's function is to process information requests. When a request is received by the server, that server performs one of two functions: It either answers the request and updates information or it sends the request to the right place. For example, if information is affected by the request, such as in the case of an ATM transaction, a request for a withdrawal means the account must be debited. In the case of redirecting the request, if someone is using an ATM from a bank with which he or she doesn't have an account, the server for that ATM sends the information request to the server at the customer's bank. In this case, the ATM server is actually acting as a client and the customer's bank is the server. When the information is returned to the ATM, it is "serving" the information back to the client (see Figure 4.6).

Figure 4.6: ATMs are connected to a network of servers that have your banking information.

The applications for this kind of relationship in the business environment are virtually limitless. Any common source of information, from price lists and inventory to contact databases and financial data. Any data that must be accessed and modified by multiple users can be done very efficiently in this client/server model.

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