database server
[′dad·ə‚bās ‚sər·vər] (computer science)
An independently functioning computer in a local-area network that holds and manages the database.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
database server
A stand-alone computer in a local area network that holds and
manages the database. It implies that database management
functions, such as locating the actual record being requested,
is performed in the server computer. Contrast with file
server, which acts as a remote disk drive and requires that
large parts of the database, for example, entire indexes, be
transmitted to the user's computer where the real database
management tasks are performed.
First-generation personal computer database software was not
designed for a network; thus, modified versions of the
software released by the vendors employed the file server
concept. Second-generation products, designed for local area
networks, perform the management tasks in the server where
they should be done, and consequently are turning the file
server into a database server.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
database server
A computer in a network that is dedicated to database storage and retrieval. It holds the database management system (see DBMS) and the databases. Upon requests from the client machines, it searches the database for selected records and passes back the results.
A database server may be part of a file server that also houses applications and non-database files; however, the term generally implies a server that provides only database functions. See database.Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.