file server

file server

[′fīl ‚sər·vər]

(computer science)

A mass storage device that holds programs and data that can be accessed and shared by the workstations connected to a local-area network. Also known as network server.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

file server

Hardware and software that together provide file-handling and storage functions for multiple users on a local area network. The most common choices for file server software are Sun Microsystems' Network File System for Unix and Novell Netware for IBM PC compatibles. There is also a version of NFS for PCs called PC-NFS. Storing files on a file server saves having multiple copies stored on individual computers, thus economising on disk space and also makes administrating and updating the files easier.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

file server

A high-speed computer in a network that stores the programs and data files shared by users. It acts like a remote disk drive. The difference between a file server and an application server is that the file server stores the programs and data, while the application server runs the programs and processes the data. See database server.

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