36 Server Terms You Need To Know
Take control of your business servers by understanding the terminology and jargon IT pros use. By mastering the 36 terms in this how-to guide, you'll talk like a pro and enhance your knowledge of your business server infrastructure.
Acoustical Noise
The amount of audible noise that a product emits. The common
engineering specifications used are L-WAd (the upper-limit noise level,
measured in bels) and L-pAm (the noise level detected one meter from the
unit, measured in decibels). Urban background noise is usually 40
decibels, so a server quieter than that would not be disruptive.
Face-to-face conversation is usually 60 decibels, so a server louder
than that would be annoying, unless enclosed.
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Benchmark
A measurement of the speed at which a computer can process information in a way that approximates real-world situations. For servers, the Transaction Processing Performance Council's benchmarks are considered industry-standard.
Blade
A modular, bare-bones computer that plugs into a special chassis. The
chassis itself is often rack-mounted, supplying power and connectivity
to the blades it contains. Blades permit a greater number of servers per
square foot while also concentrating the demand for power, cooling, and
connectivity.
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Cluster
A group of servers that work together as a unit. A cluster minimizes downtime either by failing over, or handing off, work to one server from another server that is experiencing a problem, or by balancing the workload of incoming transactions among each server.
Core
The circuitry on a processor chip that represents the equivalent of a PC's central processing unit. The latest processor chips often have multiple cores, offering faster processing speeds. The previous method of boosting performance -- increasing clock speeds -- creates heat dissipation problems, which make it impractical to run chips much faster than 3 GHz.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
See Processor.
Data Center
A facility (increasingly off-site) dedicated to housing servers and
their associated telecommunications hardware, cooling equipment, power
supplies, and security.
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ECC (Error Checking and Correcting) RAM
A type of memory chip often used in servers to enhance reliability. This type of chip can prevent corrupted data from causing a system to crash.
80 Plus
A program funded by the electric power industry that encourages
computer vendors to use power supplies at least 80 percent energy
efficient. Buying compliant hardware should result in power savings. See
Power Supply.
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Energy Star
A U.S. government-sponsored program that promotes the use of
energy-saving technology for office equipment. Compliant hardware
typically draws one-quarter less power than noncompliant hardware.
Energy Star specifications will not be extended to servers until
sometime in 2009.
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Ethernet
The most common form of, and often synonymous with, local area networking. An Ethernet port is standard equipment for computers and servers, typically rated 10/100 (meaning it will run at either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps) or 1 Gbps. Ethernet ports are also used to connect computers to network equipment, such as routers and modems.
Failover
The ability of one component to invoke a second component to take
over its job after it has detected a problem and needs to shut down.
With proper failover, a user should not be able to detect a problem is
occurring.
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