Server and PC - What is the difference ?

[admiral_victory]

I am the sole user of the following LAN which I have set up at home.

My desktop(DTOP) & my laptop(ltop) have XP Pro SP2 installed and an
older PC (OLD) has W2K SP4 installed.

All 3 machines are networked and can see and share files and drives.

All 3 have also AVG and Zone Alarm installed.

The only reason I have included the W2K (OLD) machine in this LAN is
that , until I replace a second ( failed ) hard drive on my principle
PC (DTOP), I need to use the hard drive on the W2K machine as an
addition to the DTOP working drive.

Initially , on setting up this LAN , I had the W2K PC hooked up to its
own monitor as it was necessary to input keyboard and mouse commands
in this setting up process.

I have now arranged the W2K machine to boot directly into W2K without
the need for any keyboard and/or mouse inputs.

Now that the LAN is up and working , I want to get rid of the
inconvenience of having 2 monitors and use the W2K without its monitor
but running merely as a "box" whose sole purpose is to provide access
to its hard drive as a storage medium.

Can this W2K PC now be described as a "Server" ?

Is this what a "Server" is ?

If this is the way a "Server" is operated - i.e. - a PC " box "
without a monitor of its own - how do you ensure , for instance , that
such " Servers" are kept up to date with A/V and Firewalls without the
ability to have them access a monitor to check these details ?

Do "Servers" then , due to the above need , always have to access a
monitor ?

Finally - as what I really want here is the need to run this LAN
without the inconvenience of having 2 monitors - is it possible to
have one monitor easily switchable between the two PC's ( the DTOP and
the OLD ) without resorting to fooling around with monitor plugs at
the back of the machines ?

Is there software ( or even hardware ) which can manage this without
the above hassle ?

B.N.

 

[DanS]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in 4ax.com:

I am the sole user of the following LAN which I have set up at home.

My desktop(DTOP) & my laptop(ltop) have XP Pro SP2 installed and an
older PC (OLD) has W2K SP4 installed.

All 3 machines are networked and can see and share files and drives.

All 3 have also AVG and Zone Alarm installed.

The only reason I have included the W2K (OLD) machine in this LAN is
that , until I replace a second ( failed ) hard drive on my principle
PC (DTOP), I need to use the hard drive on the W2K machine as an
addition to the DTOP working drive.

Initially , on setting up this LAN , I had the W2K PC hooked up to its
own monitor as it was necessary to input keyboard and mouse commands
in this setting up process.

I have now arranged the W2K machine to boot directly into W2K without
the need for any keyboard and/or mouse inputs.

Now that the LAN is up and working , I want to get rid of the
inconvenience of having 2 monitors and use the W2K without its monitor
but running merely as a "box" whose sole purpose is to provide access
to its hard drive as a storage medium.

Can this W2K PC now be described as a "Server" ?

Is this what a "Server" is ?

If this is the way a "Server" is operated - i.e. - a PC " box "
without a monitor of its own - how do you ensure , for instance , that
such " Servers" are kept up to date with A/V and Firewalls without the
ability to have them access a monitor to check these details ?

Do "Servers" then , due to the above need , always have to access a
monitor ?

Finally - as what I really want here is the need to run this LAN
without the inconvenience of having 2 monitors - is it possible to
have one monitor easily switchable between the two PC's ( the DTOP and
the OLD ) without resorting to fooling around with monitor plugs at
the back of the machines ?

Is there software ( or even hardware ) which can manage this without
the above hassle ?

B.N.

The answer to your question about a monitor switch is yes. Look for a
device called a KVM switch. K, keyboard, V, video, M, mouse.

What you are running could be considered a 'file server', but that's all.
The 2K machine doesn't need to be logged on to use it's shared resources.
In an IT department that has 20 servers, there may only be 3 or 4
monitors with all of the servers connected through a giant (or several)
KVM switch(s).

Another option to administer a server is through 'Terminal Services', but
this is only included in Win2K Server, not the Workstation version. WinXP
'Remote Desktop' is a lite version of Terminal Services. Lite as in it
only allows 1 connection, and the PC being connected to can not be used
by another user simultaneously.

Regards,

DanS

 

[admiral_victory]

The answer to your question about a monitor switch is yes. Look for a
device called a KVM switch. K, keyboard, V, video, M, mouse.

What you are running could be considered a 'file server', but that's all.
The 2K machine doesn't need to be logged on to use it's shared resources.
In an IT department that has 20 servers, there may only be 3 or 4
monitors with all of the servers connected through a giant (or several)
KVM switch(s).

Another option to administer a server is through 'Terminal Services', but
this is only included in Win2K Server, not the Workstation version. WinXP
'Remote Desktop' is a lite version of Terminal Services. Lite as in it
only allows 1 connection, and the PC being connected to can not be used
by another user simultaneously.

Regards,

DanS

Thanks for all the info - much appreciated.

B.N.