Mail Server
A computer in a network that provides"post office" facilities on private intranets or on the Internetitself. The servers set up mail accounts, manages the system by storingincoming mail for distribution to users and forwards outgoing mail throughappropriate channels. Some mail servers handle a small amount of traffic andothers process several million messages a day.
In our district, we have our own mail server for the district, unlike otherschools around us that use the Regional Office of Education's mail server. Thepekin.net mail server does not only serve educators but also local businessesin the community as well.
For more information on mail servers, go here:
http://serverwatch.internet.com/mailservers.html
Web Server
A computer that provides World Wide Webservices on the Internet. It includes the hardware, operating
system, Web server software, TCP/IP protocols and the Web site content (Webpages). If the Web server is used internally and not by the public, it may beknown as an "intranet server." Every Web server has an IP address andpossibly a domain name. Any computer can be turned into a Web server byinstalling server software and connecting the machine to the Internet.
The district web server controls the traffic for all the schools in thedistrict and also the community partners.
MX Server
A form of mail server that not only includeselectronic mail but also faxes and telex. This allows companies and educationalinstitutions to bundle these services as one to keeps costs down ontelecommunications. This server also allows for direct routing toindividual mailboxes. Faxes can also be sent from any Windows applicationincluding letterhead and a digitized signature.
If this were available in the district, teachers would have the opportunity tofax and telex right from their desks. For more information on the mailserver, go here: http://www.gncomtext.com/products/mx_server_fr.html
IP Address
Just as postal addresses have been codifiedso that snail mail can be delivered correctly -- name on the first line,company name on the second line, street address third, etc. -- IP addresseshave been codified to allow Internet information
from Web pages to e-mail) to be delivered correctly. To the Internet, a givenserver's IP address is all numbers and dots in the format"000.000.000.0," but since humans aren't as good as computers atremembering numbers, IP numeric addresses
also have a textual representation. The usual format is [machinename].[sponsoring organization].[type of organization, such as".com"].
Tape Back-Up
Uses a magnetic tape to store duplicateinformation from hard drives. These files can be backed up daily, weekly ormonthly and after completed are best stored in a fire-safe location. Tapes comein reels and cartridges
of many sizes and shapes. If needed to retrieve information from a magnetictape, it requires reading every record in front of it
or searching for markers that identify predefined partitions. For moreinformation on back-up recovery, go here:
http://www.pcguide.com/care/bu/index.htm.
10 MBPS and 100 MBPS
The speed at which information istransferred between computers in an local area network situation. The 10 and100 stand for speeds of 10 and 100 million bits per second (Mbps). Currentlythe most widely used version of Ethernet technology is the 10-Mbps twisted-pairvariety. The 10-Mbps Ethernet media varieties include the original thickcoaxial system, as well as thin coaxial, twisted-pair, and fiber optic systems.The most recent Ethernet standard defines the new 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet systemwhich operates over twisted-pair and fiber optic media.
For more information on Ethernets, go here: http://wwwhost.ots.utexas.edu/ethernet/10quickref/ch1qr_1.html
When other references are not noted, other sources include:
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