Mail Server
A computer in a network that provides
"post office" facilities on private intranets or on the Internet
itself. The servers set up mail accounts, manages the system by storing
incoming mail for distribution to users and forwards outgoing mail through
appropriate channels. Some mail servers handle a small amount of traffic and
others process several million messages a day.
In our district, we have our own mail server for the district, unlike other
schools around us that use the Regional Office of Education's mail server. The
pekin.net mail server does not only serve educators but also local businesses
in 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 Web
services on the Internet. It includes the hardware, operating
system, Web server software, TCP/IP protocols and the Web site content (Web
pages). If the Web server is used internally and not by the public, it may be
known as an "intranet server." Every Web server has an IP address and
possibly a domain name. Any computer can be turned into a Web server by
installing server software and connecting the machine to the Internet.
The district web server controls the traffic for all the schools in the
district and also the community partners.
MX Server
A form of mail server that not only includes
electronic mail but also faxes and telex. This allows companies and educational
institutions to bundle these services as one to keeps costs down on
telecommunications. This server also allows for direct routing to
individual mailboxes. Faxes can also be sent from any Windows application
including letterhead and a digitized signature.
If this were available in the district, teachers would have the opportunity to
fax and telex right from their desks. For more information on the mail
server, go here: http://www.gncomtext.com/products/mx_server_fr.html
IP Address
Just as postal addresses have been codified
so that snail mail can be delivered correctly -- name on the first line,
company name on the second line, street address third, etc. -- IP addresses
have been codified to allow Internet information
from Web pages to e-mail) to be delivered correctly. To the Internet, a given
server's IP address is all numbers and dots in the format
"000.000.000.0," but since humans aren't as good as computers at
remembering numbers, IP numeric addresses
also have a textual representation. The usual format is [machine
name].[sponsoring organization].[type of organization, such as
".com"].
Tape Back-Up
Uses a magnetic tape to store duplicate
information from hard drives. These files can be backed up daily, weekly or
monthly and after completed are best stored in a fire-safe location. Tapes come
in reels and cartridges
of many sizes and shapes. If needed to retrieve information from a magnetic
tape, it requires reading every record in front of it
or searching for markers that identify predefined partitions. For more
information on back-up recovery, go here:
http://www.pcguide.com/care/bu/index.htm.
10 MBPS and 100 MBPS
The speed at which information is
transferred between computers in an local area network situation. The 10 and
100 stand for speeds of 10 and 100 million bits per second (Mbps). Currently
the most widely used version of Ethernet technology is the 10-Mbps twisted-pair
variety. The 10-Mbps Ethernet media varieties include the original thick
coaxial system, as well as thin coaxial, twisted-pair, and fiber optic systems.
The most recent Ethernet standard defines the new 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet system
which 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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