The words “server” and “server construction” are often heard when operating websites such as homepages.
Many company representatives may have the impression that this is something that is somehow necessary and that their company should also take steps, but they are not sure about the details.
First of all, what kind of functions does a server have, and what is it used for? In this article, we will explain in an easy-to-understand manner the basic mechanisms of servers, what you should know about server errors and server downtime, and the relationship between web marketing and servers.
What is a server?
In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, digital content such as websites (homepages) has become an indispensable part of people’s lives.
Servers
that provide information such as websites and SNS, which are essential for web marketing, are becoming increasingly important.
What specific functions and roles does a server have that have a major impact on business activities? Let’s take a closer look below.
It acts like a data storage on the network, and has a response function that receives search requests (requests) from computers receiving services (clients) and provides specific data.
In order to view information such as websites on the Internet, the data of that information must be stored (uploaded) on a server. It is important to understand that information is provided to clients receiving services based on various types of data collected on the server.
○Web server
A web server is an essential server for displaying websites. We store data such as HTML files that represent the text structure of web pages, CSS files that create designs, and image and video files pasted on web pages. This is a server that sends website (home page) information from stored data in response to requests from clients who receive services.
○Database server A database server (DB server) is a management system for a collection of organized data called a database. Stores various data and extracts matching data by narrowing down conditions according to requests. Data can be sent to the computer receiving the service.
○Mail server A mail server and
DNS
server are required to send and receive mail. Mail servers are divided into receiving and sending mail servers, and the receiving server is called “POP (Post Office Protocol)” and the sending server is called “SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).” The SMTP server determines the address on the Internet using the DNS server and sends it to the recipient. A POP3 server, which acts like a post office box, is responsible for storing incoming emails.
○Rental server A rental server is a server rented from a professional company for a fee in order to set up a website, etc. There are various prices, types, and features, and you can choose from a “shared server,” which you use jointly with other subscribers, or a “dedicated server,” which is exclusive to your company.
VPS, a virtual server built on a physical server, and cloud servers, which are also virtual servers and are more scalable than VPS, are also available for rental. Depending on the plan, the key point of either plan is that you can leave the reinforcement of security measures to the vendor.
From the perspective of web marketing, it is important to choose a rental server that can fulfill your company’s wishes, such as attracting customers to your website while keeping costs down. Consider whether there are any problems with ease of use or communication speed, what the server uptime rate is, and whether the price is such that you can continue to use it.
What is server construction?
Uploading to a server is necessary when creating a website (homepage) in-house. In order to have a website (homepage) viewed by many people on the Internet, it is necessary to upload the created data to a web server. What is important here is the preparation for building a server to store the data.
When it comes to server construction, many people have the impression that it is somehow difficult, but let’s start by understanding the necessary steps.
- Select a server OS
When building a server, the first thing you need to do is select a server OS.
OS is an abbreviation for Operating System (software that runs a computer), and it should be understood that it is a system that manages and controls servers so that they can operate and be used by users.
Server OSes include Microsoft’s Windows series, which is highly regarded for its functionality, the Unix series, which can be considered the origin of server OSes, and the Linux series, which is derived from Unix and boasts a high market share in the world.
Choosing a server OS is also important for web marketing. Regardless of the number of accesses, if you use a server with low specs that is not commensurate with the scale, you may end up giving users a negative impression that “○○’s website is always difficult to access.” there is. On the other hand, you may choose a high-spec server and spend too much money even though you only have a small number of accesses.
It is important to select a server OS that suits your company’s objectives and environment so as not to lose users who have come to visit your site and to avoid unnecessary costs.
- Points to note when building a server
After choosing a server OS, let’s start building the server. We will build a web server for web services and a database server for databases within the system of the provider we have selected.
What is important is stable operation and enhanced security after the system is launched. The person in charge of building and operating the server should check to see if it is running smoothly and if there are any problems with the processing status.
When conducting web marketing, it is important to maintain server stability in order to analyze how users move around your company’s website and where exits and conversions (final results) are occurring. Sex is essential.
“Create an environment where user information can be accurately grasped,” pay close attention to the management and handling of personal information related to corporate credit issues, and “consider plans to strengthen security.” It’s important.
What is a server error?
When users browse certain websites on the Internet, a screen such as “500 (Internal Server Error)” or “503 (Service Unavailable)” may be displayed in the search results. This is a screen that displays that a server error has occurred.
“500 (Internal Server Error)” indicates that the server itself cannot display the information correctly due to some cause, and “503 (Service Unavailable)” indicates that the request cannot be processed due to an excessive number of requests.
Server errors may also appear if the server is undergoing maintenance or if there is a bug in the code within the website, so it may be a good idea to restart it. It is important for company personnel to quickly resolve the cause of the server error and restore the site to a stress-free state for users visiting the company’s website.
What is server down?
If access from users becomes concentrated and the capacity of the server increases rapidly, the server may go down (stop functioning).
This is a phenomenon in which the power suddenly goes out, similar to a power outage, and is also expressed as a “server crash.”
In general, when the CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is the part responsible for information processing, approaches its 100% usage rate, performance decreases and may cause the server to go down.
In addition, natural disasters such as lightning strikes, or server failures due to aging may also be considered.
Server downtime can hinder your company’s operations and lead to lost business opportunities. Introducing a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is an effective measure against power outages caused by natural disasters. Also, if server usage is increasing due to concurrent access, consider adding more servers to distribute the load.
In the unlikely event that a server goes down, it is important to have a system in place to respond immediately.
summary
In order to achieve results with web services over the Internet, the function of the server is important. First, understand what a server is, and then select the server that your company needs.
Also, when considering server construction, it is important to take proper measures against server errors and server downtime.