Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

This is one of the most popular OSes for servers, maintained and supported by Red Hat, Inc. It is the number one choice for large enterprise applications, where stability and reliability is absolutely crucial. While performance is not its strong point, you will have a hard time finding faults and problems with the components in this OS, mainly because all of them have been tested by time and any possible security breach or serious bug is quickly fixed by the developers. Being a Linux OS, the source code is freely available to anyone, so you can build your custom version or get CentOS the free copy of the latest RHEL, built and supported for free by a community of talented developers. Red Hat, Inc also offers a free, bleeding-edge OS called Fedora, which has the same base as RHEL, only packed with the latest and greatest software that makes it faster, more advanced, but also more prone to problems. It is essentially a test bed for features that will be later integrated into the enterprise version, but if you want performance and support for the latest features, it could be the OS for you.

SUSE Linux Enterprise. Another good server operating system built for stability and reliability, SUSE Linux is basically Novells version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, with a custom and different software package base. Again, performance is not the best point of this OS, either. But its very good when it comes to keeping your data intact, operate without fault and being easy to administrate. There is a free version called OpenSUSE, which is maintained by Novell and a great, helpful community on their site, so you can get an enterprise-level OS straight from the manufacturer completely free.

Oracle Solaris OS. This is one of the leading operating systems for serious, large-scale applications that require uncompromised security, stability, reliability and performance. It was developed by Sun from their custom UNIX-based OS and has a long history of enterprise applications. It was recently bought by Oracle, which fortunately, hasnt cut support for the free version, so everyone can enjoy one of the best OSes on their servers. The latest release includes some unique and advanced features like Predictive Self Healing, which automatically detects and repairs problems, and DTrace, which allows the admin to observe the work of the OS on all levels and optimize it according to needs. High performance is guaranteed by the code optimization for different platforms, the ZFS file system (which is very fast and reliable), encryption acceleration, hardware virtualization support, and other advanced features. The drawback for all these great features is the lack of support for the free version, the very small community and lack of drivers and software packages for the OS, but if youre a very knowledgeable administrator or have a good IT team, you can relatively easily build what you need yourself.

Windows Server 2008 R2. This is Microsofts proprietary operating system for servers and the enterprise sector. While not obvious, the R1 and R2 versions are quite a lot different. The first one is based on Vista, one of the slowest and most resource-hungry Windows operating systems, and the second is based on the new Windows 7, which is an improved Vista, with all the features and almost none of the problems, so the choice should be obvious. Youll need Windows Server 2008 R2 if you need full ASP.NET support or want to run Microsofts IIS server with its advanced API and unique features (like the IIS Media Services platform). Overall, its a great OS that has a few more advanced features over Server 2003 and is a definite improvement over the first Server 2008. The drawbacks are obvious its not nearly as customizable as an open source OS, you depend on Microsoft for all the support (even for the issues you couldve fixed yourself if you had more access to the code) and you have to pay a fee to use it. The client/server model is a computing model that acts as distributed application which partitions tasks or workloads between the providers of a resource or service, called servers, and service requesters, called clients.[1] Often clients and servers communicate over a computer network on separate hardware, but both client and server may reside in the same system. A server machine is a host that is running one or more server programs which share their resources with clients. A client does not share any of its resources, but requests a server's content or service function. Clients therefore initiate communication sessions with servers which await incoming requests.

Schematic clients-server interaction.

The client/server characteristic describes the relationship of cooperating programs in an application. The server component provides a function or service to one or many clients, which initiate requests for such services. A notable example of this is the way OpenGL treats the video card of a computer as a server, with the actual application making rendering requests to it. This model is further solidified with the OpenGL Shading Language, with the user writing small programs that live in video memory, and are requested from the main program through the graphics driver. Functions such as email exchange, web access and database access are built on the client/server model. Users accessing banking services from their computer use a web browser client to send a request to a web server at a bank. That program may in turn forward the request to its own database client program, which sends a request to a database server at another bank computer to retrieve the account information. The balance is returned to the bank database client, which in turn serves it back to the web browser client, displaying the results to the user. The clientserver model has become one of the central ideas of network computing. Many business applications being written today use the clientserver model, as do the Internet's main application protocols, such as HTTP, SMTP, Telnet, and DNS. The interaction between client and server is often described using sequence diagrams. The Unified Modeling Language has support for sequence diagrams. Specific types of clients include web browsers, email clients, and online chat clients. Specific types of servers include web servers, ftp servers, application servers, database servers, name servers, mail servers, file servers, print servers, and terminal servers. Most web services are also types of servers. An application server is a server which provides software applications with services such as security, data services, transaction support, load balancing, and management of large distributed systems. The term is often used for web servers which support the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition, however its use isn't restricted to Java.

Contents
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1 Advantages of application servers 2 Java application servers 3 .NET Framework o 3.1 Microsoft o 3.2 Third-party 4 Others 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Advantages of application servers

Data and code integrity By centralizing business logic on an individual server or on a small number of server machines, updates and upgrades to the application for all users can be guaranteed. There is no risk of old versions of the application accessing or manipulating data in an older, incompatible manner. Centralized configuration Changes to the application configuration, such as a move of database server, or system settings, can take place centrally. Security A central point through which service-providers can manage access to data and portions of the application itself counts as a security benefit, devolving responsibility for authentication away from the potentially insecure client layer without exposing the database layer. Performance By limiting the network traffic to performance-tier traffic the clientserver model improves the performance of large applications in heavy usage environments.[citation needed] Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) In combination, the benefits above may result in cost savings to an organization developing enterprise applications. In practice, however, the technical challenges of writing software that conforms to that paradigm, combined with the need for software distribution to distribute client code, somewhat negate these benefits.[citation needed] Transaction Support A transaction represents a unit of activity in which many updates to resources (on the same or distributed data sources) can be made atomic (as an individual unit of work). End-users can benefit from a system-wide standard behaviour, from reduced time to develop, and from reduced costs. As the server does a lot of the tedious code-generation, developers can focus on business logic.

Application Servers (appservers)

Definition: An application server, or appserver, is software that typically interfaces one or more databases to convey processed data to and from a user interface. The user interface is often web based through a browser, but it may be through other means to client computers in any distributed network situation. The application server and databases may be housed in the same or separate computers. The term server is applied to computers in a number of ways: for instance file, web and printer servers. Application server doesnt necessarily apply to a machine, however, as it is actually a

piece of software. Loosely speaking, any software that centrally processes data for distributed client machines can be seen as an application server.

What they do The application servers role is to take care of the business logic in a multi-tier architecture. The business logic is simply the functions that the software performs on the data. Multi-tier refers to the three tiers involved in the system: client application server database. Application servers are written for specific tasks, defined by business needs. Its basic job is to retrieve, process and present data to the user interface, and process any input data whether queries or updates, including any validation, verification and security checks that need to be performed. But what the data is, and what the processes are, vary widely. A common example of an application server is an Internet search engine. In this instance, the client machines are any computer that logs on to the search engines website, and the data input is the search. The application server takes the input and will run several operations on the search term, dependant on the particular search engines technology. Then, queries are made to the search engines database of web content, and the returned data is ordered and presented back to the client machine. Other common examples include: * Online booking systems * Centralised stock control * Online banking * Online dictionaries and other reference Tiers, n-tiers and multi-tiers Many networks still run on a two tier approach, in which the client computers are connected to a central server, but each client has their own copy of a particular application installed on them. This means all processing happens on the client computers, and the connection to the server is used only for data retrieval. The three tier approach, sometimes called n-tier or more commonly multi-tier, takes the processing away from the clients, leaving them with only data presentation. In this model, the client may be referred to as a thin client.

Diagram of a multi-tier application server environment

Interestingly, even though the three tiers are usually split across three separate computers, its still possible for all three tiers of interface, application, and database to sit on a single computer. Advantages of Application Servers Situating the application on a central computer decouples the clients from the processing, allowing the client computers to access the application from any platform. In other words, any Windows or Linux PC or Macintosh running any browser can connect to a web based application server, regardless of their individual specifications. Centralisation of the application holds clear advantages for maintenance and management. The computer that holds the application server can be maintained and upgraded as required to meet demand, and the software can be engineered and developed with a certainty of environment that wouldnt be possible if the processing had to be run on many distributed computers. Disadvantages of Application Servers There are three main disadvantages of centralised processing. Firstly, if the servers go down then clients simply can't access the application. Secondly, the reliance on network connections, including the Internet, exposes the vulnerability that any network outage also chokes all access to the application. Finally, security, since data which may be sensitive could be transferred over public networks. The way to tackle the first two problems is to ensure adequate redundancy of resources so, backup servers, network and Internet connections are a must. Its almost impossible to cover all angles in this, particularly as most of the WAN is out of management control, and the steps taken

to cover outage risk will be governed by how mission critical the application servers availability is. Tackling security issues is always difficult. However, there are a number of methods, encryption and secure connections for instance, that are applied across all forms of sensitive web interaction. These methods equally apply to application server interfacing over the Internet. Development Platforms Java EE, once known as J2EE, is a platform that has become a benchmark for application server developments. Not a standard as such, still compliance with Java EE requirements grants a product significant value status. As a result, Java is widely used as the language of choice for application servers. However, Microsofts ASP.Net platform is also powerful and commonly used, and many developers still use CGI and PERL. The choice of platform for an application server may have technical constraints, and it is down to system analysts and developers to make the choice of suitable solution.

Debian Linux/Ubuntu Server. Debian Linux is a great OS for any server. Its very customizable and there are a lot of pre-built and supported derivatives of it. If you want to build your custom version, you can go with the pure Debian, if you need an already built and tested OS that will be supported for a few years, Ubuntu Server is one of the best choices. The latest Debian and Ubuntu Server are packaged with newer versions of a lot of the software, compared

to RHEL or SUSE, and are a bit faster and more functional. Users say that reliability doesnt suffer from this, so if you need a fast and reliable all-purpose OS, this could be the choice for you.

FreeBSD. A lot of professionals swear by this OS. They say it is the best OS for server applications, and they might just be right. With its rich history of enterprise use and the extremely well-done BSD-inspired UNIX core that was built for heavy duty application right from the beginning (which isnt true of Linux, as it was started as a free, amateur alternative for UNIX), FreeBSD is very good for sites and web apps that need to handle very serious traffic. As an example, Yahoo uses FreeBSD for their servers, and even Microsoft uses it to power their Hotmail servers, which have tens of millions of users. It has the same drawbacks as Solaris few developers in the open community and few software packages built for it, but that can be solved with a few bright heads in the IT department.

Mac OS X Server. Ever since it was launched, this OS quickly became another popular choice among server administrators, and there are good reasons for this. Apple has managed to create a very stable and fast operating system (its based on BSD, which has a great track record of being used for intensive apps, see FreeBSD above) that is very easy to manage and administrate. It also works with a lot of custom built packages, unlike Windows Server, so its a very good choice for a lot of people. You have to consider what operating system you choose for your server carefully, as it will be very hard to change it after you configure it to work perfectly with your applications, scripts and websites. If you intend to go big, youll have to plan everything from the start to avoid unforeseen problems later. Advantages Centralization of control: access, resources and integrity of the data are controlled by the dedicated hosting server so that a program or unauthorized client cannot damage the system. This centralization also facilitates task of updating data or other resources (better than the networks P2P). Scalability: You can increase the capacity of clients and servers separately. Any element can be increased (or enhanced) at any time, or you can add new nodes to the network (clients or servers). Easy maintenance: distribute the roles and responsibilities to several standalone computers, you can replace, repair, upgrade, or even move a server, while customers will not be affected by that change (or minimally affect). This independence of the changes is also known as encapsulation. There are technologies sufficiently developed, designed for the paradigm of C / S to ensure security in transactions, interface friendliness, and ease of use.

Disadvantages Traffic congestion has always been a problem in the paradigm of C / S. When a large number of simultaneous clients send requests to the same server might cause many problems for this (to more customers, more problems for the server). On the contrary, P2P networks each node in the network server also makes more nodes, the better bandwidth you have. The paradigm of C / S Classic does not have the robustness of a network P2P. When a server is down, customer requests cannot be met. In most part, P2P networks resources are usually distributed across multiple nodes of the network. Although some out or abandon download, others may still end up getting data download on rest of the nodes in the network. The software and hardware of a server are usually very decisive. A regular computer hardware staff may not be able to serve a certain number of customers. Usually you need specific software and hardware, especially on the server side, to meet the work . Of course, this will increase the cost. The client does not have the resources that may exist on the server. For example, if the application is a Web, we cannot write the hard disk of the client or print directly on printers without taking before the print preview window of the browser. Network set up

Network Planning and erection works - perfect information network The first telecommunications program of professional advisers will recognize the customers investment in network technology focus, we especially focus on the integration of network hardware and technical nature. Our engineering technicians in an industry more ten years, large and small projects so that they filter the plot of the rich and deep experience. From the normal server cabinet installation to Zhinian multi-storey buildings in floor laying fiber-optic backbone, we are engineering technicians, service and proper hand has always been known for a steady, and received the credentials of a number of professional skills. At the same time, the companys implementation of "Project Manager" system, every single project from the planning to the subsequent maintenance services, by one or two of professional project managers for customer service, follow-up, arrangement and management, customer no longer deal with the complicated details, also greatly reduced because of the risk caused by the improper arrangements; this is a rare intimate with the industry services. Today, our professional services, has led us into many of Hong Kong Internet service providers, TV stations, universities, multinational corporations, government agencies and charitable organizations and special network engineering contractors. Our areas of expertise:

 Cat5e / Cat6 / Fiber optic * Web links to test reports * Cabinet installation and integration * Network cable labeling and management of * Network Connection * Installation of electrical and backup power supplies * The server room and computer room planning and construction (Hyperlink to server rooms, IT program) Basic network connection diagram

Network equipment and network cable brands

Wireless

Wireless Network - portable player business network Wireless technology in commercial applications are becoming more common. Apart from schools, government departments and social welfare organizations, the hotels, trade and import and export companies, in order to meet foreign customers like to carry laptop computers, PDAs, and even i-phone and other wireless devices the

habit of visiting in recent years, the demand for wireless networks have also found increase. We provide wireless network configuration based services, and wireless networks with the existing solid line network integration planning, of course, we will be concerned about the impact of wireless network security, and we have to prepare a series of programs to address your concerns.

Servers

File server - to the Central Management

The first telecommunications program of professional consultants will help your company to establish the most basic and most primary servers - File servers. File servers are generally used for central storage of computer data, such as paper files, graphics files, sound files, image files, video files, and even database files and so on, easy on the Intranet, and the computer always log such information, the same time in order to Active Directory and other technologies effectively limit individual departments or staff login permissions. E-mail servers (Exchange Server) - easy to use application For most of todays enterprise, e-mail personnel are allowed to produce the best results could be a key communication tool. For the increasing reliance on e-mail has increased the number of sending and receiving e-mail to complete the type of work, and even the speed of business itself. In this change, the staffs expectations are also growing. Today, employees want to have a rich, efficient access - e-mail, calendar, attachments, contacts, etc. - no matter where they live, or types of devices are used. For in terms of IT experts to provide an e-mail system to meet these needs with safety and cost must be other requirements such as balance. As the demand for and use e-mail the increasing demand for enterprise security more complex. Today, IT departments must confront the full range of e-mail security threats: sustainable development of spam and viruses, the risk of non-compliant, e-mail has been intercepted and tampered with loopholes, as well as the potential damage of disasters. While security really is a first priority, but IT also deeply aware of the need for management costs. Time, money and resource constraints is a realistic situation, while IT has always been asked to do more with less. Therefore, IT experts, to find a meet business and employee needs, and manage them cost-effective mail system. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 specifically designed to meet these challenges, and address the different groups involved in e-mail system needs. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007s new features provide advanced protection your companys need, your staff anywhere to access the required capabilities and operational efficiency of IT staff needed.

Built-in protection: availability and rely on the enterprise of maintaining the smooth flow of communication, as well as continue to send and receive e-mail help protect important information of users and departments are not subject to spam and virus damage automatically within the department to provide reliable communications, and will not increase the cost or complexity of to meet staff, compliance officers, and the different needs of e-mail system administrators a way to simplify the management of standards Anywhere access: to increase the daily production capacity of the staff so that they can at home, office or wherever rapid response e-mail provide customers with a universal inbox to access all of their important communications - including voice mail, fax and e-mail - at the same time save the cost of maintaining individual systems and energy In the different devices and between client provides fast, smooth and familiar Microsoft Office Outlook experience, and in addition to full Internet connection does not require additional software or services Through more easily wherever you find and share information, documents and scheduling, improve collaboration and productivity Improve efficiency: x64 computing and bandwidth by routing algorithms to optimize the ability to make full use of hardware,

software and network investments Through more easily find and fix the problem, and easier to automate its work to improve the productive capacity of the system administrator with automatic client connections, the new server type of architecture, to improve the diagnosis and monitoring, to enhance the efficiency of the deployment of Under the new Exchange Web Services to simplify business operations (LOB) applications and third-party solutions for Exchange Server data integration Outlook Experience In addition to the above advantages and other features, Exchange Server 2007 provides a wide range of clients with the most optimal integration. Exchange Server supports a complete Outlook experience, from Outlook on the desktop to the Outlook Voice Access, Outlook Mobile and Exchange Server 2007 features one of the new Outlook Voice Access. Exchange Server also with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, and the other Office applications, as well as third-party integration between systems and devices. Network

Firewall - Network Anti-theft Security Internet crime has led to increasing public awareness of network security issues turn on the alarm. The firewall on the network through the test flow of information, and to filter the data have potential risks, and can effectively reduce the network security threats. Firewall on the Internet and the trusted networks, called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) areas, with different security and trust ratings to evaluate the risks, the situation is like building where the fire door, the same as used for blocking the fire and smoke. Todays technology, there are many ways to design have the same DMZ network. Here are two basic approaches: single-and dual Firewall Design Firewall Design Single-Firewall Design

 Double Firewall Design

Firewall Brand:

Software

Software Development - equipped to meet the challenges of a broader width Leve-One Program as a computer systems consultant can provide you with broad and innovative business IT program to help you achieve the specific operational requirements. We are experts in the following programs: * Customer Relationship Management (CRM) * Enterprise Resource Management System (ERP)

* Knowledge Management System Knowledge Management Strategy Our business IT solutions combine your client consultation, sales contacts, bills, orders, work procedures, production planning, quotations, goods receiving records, inventory control systems, online order update / consulting and accounting systems to a single interface as a platform to enhance your operational efficiency and competitiveness, to meet the always changing business environment challenges.

Disadvantages of Mac OS
Price All that flashy secure reliable power comes at a price. Macs cost more than machines that run other operating systems, though publications like MacWorld occasionally run feature-to-feature comparisons and find that comparably-equipped Mac and other machines run about the same price. The result is you're paying a premium to have what is often the highest-end hardware on the market. This article is focused on Mac OS, however, which is software. Apple's been steadily upgrading OS X every few years for $129 or so a pop, which isn't cheap. Intermediate upgrades are free, but digit upgrades (10.4 to 10.5, for example) cost. Gaming If you're a computer gamer, Mac OS isn't going to do it for you. Boot Camp and Parallels will allow you to run games natively in Windows, but there may be a performance hit. Some games are produced for Mac OS, but the number is very small. Fewer Software Options Highly specialized software can be difficult to source for Mac OS, such as industry-specific applications, and businesses you work with may provide files in one of the few non-Mac OS formats left in the computer world, such as Microsoft Publisher. I searched in several industries a few years ago and remember a lack of Mac OS software for a few industries, these were dentist office management and farm/agriculture management. Everything I searched for turned up a Mac OS option. However, to be safe, I still think it's a tad easier to find highly-specialized applications outside of Mac OS. Disclaimer: as a Mac user who also spent years in Windows, I highly prefer Mac OS. However, if you're wondering what are the advantages and disadvantages of Mac OS, I've done my best to objectively describe them. With this information, you should be armed to make an informed decision about whether Mac OS is right for you.