One building, four services
A new college building opens. Staff need a shared drive, a printer on every floor, email, and a padlock on the intranet.
Each need is a service on a server. Together they turn a set of PCs into a working domain.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| File server | a server that stores shared files and controls who can open them |
| DFS | distributed file system: one folder name that joins shares on many servers |
| Print server | a server that shares printers and holds the print queue |
| Mail server | a server that sends, receives and stores email |
| Mailbox | the place on a mail server where one person's email is kept |
| Certificate | a digital document that proves who owns a public key |
| Certificate authority | a trusted body that signs certificates |
| Public key | the open part of a pair of keys, used to lock data |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can say what file, print and mail servers and a certificate authority do in a domain.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
File servers and DFS
A file server keeps shared files in one place. It checks who may open each folder. So a teacher can read the staff folder and a pupil cannot.
When a college has many file servers, DFS helps. It gives one folder name that joins shares from many servers. Users do not need to know which server holds the files.
Print servers and mail servers
A print server shares printers with everyone who may use them. It holds the queue, so jobs wait their turn. Staff do not need to install each printer by hand.
A mail server sends and receives email. It gives each person a mailbox and passes messages to and from other mail servers.
What each server does for the domain
| Server | Job | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| File server and DFS | Shared disk access and permissions | Nobody can open shared files |
| Print server | Shared printer access | Nobody can print |
| Mail server | Manages email to and from mailboxes | Email stops |
| Certificate authority | Signs digital certificates | New certificates cannot be made |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: servers
Have a go
Check: servers
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.