Database server

(computer science) An independently functioning computer in a local-area network that holds and manages the database.

A computer in a LAN dedicated to database storage and retrieval. The database server is a key component in a client/server environment. It holds the database management system (DBMS) and the databases. Upon requests from the client machines, it searches the database for selected records and passes them back over the network.

A database server and file server may be one and the same, because a file server often provides database services. However, the term implies that the system is dedicated for database use only and not a central storage facility for applications and files. See client/server.

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A database server is a computer program that provides database services to other computer programs or computers, as defined by the client-server model. The term may also refer to a computer dedicated to running such a program. Database management systems frequently provide database server functionality, and some DBMSs (e.g., MySQL) rely exclusively on the client-server model for database access.

Such a server is accessed either through a "front end" running on the user’s computer which displays requested data or the back end which runs on the server and handles tasks such as data analysis and storage.

In a master-slave model, database master servers are central and primary locations of data while database slave servers are synchronized backups of the master acting as proxies.

See also

• Database replication

External links

• Database server

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