Servers on the Internet need to handle loads much differently than most other servers. Even high power enterprise servers that get the same amount of traffic don't have to be able to handles as dynamic a load. An enterprice server is what is used in large companies for many users.

There are many different servers needed to get the web to work. You have to have dial-up servers, DNS servers, and servers to handle hosting.

A dial up server is a standard server that uses a large grouping of modems called a modem pool. Often, extra software is needed to manage these pools. Similar pools are used for ISDN, TI, FTI, T3, etc.

DNS servers, (domain name servers) are usually on high power machines, ones with faaster clock speed and more RAM, connected with the dial up server. They match a name to it's IP address high power machine. Some operating systems offer DNS as an available service, others make you buy extra software.

Servers usually referred to as web servers are hosting servers. Hosting Servers should be machines with high clock speed at which data can be transferred within the computer and a high output back to a network or internet connection. They use special software that make available an Internet virtual directory system. This Internet virtual directory system allows the user to have multiple directories within the main "root" directory within the web server.

One can post pages on the server and then have viewers see this pages using a web browser. To post pages, one can also use HTML editor software or an FTP utility, depending on the server. The web server should also be able to use the script ruining capabilities of the operating system or other program and run CGI, or other, scripts.

Web servers sometimes have go beyond thheir original intended uses, and be used to link into database software. Sometimes, oher extension programs are made for doing this or other similar tasks.

The software that is run on a server is called the server side software when there is also software on the client machine (the computer that is receiving the service).

Server side software has many purposes within a network. It can be used in a wide verity of applications.

Lets say a network administer is told by his client that they want have most of the files for a large program installed on the server and only a few files installed on the clients systems. The software does need to be made for this and you also must have the proper software licenses.

Server side software is used in large client server databases and the Internet.

With most database implementations the database engine, data files, and security features are kept on one or more servers and then the client machines get software that can access that database.

The client software is the web browser or other client program made for getting data off the web.

Server side software can be used in other ways but these are the most common.