Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
A
multifunction printer
can reduce the need for other offi ce peripherals by combining
their functions into a single device. For example, some multifunction printers are also
scanners, copiers, and fax machines.
Energy-Efficient Server Usage
Servers are powerful computers, and they consume quite a bit of power. Even a minor
reduction in the power consumption of a server has the potential to pay off big in the long
run, because a server is on 24
×
7.
Efficient Server Hardware
For a server to be energy-effi cient, it should have as few power-consuming components as
possible. For example, if it only needs one hard disk, it should have only one; and if it can
accept a solid-state hard drive, all the better. A server doesn't need user components like a
fancy sound card or a powerful display adapter; these components consume power without
providing a benefi t to the server. It also doesn't need a large monitor, and the monitor can
be turned off when nobody is actively sitting at the server workstation.
You can also make a server more energy-effi cient and extend its life by keeping it in a
cold room. Computers like to be cooler than humans do, so if you reduce the temperature
in the server room to 60 or even 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they will perform better and use
less power.
Combining Server Functions
Another way to decrease the power consumed by a company's servers is to combine server
functions into fewer PCs. Often, a single PC can serve as multiple types of servers simultaneously.
With server platforms such as VMware ESXi and Citrix, system administrators can have
a selection of OSs running different roles on the same PC, limited only by the PC's CPU,
memory, and storage capacity. The storage can even be on another system, with a virtual
server simply processing task-specifi c instructions.
Terminal Ser ver s
Back in the olden days of computing, a company would have a single large mainframe
that served as a
terminal server
. All the users connected to it via
terminals
, which were
monitors and keyboards that used the common pool of CPU and memory provided by the
server. Terminals connected to the terminal server via a legacy serial interface.
When desktop PCs became affordable enough for all users to have their own, people
rejoiced, and terminal servers became much less popular. They're still used occasionally to
connect serial-based applications or devices to move data over a LAN.
