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A server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs (and their users), in the same or other computer. The physical computer that runs a server program is also sometimes referred to as server.[1] A server can also refer to a computer that has been set aside to run a specific server application. For example, when the software Apache HTTP Server is used as the web server for a company's website, the computer running Apache is also called the web server. Server applications can be divided among server computers over an extreme range, depending upon the workload. A server appliance refers to network-connected computer appliances or "appliance hardware" that provide specific, dedicated applications to a network. Use of the term appliance indicates the marriage of software and hardware in a single system that is not heavily customizable such as Google Search Appliance. Such appliances are expected to work out-of-the-box with little customization and sometimes remain the sole property of the company that produced them. The simplest appliances include switches, routers, gateways, and print servers. By definition, servers provide services, but it is not always possible to predict when users will need those services. For this reason, servers are often online for weeks or months without interruption, making hardware durability extremely important. Although servers can be built from commodity computer parts, mission-critical servers use specialized hardware with low failure rates in order to maximize uptime. For example, servers may incorporate faster, higher-capacity hard drives, larger computer fans or water cooling to help remove heat, and uninterruptible power supplies that ensure the servers continue to function in the event of a power failure. These components offer higher performance and reliability at a correspondingly higher price. The dominant paradigm in servers is parallel computing, and thus high-performance servers are often placed in rack-mounted configurations to save space inside server rooms or "closets." These special rooms help mute the large amount of noise produced and also restrict physical access to the system administrators for security purposes.
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