UNIX as an Application Server

Networks have evolved to become the mainstay of corporate America. Millions of personal computers are connected to network servers running applications ranging from personal productivity to corporate accounting, yet the demands on the network continue to increase. These demands typically take two forms. The first is the availability of application software specifically tailored to an organization’s operations. The second is the need to run processor-intensive applications in a personal computing environment. Networks have become commonplace, and the architecture has embraced Ethernet as the predominant standard. Novell NetWare continues to maintain a 60% plus share of network server installations, and Microsoft NT server continues to build an increasing market share. In the past, these operating systems imposed their own network protocols on their environment. The role of the server needs to be taken into consideration when contemplating adding computing resources.