Last updated: December 1, 2021
Server roles serve to define the task or several tasks of a server. There are Exchange servers, SQL servers, DNS servers, file servers, ADS servers and many more. This specialization makes it possible to keep the overview and use resources optimally.
The assignment of server roles works according to the modular principle: A server has a huge number of functions as standard. Those that the server needs for its planned role are simply activated, those not needed are deactivated. If only the minimal necessary functions are activated in this way, the server works very specialized and powerful. By activating additional functions, on the other hand, the server’s functional range can be increased.
Overview is essentially important
But be careful! If you activate too many additional functions, you run the risk of overloading a server. Then too many services run in parallel and the performance of the whole system drops or even fails.
But the server roles also serve another very important purpose – an organizational one. In the event of an IT failure or incident, it must be quickly apparent which servers are affected. If, for example, e-mails can no longer be received or sent, it is obvious that there are problems with the Exchange server. In this way it is possible to quickly identify the cause and in the best case solve the problem directly.
For the reasons just mentioned, it is essential to have an overview of the server roles and to know the tasks of each individual server. But especially with larger networks, as is the case with medium-sized companies, IT administrators quickly lose the overview.
Server roles with Docusnap in sight
This is where Docusnap helps you. In the software you will find an extra query that shows you all existing server roles and the corresponding systems clearly and precisely, and updated daily. In addition, it is also possible to define your own server roles.
That’s Docusnap: