What is a fileserver?
A fileserver is a computer that operates as a server (i.e. runs
server software such as MS Windows Server 2003) used to archive
files (documents, photos, etc.) in a central location rather than
being saved on a local desktop computer. This allows the files to
be backed up on a regular basis as well as allowing for the files
to be shared if desired. Novell Netware was one of the original
Server Operating Systems (and/or Network Operating Systems) that
implemented the concept of "fileserver". Side-note: In corporate
networks individual employee desktop computers are often setup with
a "network" drive. This disk space is sometimes allocated onto a
fileserver. During the early days of local area networks (LAN)
hard-drives were expensive; in order to keep costs down, servers
were used that would have large, very fast hard-drives where anyone
could store files thus reducing the cost of putting large
hard-drives on every desktop or workstation.