Is a Storage Server and a Data Center Server the Same Thing?

Many people are of the opinion that a storage server and a data center server are basically the same thing and that there is no big difference between these two terms. Well, the truth about this is not as obvious as one might think. A data center server is a very fast computer with lots of RAM memory, enough storage capacity and fast enough chips to act as a file server, print server, applications server, and so on. On the other hand, a storage server differs from a data center server in more ways than one.

Storage Capacity

While a typical server needs to be fast, it actually doesn’t have to have an abundant storage capacity. The perfect example of this is the number of hard drives it contains – while a typical server will have around 5 hard drives, give or take a few, a storage server will have up to 24 hard drives, or sometimes even more. The reason for this is simple – the storage server is used for the purposes of data storage, which is why it has to have a bigger memory capacity.

What They Look Like

When it comes to their physical appearance, storage servers are most commonly found as individual units. However, it can be that they come in two separate units – one box will be dedicated to data storage, while the other will be the server itself. These two units can be put together in a rack, or they can be put in two different locations.

Additional Features

Storage servers can come with services such as storage management software, special hardware for durability, or even an array of RAID systems. All in all, the main difference between storage servers and data center server lies in their purpose – data center servers have a more general purpose, while storage servers are used for data storage.

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