In a SharePoint farm, there are different server roles that work together to provide the necessary functionality. The number and configuration of server types in a SharePoint farm depend on the organization's requirements and the scale of the deployment. Here are the main server types and their roles:
Web Front End (WFE) Servers:
Role: WFE servers handle user requests, serve SharePoint web pages, and handle user authentication.
Responsibilities: They are responsible for rendering the SharePoint user interface, handling incoming user requests, load balancing, and serving static content. WFE servers do not store content or configuration databases.
Application Servers:
Role: Application servers host the core services and functionalities of SharePoint.
Responsibilities: They handle tasks such as search indexing, business intelligence, workflows, and other server-side services. Application servers typically host services like the SharePoint Timer Service, Search Service, User Profile Service, and Business Connectivity Service. They communicate with the database servers to store and retrieve data.
Database Servers:
Role: Database servers store SharePoint's content databases, configuration databases, and service application databases.
Responsibilities: They store SharePoint data, including site content, lists, documents, and configuration settings. Database servers manage the SQL Server databases that are accessed by SharePoint. It is recommended to have a dedicated SQL Server for SharePoint to ensure optimal performance.
Search Server:
Role: The Search server hosts the search service components of SharePoint.
Responsibilities: It handles search crawling, indexing, and serving search results to users. The Search server consists of crawl components, index components, and query components. It works in conjunction with the database servers to manage the search index and provide search functionality across SharePoint.
Distributed Cache Servers:
Role: Distributed cache servers store frequently accessed data in memory to improve performance and reduce database load.
Responsibilities: They help in caching frequently accessed data, improving response times, and reducing the need for repeated database queries. Distributed cache servers enhance scalability and responsiveness in a SharePoint farm.
SMTP Servers:
Role: SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) servers handle outgoing email notifications from SharePoint.
Responsibilities: SharePoint uses SMTP servers to send email notifications, alerts, and other communication to users. SMTP servers are required for functionalities like SharePoint alerts, workflow notifications, and outgoing email settings.
The number of servers and their roles can vary depending on factors such as the size of the organization, user load, desired performance, and high availability requirements. It is common to have multiple WFE servers for load balancing and redundancy, while the number of application servers and database servers may vary based on the scale and requirements of the SharePoint farm.
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