file server

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file server A server specifically designed to support the storing of data, usually but not necessarily in a networked environment. The file server will be equipped with long-term storage, typically magnetic disks, with a means of making backup copies of files, typically high-capacity magnetic tape drives, and with high-bandwidth connections to the network. The system software will often be designed so that end-users need not be aware of the fact that their files are not held locally on their own workstation, but are held on the file server. In some systems the use of a file will cause it to be automatically copied onto the user's workstation, while in others the file will remain on the file server as the user works on the file. Some systems allow the user to specify where the file will be held while it is active.

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