The Difference Between Servers & Workstations

Workstations are computers that access network resources but do not host any network resources themselves.

Computers on a network generally fall into one of three categories: servers, workstations or peers. Servers host shared network resources, and workstations access these resources but do not host anything themselves. Peers can act as both servers and workstations simultaneously.

Server

Technically, a server is any computer that acts as a host for resources over a computer network. Any computer running server software is considered a server. In theory, this means that the only difference between a server and a workstation is the software that each of them runs. However, in most real-world applications, servers have special hardware. As a result, servers and workstations typically differ in both the software and the hardware that they each utilize.

Workstation

A workstation is a computer that connects to a computer network, but does not host any resources on that network. Any computer that connects to a computer network but does not share any files or printers with the network is considered a workstation.

Peers

Some networks have a third type of computer called a "peer." Peers are a combination of a server and a workstation. As a result, they can both access network resources and host them.

References

• Windowsnetworking.com: Networking Basics Part 4 - Workstations and Servers