Dedicated servers are usually run on dedicated hardware located in a data center, providing more bandwidth and dedicated processing power. Dedicated servers are the preferred method of hosting a game server for practically all PC-based multiplayer games. Dedicated servers can be set up by obtaining the server files, editing the configuration and executing the server.

Massively multiplayer online games are all run on dedicated servers usually hosted by the software company that developed and owns the game title, as this allows them to control and update content. In many cases they are run on clustered servers to allow for huge environments and large player counts.

Listen servers are mostly used by individual players in a LAN party setting.

A proxy server that passes all requests and replies unmodified is usually called a gateway or sometimes tunneling proxy.

A proxy server can be placed in the user’s local computer or at specific key points between the user and the destination servers or the Internet.

Database Master servers are central and primary locations of data while Database Slave servers are synchronized backups of the master acting as proxies.

Based on industry-managed standards such as AdvancedTCA®, MicroTCATM, Carrier Grade Linux and Service AvailabilityTM Forum specifications, communications servers are the foundational platform upon which equipment providers build network infrastructure elements for deployments such as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), IPTV and wireless broadband (e.g. WiMAX).

By driving down infrastructure costs, improving time to market, and shifting user resources toward the development of new applications and services, communications servers will help accelerate the cost effective deployment of converged services.

Support for communications servers as a category of server is developing rapidly throughout the communications industry. Standards bodies, industry associations, vendor alliance programs, hardware and software manufacturers, communications server vendors and users are all part of an increasingly robust communications server ecosystem.

Regardless of their specific, differentiated features, communications servers have the following attributes: open, flexible, carrier-grade, and communications-focused.

An application server handles most, if not all, of the business logic and data access of the application (a.k.a. centralization). The main benefit of an application server is the ease of application development, since applications need not be programmed; instead, they are assembled from building blocks provided by the application server. For example, a Wiki is an application server that allows users to build dynamic content assembled from articles. Moreover, Wikipedia is an assembled Wiki that delivers an encyclopedia stored in a filesystem, with changes to the encyclopedia stored in a database.

Application servers run on many platforms, and the term colloquially applies to two different software applications. The term is used to refer to servers of web-based applications, such as integrated platforms for e-commerce, content management systems, and web-site builders. Alternatively, the term is used as a synonym for web application framework.

XAMPP is the solution to your problem. This special distribution of the most widely used web server, Apache, makes setting up a web server with MySQL, PHP, Perl, FTP, and much more, truly a single click solution. After installing XAMPP you will be up and running with little to none configuration needed. Best of all, it’s free!

Think it is too good to be true? Download it and find out.

Note: If you plan on using your home computer as a web server, check your ISP’s terms of service to make sure this is allowed.