Server Adapter vs Computer Adapter: What’s the Difference

Server adapter and computer adapter are two types of network interface cards. Both the two types can serve the same purpose that connects the server or computer to the internet for data communications. Then do you know what’s the difference between the two NIC card types? Here first introduces the two network adapter types, then explains their differences in transmission speed, CPU utilization and reliability.

What Is Server Adapter?

Server adapter, as the name implies, is installed on the motherboards of a network server. Nowadays, newer server motherboards may have multiple network interfaces built-in, which can bring functions like load balancing, separation of traffic and so on. This makes server network more reliable and secure. Network interface card is an indispensable component of a sever. Server cannot work without a network card, since the primary mission of the network server is to query, calculate and analyze the computer instructions from the internet, then deliver the final results via the network card to the destination clients like a computer, or a network switch. Therefore, a NIC card means everything to the server.

server adapter

Figure:Example of server adapter.

What Is Computer Adapter

Computer adapter is the device that allows a computer to be connected to a network. Most computers are designed with one network interface that has been built into the motherboard. Unlike the network server, computers without a network adapter can still function. For example, two computers may exchange data with each other via bluetooth, or USB flash disk.

Server Adapter vs Computer Adapter: What’s the Difference?

The main differences between server adapter vs computer adapter are shown in three aspects, transmission speed, CPU utilization and reliability.

Transmission Speed

Commonly, Ethernet card supports transmission speeds including 10M/s (out of the stage of the history), 100M/s, 10/100M/s self-adoption, 1000M/s, 10G/s or even higher speed. A network server usually needs to support several or even hundreds of Ethernet switches or computers. It is responsible for all incoming and outgoing data between the internet and clients, dealing with large data traffic. So it requires the server adapter with higher speed like 10G, 25G, 40G or even 100G for data delivery. For ordinary PC use, 100M/s, 10/100M/s self-adoption and 1000M/s network adapters are enough.

CPU Utilization

As mentioned above, network server needs to handle large amounts of data. For example, a website receives hundreds or thousands of access requests from people over the world, and the server has to response those request at the same time. If not, the server may be paralyzed and may result in big loss for service providers. So it’s very important for server adapter to has low CPU utilization. Server adapter card is designed with a special network control chip which can take over many tasks from CPU, reducing the working burden of CPU and ensuring the server’s performance won’t be affected. On the other hand, for desktop adapter, it doesn’t have any requirements in CPU utilization since one computer doesn’t need to manage the mass of data as the server does.

Reliability

An accidental shutdown of a server may result in huge loss of business since the server deals with lots of data. To avoid it happens, the important components like network adapter, power supply of the server usually use redundancy designs. Thus server adapter features with NIC bonding, loading balancing, etc. And it may come in dual or quad port design. As a result, the server adapter’s reliability can be ensured which helps avoid server network paralysis caused by malfunction. But the most common computer adapter only has one port for delivering data.

Network Interface Card Price

The price of server and computer adapter varies greatly. Server adapter costs more than PC adapter, since the server adapter requires higher speed, lower CPU utilization and higher reliability. For example, a 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit network adapter named 5722 from DELL only costs about 75 dollars. But Dell’s server card like 57416 type is much more expensive. It’s a 10G server network card with dual ports with a price of about 764 dollars.

Conclusion

Both server and computer adapter can provide connectivity between a server/computer and the internet. But the server adapter features with higher transmission data, lower CPU utilization and higher reliability, and it costs more than a computer adapter. Knowing their differences may help you purchase the correct device for your server or computer, and allows you to provide the best possible experience for your network.

Wall Mount Cabinet Selection Guide

Large server cabinet or network cabinet are typically used in large data centers. However, for individuals and small businesses, a wall mount cabinet can be much more effective. The wall mount cabinet is compact in size so that it can be placed almost anywhere. It helps save floor space while providing security and accessibility for your network components and other hardware. It is the perfect solution for safely storing small devices. This post describes the wall mount rack and gives you the selection guide.

alt Wall Mount Cabinet Selection Guide

What Is Wall Mount Cabinet And What’s the Type of It?

A wall mount cabinet, also known as wall mount rack or enclosed wall mount, designed to be attached to the wall, and mainly used for housing network equipment like fiber patch panels and switches. It generally comes in open frame or cabinet style. The open frame wall mount cabinet is an effective and less expensive option, but it won’t necessarily keep your equipment secure. Since it’s an open frame rack, equipment installation, wiring, and cable management tend to be easier than with an enclosed cabinet, and airflow is not an issue. However, to discourage equipment tampering, wall mount enclosure cabinet adds panels to the top, bottom and sides, as well as a front cover. It is more secure for your devices.

alt Wall Mount Cabinet Selection Guide

Things to Consider Before Buying A Wall Mount Cabinet

Wall mount cabinets vary considerably in their functionality and appearance, so it is necessary to do some research before you buy one. No matter what decision you make, finding a suitable wall mount cabinet for your network will help save your time and money by keeping your equipment safe and organized. Here we will provide three factors for you to consider before you buy a wall mount cabinet rack.

How Much Room Do I Need for My Network?

It’s important to consider the space required by the network. Think about the existing network you have and any additions you may get in the future so that you don’t end up realizing you still don’t have enough space. To determine the height of the wall mount cabinet you need, you should accurately assess the total height of your current equipment and allow for future growth. Remember that 1U is equal to 1.75 inches. The depth of the wall mount cabinet rack is adjustable from minimums of either 3 or 17 inches to maximums of 16.5, 20.5 or 32.5 inches. To determine the maximum depth you need, measure the depth of your equipment and add 3 inches to allow space for cabling. As for the weight, make sure that the capacity of the rack is greater than the total weight of the mounted equipment. Also, make sure there are proper studs on the wall that can support the weight of the rack and housed equipment.

Which Door Should I Choose?

Most wall mount cabinet comes with two different types of doors such as perforated metal or glass front doors, depending on your airflow requirements. The difference between a glass and a perforated door is clear. A glass door is often used when choosing patch solutions without extreme heat generation. It is also more soundproof than its perforated counterpart. A perforated door provides better ventilation and is typically used when multiple servers are placed in the cabinet.

What Kind of Equipment Can I Put In A Wall Mount Cabinet?

As your network grows, your network space will undoubtedly expand as well. To keep up with your IT equipment needs, you’ll discover the need to invest in physical space where your hardware and equipment can be stored. The wall mount cabinet is primarily used for racking network equipment such as network switches, patch panels, servers and more. It’s an ideal solution to support organization in your space.

What Are the Recommended Wall Mount Cabinets for You?

If you run small or home-based offices or larger offices that are looking to add an additional rack to an existing system, wall mount cabinets are an affordable option. FS provides hinged wall mount cabinet and wall mount enclosure cabinet with standard size to satisfy your needs. The hinged wall mount cabinet is capable of managing 12 rack units of active and passive equipment. It’s designed to house EIA-standard 19-inch rack equipment in network wiring closets, retail locations, classrooms, back offices and other areas with limited floor space. The wall mount enclosure cabinet designed with excellent cable management and a fully adjustable mounting rail system. It is ideal as a mini telecommunications room or for remote network distribution and consolidation points in open, unprotected spaces. If you are looking for a wall mount cabinet, why not visit www.fs.com for a try?

Related Articles:
FS 42U GR-Series Network & Server Cabinet Tutorial
Data Center Server Rack Wiki: Definition, Types and Buying Guide
FS 42U Network & Server Cabinet: an Ideal Solution

Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch Recommendation

Recently, many people have jumped on the bandwagon to use the 24-port Gigabit managed switch with advanced administrative controls. In particular, 24-port switch with PoE technology provides people with great convenience. However, the more power it sustains, the noisier it is. Have you been hassled by the endless noise or interrupted in your work? It is time to put an end to work frustration with fanless 24-port Gigabit switch.

What’s the Magic with Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch?

A Gigabit Ethernet switch without fan doesn’t mean that it does not have cooling system. Instead, it adopts a passive cooling system which achieves high level of natural convection and heat dissipation by a heat spreader or a heat sink to maximize the radiation and convection heat transfer modes. The passive cooling makes your switch dumb but not numb, as it still works efficiently. In a word, fanless switch is the most suitable in silent and energy-saving environments. Here introduce three distinctive fanless 24-port Gigabit switches.

Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch Recommendation

FS 2800-24T4S Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch

S2800-24T4F 1000Base-T switch features 24-port 100/1000Base-T ports and 4 combo RJ45 SFP ports that enable user to mix fiber and copper cabling on a single switch. This 24-port Gigabit fanless switch is designed to meet the demand of cost-effective Gigabit access or aggregation for enterprise networks and operators. It adopts high performance processor to provide full speed forwarding and line-dormant capacity to offer customs multitudinous service features. In addition, S2800-24T4F supports multiple configuration modes to make it easy for network management and maintenance. This switch comes with a four-year limited warranty, including any quality problems during the free maintenance.

HP ProCurve 1800-24G Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch

The ProCurve Switch 1800-24G is a 22-port 10/100/1000 switch with 2 dual-personality ports for RJ-45 10/100/1000BASE-T or mini-GBIC fiber Gigabit connectivity. This fanless switch is managed via an intuitive Web interface, ideal for deployment in open offices or homes that require silent operation. It can be mounted on a desk, shelf, wall or in a rack cabinet. However, the demerit of this 24-port gigabit switch is that it doesn’t possesses stacking port.

FS 3900-24T4S Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch

FS newly-released S3900-24T4S 10/100/1000BASE-T 24 port Gigabit switch comes with 4 10GE SFP+ uplinks ports. Since its debut, it has gained a lot of attention by its multifunction. As an advanced layer 2 Plus (layer 3 Lite) Gigabit managed switch, it supports stacking with 10G uplinks. In addition, the S3900 24-port gigabit stackable switch offered by FS boats an user-friendly web interface which makes it a snap to configure ports. An industry-standard command-line interface (CLI), accessed through the console port or Telnet, helps simplify the setup and operation of the network. The S3900-24T4S 24-port managed switch is almost an omnipotent switch for choice under many circumstances.

S3900Fanless 24-Port Gigabit Switch

Conclusion

Kill the noise, and attend to your work. Fanless 24-port Gigabit switch ensures noiseless operation and increases the reliability and energy efficiency of the system. Listening to the voice of customers to understand customer issues, FS, a network solution provider, strives to provide innovative and professional solutions for you.

Related Articles: Should You Buy a Fanless Switch or Switch with Fan?

                                 FS 24 Port Gigabit Switch Selection Guide