Is there any difference between a server and a computer other than the fact that a server runs a server operating system?
Not really. A "server" is simply a computer that "serves" a "service" to other computers on a network. It doesn't necessarily have to run a "server" flavor of any OS. In addition, you can run a server off of any network-connected computer, but certain hardware is more adept at being a server than other hardware -- for example, Apple's XServe hardware is the same as any other computer: a processor or processors, RAM, hard drives, and network connectivity. But it's delivered in a rack-mountable form factor, which lends itself well to a lot of power in a small space.
You can run a "server" flavor of an operating system on a computer that isn't specifically designed to be a server.
Likewise, you can run a "non-server" flavor of an operating system on hardware that is specifically designed for server use.
In addition, you can mimic "server" flavor services on an operating system that is not specifically geared toward being a server. You can also run "non-server" type applications on an operating system that is specifically geared toward running on a server.
The term "server" is a very loose term, and the best solution varies from person to person, situation to situation.
What are all the services that a server can provide to a network?
There are too many to list. Some common ones are:
- File sharing services
- Web services
- Authentication services
- Shared printer services
Is there a way that I can use my Snow Leopard (client) MacBook Pro as a file server for my network? I know how to setup file sharing, but is there a way that I can make a user automatically be redirected to a certain folder on my Mac instead of my home folder or /?
That's it -- you've got yourself a "server." You are sharing files and folders to users on your network. You can add different folders and drives to the list of "shares," and the computers on the network can connect to the server and access those shares.
Typically, "server" flavor operating systems offer more fine-grained control over the tiny little details of a service. As you have found out, though, you can use a regular Snow Leopard computer to act as a simple file server.
If you can be much more specific about what, precisely and exactly, it is you want to do, we can be more precise and exact in our answers. What you've basically asked right now is akin to, "How does a car work?" Explaining that would take eleventy-hundred pages to flesh out how every single portion of a car works, and twelvety-hundred more pages to describe how each part interacts with all the other parts. A more specific question would be "How does the car's engine transfer power to the wheels to make them turn?" That would be much easier to explain.
Explaining every service that a server can serve and exactly how each of those services is configured, maintained and operates is beyond the scope of this forum. Be more specific and we can steer you in the right direction.
