Dictionary.net

A stand-alone computer in a local area network that holds andmanages the database. It implies that database managementfunctions, such as locating the actual record being requested,is performed in the server computer. Contrast with fileserver, which acts as a remote disk drive and requires thatlarge parts of the database, for example, entire indexes, betransmitted to the user's computer where the real databasemanagement tasks are performed.First-generation personal computer database software was notdesigned for a network; thus, modified versions of thesoftware released by the vendors employed the file serverconcept. Second-generation products, designed for local areanetworks, perform the management tasks in the server wherethey should be done, and consequently are turning the fileserver into a database server.