SharePoint : Application Server

An Application Server is a computer that provides key infrastructure and services for applications that are hosted on a farm.

Typically - in SharePoint this means that a server that has been assigned to run duties such as Excel, Visio or Access Services or Index/Search services - as opposed to general web server duties of a Web Front End server.

See Also

• Farm
• Web Front End Server
• Index and Search Servers
• Internet Information Server (IIS)
• Network Load Balancer (NLB)

References

• StackOverflow - What is the difference between and Application Server and a Web Server?
• Glossary for SharePoint 2010