A SharePoint farm topology is used to describe the type or function of a particular SharePoint farm. When creating a SharePoint farm, roles are used to determine the functions of servers operating in a farm. There are eight server roles (seven predefined roles and one custom role), which are split across three categories:
- Dedicated roles
- Shared roles
- Special roles
These roles are used when deploying a chosen farm topology, as shown:
We'll look at those role categories and topologies next.
Dedicated roles
Dedicated roles are typically used in large-scale farms, but can also be used with smaller deployments or be added to servers that are configured for shared roles. The dedicated role layouts have been optimized for performance and scalability. The dedicated roles and descriptions are listed in the following table:
|
Server Role |
Description |
Notes |
|
Front-end |
This performance-optimized role is designed to host service applications... |