the file server can be a normal computer, or a network attached storage, which is a special computer created to only be a file server. often people recycle their old computer and they modify it to become a file server which can hold photos, songs, films, and backups. sometimes web servers that are "hand made" are used as a media center, people put things on the file server (for example movies) and then watch (or use) the things on the file server, often on a television (like how a dvd player works).