In the sentences :
The file is placed in the server.
The file is placed on the server.
The file is placed at the server.
Which is the best option?
prepositions
In the sentences :
The file is placed in the server.
The file is placed on the server.
The file is placed at the server.
Which is the best option?
Best Answer
A Google Books search for the phrases "at the server (green line), "in the server" (red line", and "on the server" (blue line) over the years 1980–2008 yields the following Ngram chart:
The chart is interesting in several ways. First it indicates that usage of all three phrases was near zero until the late 1980s, which indicates that the level of interference from instances of previously established noncomputer usage is negligible. Second, it shows a clear preference for "on the server" overall. And third it shows impressive persistence of the other two forms. This third point is especially noteworthy because it suggests that under certain circumstances "at" or "in" may actually be preferable to "on" as the preposition preceding "the server."
The matches for "at the server" (and for the alternative phrases) include numerous examples from computer magazines and computer book publishers, whose staffers are likely to be attuned to fine idiomatic distinctions. The results suggest that "at the server" is used primarily in descriptions of actions taking place or features operating at the network location in question (the server). For example, from "Fax servers send a cost-effective message," in Network World (January 25, 1993):
And from Kevvie Fowler, SQL Server Forensic Analysis (2008):
Th phrase "in the server" is especially common in discussions of hardware components or operating software located within the server box, as in this example from Frank Derfler, "Testing the Hottest and the Fastest," in PC Mag (December 11, 1990):
And from Rand Morimoto, Michael Noel & Omar Droubi, Windows Server 2008 Unleashed (2008):
The phrase "on the server" dominates descriptions of data storage. For example, from Mark Stephens, "Pulling Together: Multiprocessing network servers set records through teamwork," in InfoWorld (April 23, 1990):
And from Barry Gerber, Mastering Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (2006):
From these examples, it seems clear that the most suitable preposition to use in front of "the server" in a sentence describing where an electronic file goes is "on":