Characteristics Of Client Server

Characteristics Of Client Server

The client / server refer to a mode of communication between multiple computers on a network that distinguishes one or more clients on the server: each client software can send requests to a server. A server can be specialized in server applications, files, terminals, or e-mail.

Characteristics of a server:

1. It is initially passive (or slave, waiting for a query);
2. It is listening, ready to respond to requests sent by clients;
3. When a request comes, he treats it and sends a response.

Characteristics of a client:

1. It is the first active (or master);
2. Sends requests to the server;
3. It expects and receives responses from the server.

The client and the server must of course use the same communication protocol. A server is generally capable of serving multiple clients simultaneously.

Another type of network architecture is the peer (peer-to-peer in English, or P2P), in which each computer or software is both client and server.

Three tiers architecture, multi-thirds

The terms “three-thirds” and “multi-tier” are wrongly translated from English Three Tier and multi-tier or n-tier. For this reason, it would be preferable to use the translation “three levels” and “multi-level” or a hybrid French-English “three tier” and “multi-tier.

The client / server architecture has two types of computers on a network: clients and servers, it has two levels and therefore called two-tier in English. The multi-tier architectures (or distributed) server split into several entities (e.g., an application server which itself is a client server database).

Comparison with distributed architectures

Benefits Of Client Server

1. All data are centralized on a single server, simplifying security checks and updates data and software.
2. The technology supporting the client / server are more mature than others.
3. A level administration server, customers have little importance in this model, they have less need to be administered

For more information, read: Managed Server vs Cloud Hosting – Which One You Should Choose?

Disadvantages Of Client Server

1. If too many clients to communicate with the server at the same time, it may not carry the load (while peer to peer networks work better by adding new members).
2. If the server is no longer available, most customers do not walk (the peer network continues to function even if many participants leave the network).
3. The costs of setting up and maintenance are high.

Examples Of Client Server

The consultation pages on a website works on a client / server. Someone connected to the network via his computer and web browser is the client, the server consists of one or more computers with applications that deliver the requested pages. In this case, the HTTP communication protocol (HTTP) is used.

E-mails are sent and received by clients and managed by a mail server. The protocols used are SMTP, and POP or IMAP.

The management of a centralized database on a server can be done from multiple workstations that allow you to view and enter data.

The X Window System running on a client / server. In general, the client process (a GUI, xeyes example) runs on the same machine as the server but can be as well running on another computer in the network.

A thin client computer is a light or former relying on a central server that hosts and executes all applications. Examples: the LTSP project, the NX technology.

Study: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons.