BRCM College Of Business Administration
CLIENT SERVER
ARCHITECTURE
Defination
The term ‘Client-Server’ refers to
the Network Architecture.
Where one or more computers
are connected a server.
That one computer (the Client) or more sends a
service request to another computer (the Server).
Client Functions
Is an arbitrary application program that becomes a client
temporarily when remote access is needed, but also
performs other computation locally.
Is invoked locally by a user, and executes only for one
session.
Runs locally on a user personal computer.
Actively initiates contact with a server
Can access multiple services as needed, but actively
contacts one remote server at a time.
Does not require special hardware or a sophisticated
operating system.
Server Functions
Is a special purpose, privileged program dedicated to providing
one service, but can handle multiple remote clients at the same
time.
Run on a shared computer(i.e. not a user’s personal computer).
Wait passively for contact from arbitrary remote clients.
Accepts contact from arbitrary clients, but offers a single
service.
Requires powerful hardware and a sophisticated operating
system
Types Of Servers
Mainframes
One Tier
Talks directly to the mainframe
File Server
Thick Client
No hard-disk
Network dependant
One-tier architecture
Web Server
Thin Client
Hard ware based
Network based
Two-tier architecture
Uses HTTP protocols
Application Server
LAN (Local Access Network)
Backbone
Cluster
Provides services within the webpage
Provides online documents
E.g. Hotmail, Google and Yahoo
Blade
Thinner client
Super
Computer
Accessed
virtually…
VmWare
software
Remote
Enables Network Administrators to
access the network without physically
being in the same location of the network.
• Remote Desktop Connections
Tiers
2-Tier Model
The database is on the server.
Distributed database logic
The client does the presentation.
Much simpler if all the database servers are the
same (homogenous).
Client
Server
Presentation Logic
Database
Business Logic Database
DBMS
Database Logic
3-Tier Model
The traditional client/server architecture involves two
levels, a client level and a server level.
A three level architecture is constituted by three types of
machines: a user machine, a middle-level server and a
back end server.
The user machine: (client) is typically a thin client.
The middle-level: server is the application server.
The back-end: server is the data server.
Working Of N-Tier Model
Unix Server
Database
Server
Client Middleway
Server
Advantages Of Client Sever Architecture
Mainframe functionality can be made widely available.
Cost Benefits
Processing and data are localized on the server.
Reduces network traffic, response time, bandwidth requirements
Business logic can be distributed (in 3-tier model)
Reuse, Portability
Encourages open systems.
Disadvantages Of Client Sever Architecture
The server becomes a bottleneck.
Distributed applications are much more complex than
non-Distributed ones.
i.e. in development, runtime, maintenance, upgrades
Requires a shift in business practices.
local, simple data --> distributed, open, complex data
Conlusion
Combination of a front-end that interacts with the user, back-end that
interacts with the shared resource. The client process contains solution-
specific logic and provides the interface between the user and the rest of
the application system. The server process acts as a software
engine that manages shared resources such as databases, printers,
modems, or high powered processors.
It has fundamentally different requirements for computing resources.
The environment is typically heterogeneous and multivendor. The
hardware platform and operating system of client and server are not
usually the same.
