What advantages and disadvantages are associated with the use of client/server computing?

In client server computing, the clients requests a resource and the server provides that resource. A server may serve multiple clients at the same time while a client is in contact with only one server. Both the client and server usually communicate via a computer network but sometimes they may reside in the same system.

An illustration of the client server system is given as follows −

Characteristics of Client Server Computing

The salient points for client server computing are as follows:

• The client server computing works with a system of request and response. The client sends a request to the server and the server responds with the desired information.
• The client and server should follow a common communication protocol so they can easily interact with each other. All the communication protocols are available at the application layer.
• A server can only accommodate a limited number of client requests at a time. So it uses a system based to priority to respond to the requests.
• Denial of Service attacks hindera servers ability to respond to authentic client requests by inundating it with false requests.
• An example of a client server computing system is a web server. It returns the web pages to the clients that requested them.

Difference between Client Server Computing and Peer to Peer Computing

The major differences between client server computing and peer to peer computing are as follows:

• In client server computing, a server is a central node that services many client nodes. On the other hand, in a peer to peer system, the nodes collectively use their resources and communicate with each other.
• In client server computing the server is the one that communicates with the other nodes. In peer to peer to computing, all the nodes are equal and share data with each other directly.
• Client Server computing is believed to be a subcategory of the peer to peer computing.

Advantages of Client Server Computing

The different advantages of client server computing are −

• All the required data is concentrated in a single place i.e. the server. So it is easy to protect the data and provide authorisation and authentication.
• The server need not be located physically close to the clients. Yet the data can be accessed efficiently.
• It is easy to replace, upgrade or relocate the nodes in the client server model because all the nodes are independent and request data only from the server.
• All the nodes i.e clients and server may not be build on similar platforms yet they can easily facilitate the transfer of data.

Disadvantages of Client Server Computing

The different disadvantages of client server computing are −

• If all the clients simultaneously request data from the server, it may get overloaded. This may lead to congestion in the network.
• If the server fails for any reason, then none of the requests of the clients can be fulfilled. This leads of failure of the client server network.
• The cost of setting and maintaining a client server model are quite high.

Updated on 21-Jun-2020 12:32:38

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Advantages of a Client Application Server

Centralization of control: access, resources, and integrity of the data are controlled by the dedicated server so that a program or unauthorized client cannot damage the system. This centralization also facilitates the task of updating data or other resources (better than the networks P2P).

Scalability: You can increase the capacity of clients and servers separately. Any element can be increased (or enhanced) at any time, or you can add new nodes to the network (clients or servers).

Easy maintenance: distribute the roles and responsibilities to several standalone computers, you can replace, repair, upgrade, or even move a server, while  customers will not be affected by that change (or minimally affect). This independence of the changes is also known as encapsulation.

There are technologies sufficiently developed, designed for the paradigm of C / S to ensure security in transactions, interface friendliness, and ease of use.

Disadvantages of a Client Application Server

Traffic congestion has always been a problem in the paradigm of C / S. When a large number of simultaneous clients send requests to the same server might cause many problems for this (to more customers, more problems for the server). On the contrary, in P2P networks each node in the network server also makes more nodes, the better bandwidth you have.

The paradigm of C / S Classic does not have the robustness of a network P2P. When a server is down, customer requests cannot be met. For the most part, P2P network resources are usually distributed across multiple nodes of the network. Although some out or abandon download, others may still end up getting data download on the rest of the nodes in the network.

The software and hardware of a server are usually very decisive. A regular computer hardware staff may not be able to serve a certain number of customers. Usually, you need specific software and hardware, especially on the server-side, to meet the work. Of course, this will increase the cost.

The client does not have the resources that may exist on the server. For example, if the application is a Web, we cannot write the hard disk of the client or print directly on printers without taking before the print preview window of the browser.

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Priyanka started her career as a computer engineer but, her passion for writing poems and articles was the main reason for her career shift. She has completed her specialization in Media and entertainment and loves presenting her thoughts on technology and life.

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