Client/Server Model

Computing

Andrea Carlin

Introduction
To truly understand how the internet operates, it is important to understand the concept of client/server computing.
The Client/Server Model is a form of distributed computing where one program (the Client) communicates with another program (the Server) for the purpose of exchanging information.

Client/Server Model
The Client Server Model
Client Server

Internet

The Application programs using the Internet

follow these Client/Server Model Stategies:
An application program, called the client, running on the local machine, requests a service from another application program called the server, running on the remote machine. A server can provide a service for any client, not just a particular client. In other words the client server relationship is one-to-many. Many clients can use the services of one server.

Continued..
A Client program, which requests a service, should run only when it is needed, The server program, which provides a service should run all of the time because it does not know when its service is needed.

Client
A client is a program running on the local machine requesting service from a server. A client program is finite, which means it is started by the user and terminates when the service is complete.

Server
A server is a program running on the remote machine providing service to the clients. When it starts, it opens the door for incoming requests from clients, But it never initiates a service until it is requested to do so. A server program is an infinite program. When it starts, it runs infinitely unless a problem arises.

The Clients responsibility is usually to:

Translate the users request into the desired protocol. Send the request to the server Wait for the servers reponse Translate the response into human readableresults Present the results to the user.

The Servers functions include:

Listen for a clients query Process that query Return the results back to the client

A typical client/server interaction goes like this:

The user runs client software to create a query. The client connects to the server. The client sends the query to the server. The server analyzes the query. The server computes the result of the query. The server sends the results to the client The client presents the results to the user.

Summary
In the Client-Server model the client runs a program to request a service andthe server runs a program to provide the service. These two programs communicate with each other. One server program can provide services for many client programs

Summary Continued.
The server program is on at all times while the client program is runonly when needed. A client is a finite program running on the local machine requesting service from a server. A server is an infinite program running on the remote machine providing service to the clients.