CLIENT/SERVER COMPUTING The components of client/server system Client Server Network Client A client is a single-user workstation that provides

presentation services and the appropriate computing, connectivity, and database services and interfaces relevant to the business need. The only part of the C/S system that most end users ever see is the client side. The client side consists of the front-end application and the computer that an end user uses to access information from the database. Server A server is one or more multiuser processors with shared memory providing computing, connectivity, and database services and interfaces relevant to the business need. The server or back end, consists of DBMS and the computer that it runs on. The network Client computers communicate with the server through the network. The network plays a major role in determining the performance of a c/s system because it controls how fast client requests are carried to the server and how fast results are brought back to the client. What is Client/Server? Client/Server is an architecture in which a systems functionality and its processing are divided between the client PC(front end) and a database server(back end). System functionality, such as programming logic, business rules and data management is segregated between the client and the server machines. Client/server computing is an environment that satisfies the business need by appropriately allocating the application processing between the client and the server processors. The client request the services from the server and the server processes the request and returns the result to the client. The c/s communications mechanism is a message passing Interprocess Communication(IPC) that enables distributed placement of the client and the server processes. C/S is a s/w model of computing , not a hardware definition. The C/S environment is heterogeneous, the hardware platform and the operating system of the client and the server are usually not the same. In such cases, the communication mechanism may be extended through a welldefined set of standard application program interfaces(APIs) and remote procedure calls(RPCs) The Advantages of C/S Computing Enhanced data sharing Integrated services Sharing resources among diverse platforms

Data interchangeability and interoperability Masked physical data access Location independence of data & processing Centralized management Improved information access Increased productivity Automated business processes Powerful reporting capabilities Improved customer service Rapid application development Cost reductions and savings Increased revenue Enhanced data sharing Data that is collected as part of business process and maintained on a server is immediately available to all authorized users. The use of SQL to define and manipulate the data provides support for open access from all client processors and software. SQL grants all authorized users access to the information through a view that is consistent with their business need. Integrated services Eg. Retail automobile service station Sharing resources among diverse platforms The C/S computing model provides opportunities to achieve true open system computing. Data interchangeability and Interoperability Database services can be provided in response to an SQL request without regard to the underlying engine. Masked physical data access When SQL is used for data access, users can access information from databases anywhere in the network. Location independence of data and processing Users log on to the application from the desktop with no concern for the location or technology of the processors involved. Developers are provided with considerable independence. Data is accessed through SQL without regard to the hardware, os, or location providing the data. Centralized Management Disadvantages of C/S Computing Maintenance problem is difficult between different interconnected systems. As the number of simultaneous client requests to a given server increases, the server can become overloaded i.e. network congestion.