Web Based Client Server Technology A Three Tier Architecture

Gagnesh Arora#1, Deepika Arora#

#

Ansal Institute of Technology, Gurgaon, (Haryana), India

1

gagnesh.arora@aitgurgaon.org

AbstractWeb based Client Server System follow three tier architecture. An application is divided in to three parts. Client side code runs on Web Browser, Server side code runs on Web Server and database is stored and maintained in a database server. Keywords: Server, Web Server, Web Browser, HTTP, Client Side code, Server Side code.

Server is a very general and ambiguous term used in computer science. Server is a software used to provide services to other softwares and applications. Many times a Server while providing the services also gets the services from other soft wares and plays the role as client. e.g. When a Web Server runs on Linux operating system, it works as a Server for a Web Browser and on the other hand it works as a client because it runs on Linux OS and gets the services of Linux OS. Here Linux plays the role of a Server as given in the block diagram below.

HTML and displays the webpage and it contents. Not only it interprets HTML, it also interprets the client side code if it is embedded in the web page. Some of the validations are applied as client side code, not Server side. If these validations are not fulfilled, Web Browser does not submit that web page to the Web Server and saves request-response time e.g. if a webpage is designed to retrieve any student record and student enroll no is necessary validation, then this validation should be applied as client side code. If a user does not submit student enroll no, then web Browser will not submit it to the web server. In this way client side code interpreted by the Browser will save page request and response time. JavaScript is the most common language to write client side code. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome are the examples of commercial Web Browsers. The communication protocol at application layer between Web Browser and Web Server is HTTP protocol[2]. To establish the connection between Web Server and Web Browser, HTTP uses port 80. HTTP protocol is a stateless protocol and the state between two web pages is maintained by Server side code using some in-built classes. HTTP uses two methods GET and POST to request and response web pages. To understand all the above terminologies, it is necessary to understand the usual communication between Web Server and Web Browser and the role of HTTP protocol in this communication as given below: 1. 2. Web Browser requests a web page (using GET or POST method of HTTP). The Web Server processes the request and response by sending the requested web page. The Web Browser interpreters the web page and displays it. After getting the page, the user enters some inputs and clicks the submit button. But before submitting the web page, Web Browser interprets the client side code; if some requirements are not fulfilled by the user; ask the user to complete those requirements. If all validations are complete, then resends (called POSTBACK) the webpage to Web Server. The Server process the Server side code embedded in the webpage and processes all the instructions given in the Server side code and sends the web page to the Web Browser again. The web Browser again interpreter the web page and displays it.

There are many types of Servers used in the Internet world e.g. Mail Server, DNS Server, DHCP Server, Web Server, Database Server etc. Every server has its own applications and services. But most popular Server in the Internet is Web Server[1]. Web Server is a special type of Server used to post the web pages requested by the Web Browser. Not only it posts the requested pages but also compiles and executes the Server side code if it is embedded in the requested web page. Server side code contains logical decisions, evaluations, performs calculations, accesses database and manipulate data. Server side code is written using C# and Java languages in Dot Net and Java Technologies respectively. Most popular Server is Microsofts IIS Server. Web Browser is the client software or application used to request the web pages. Browser not only used to request the webpage but work as the interpreter also. It interprets the

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The benefits are: It is easier to modify or replace any tier without affecting the other tiers[4]. Separating the application and database functionality means better load balancing. Adequate security policies can be enforced in each tier. Web based client server architecture is a three tier architecture and to understand this architecture, there is little history. In the beginning, there were mainframes. Every program and piece of data was stored in a single almighty machine. Users could access this centralized computer only by means of dumb terminals. In the 1980s, the arrival of inexpensive network-connected PCs produced the popular two-tier client-server architecture. In this architecture, there is an application running in the client machine which interacts with the servermost commonly, a database management system. Typically, the client application, also known as a fat client, contained some or all of the presentation logic (user interface), the business rules, validations and the database access. But Web based client server architecture is divided into three tiers and each with its own specific responsibilities: The Web Pages embedded with client side code executed on Web Browser are known as presentation Tier which includes simple controls and user input validation. This application is also known as a thin client. Server side code executed on Web Server is known as the Logic Tier which makes logical decisions, evaluations, perform calculations and access data. Third tier is Data Tier[3]. The database resides on the Database server is known as Data Tier. To implement three tier architecture; we do not require three different machines, it can be implemented even on a single machine[5]. Installing and configuration is same whether we install and implement on local or on remote machines. The requirements are: 1. Web Server. 2. Web Browser. 3. Database Server. 4. Application run on remote computer, then computers must be network- connected. 5. IP address of the computer where Web Server is installed 6. Application must be designed as Three Tier. We can design any Application with three tier architecture using Dot Net Technology, Java Technology. e.g. In Dot Net Technology: Presentation Tier is designed and coded with HTML and Javascript. Logic Tier is designed using C# and ASP.NET Data Tier is designed using T-SQL and ADO.NET
REFERENCES
[1] Polo, Luciano (2003). "World Wide Web Technology Architecture: A Conceptual Analysis". New Devices. http://newdevices.com/publicaciones. Retrieved July 31, 2005. [2] Fielding, R.; Gettys, J.; Mogul, J.; Frystyk, H.; Masinter, L.; Leach, P.; Berners-Lee, T. (June 1999). Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTP/1.1. [3] Sumi Helal, Joachim Hammer, Jinsuo Zhang, Abhinav Khushraj, "A Three-Tier Architecture for Ubiquitous Data Access," aiccsa, pp.0177, ACS/IEEE International Conference on Computer Systems and Applications (AICCSA'01), 2001. [4] Berners-Lee, Tim; Bray, Tim; Walsh, Norman; Williams, Stuart (December 15, 2004). Architecture of the Client Server Technolog , Volume One. Version 2004. W3C. http://www.w3.org/TR/webarch. [5] Skau, H.O. (March 1990). "The World Wide Web and Information". New Devices. http://newdevices.com/publicaciones/www/. Retrieved 1989.