Client Server Architecture

The client server is one of the most common and widely used models in the world right now. In this model there is a dedicated machine called server that has all the resources (software and in some cases hardware too) and other terminal make use of those resources by sending request to that central server.

It is a distributed application structure in which the server serves the clients as per their requests. There are many models developed and design for the handling of these requests from the client. Mostly FIFO is implemented in which the clients coming first are served first.

Servers are powerful machines normally that are dedicated to manage the resources like disk drives, printers etc.

The main advantage of client server architecture is the security that it provides. The content is placed on one central server so you just have to secure that machine. The point that comes against this argument is the single point of failure aspect of client server model that has been continuously under debate for a very long time now.

Definition of Client-Server Network model:

      

  “An architecture in which the user's PC (the client) is the requesting machine and the server is the supplying machine, both of which are connected via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet”

Advantages of Client-Server Network model:

Centralization:

The main advantage of the Client Server architecture is the centralization of resources. There is just one place that needs that needs ot be managed in terms if data security and access rights.

Scalability:

These systems are scalable and any number of clients can be handled if the server capacity is increased. The main reason behind that is that any element can be upgraded as and when wanted so it increases the computing power of the server.

Flexibility:

­The modularity in the system architecture provides the benefit of flexibility. Any change can be reversed or deployed as per requirements. The system is adaptable to these changes as it has been designed that way.

Interoperability:

All the components involved in this architecture work together. These components include client, server and other network components.

Security:

It is easy to maintain a single node’s security then to manage a distributed system in which nodes come and leave any time.

Disadvantages of Client-Server Network model:

Overloaded Servers:

Traffic congestion is caused when the servers are busy for longer periods of time. The client requests start queuing up which can cause the network to slow down.

Single point of Attack:

Due to the centralized server, the network can be attacked by exploiting a single machine only. The security of the server become ultra important when there is just one point of attack.

Single point of failure:

Whole of the network can go down if there is just one point that is serving the nodes. The super node (server) has all the information related to the network .If that node is compromised then it will be impossible to communicate through that network as nodes don’t have information of the network independently.