E-Content of

INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND WEB DESIGN

Chapter : 4.5 Types of Network

Topic : 4.5.1 Peer to Peer Network

Peer to Peer Network

• In Peer-to-Peer networking, there are no dedicated servers or hierarchy among
the computers.
• All of the computers are equal and therefore known as peers.
• Normally each computer serves as Client/Server and there is no one assigned to
be an administrator responsible for the entire network.
• Peer-to-peer networks are good choices for needs of small organizations where
the users are allocated in the same general area, security is not an issue and the
organization and the network will have limited growth within the foreseeable
future.

FIG 4.20: Peer-to-Peer Network

Advantages
• Easy and simple to set up, only requiring a hub or a switch to connect all
computers together.
• You can access any file on the computer as-long as it is set to a shared folder.
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INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND WEB DESIGN

• If one computer fails to work, all the other computers connected to it still continue
to work.
Disadvantages
• Security is not good other than setting passwords for files that you don't want
people to access.
• If the connections are not connected to the computers properly, then there can
be problems accessing certain files.
• It does not run efficient if you have many computers, it is best to use two to eight
computers.
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INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND WEB DESIGN

Chapter : 4.5 Types of Network

Topic : 4.5.2 Client Server Network

Client Server Network

• The term Client/server refers to the concept of sharing the work involved in
processing data between the client computer and the most powerful server
computer.
• A client is the computer running a program that request the service from the
server.
• A server is a computer running a process that provides a service to other
computers when they request it.
• Client/server networks are more suitable for larger networks.
• A central computer or ‘server’ acts as the storage location for files and
applications shared on the network.
• Usually the server is a higher than average performance computer.
• The server also controls the network access of the other computers, which are
referred to as the 'client' computers.

FIG 4.21: Client Server Network

• For example, a LAN-based database application stores its data on a server,

which stands by, waiting for clients to request information from it.
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• Users of workstation computers run a database client program in which they

generate queries that request specific information in the database and transmit
those queries to the server.

FIG 4.22: Client server Network

• The server responds to the queries with the requested information and
transmits it to the workstations, which format it for display to the users.
• In this case, the workstations are responsible for providing a user interface
and translating the user input into a query language understood by the server.
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• They are also responsible for taking the raw data from the server and
displaying it in a comprehensible form to the user.
Advantages of client / server
• All files are stored in a central location.
• Network peripherals are controlled centrally.
• Backups and network security is controlled.
• Users can easily access to the shared data.
Disadvantages of client / server
• A special network operating system is needed.
• The server is expensive to purchase and difficult to set up initially.
• If one of the servers goes down, all the users get affected and it may even
bring the whole network down.
• When there are frequent simultaneous client requests, servers severely get
overloaded, forming traffic congestion.