The Client/server Computing Model
The client/server computing model was born from the desire to improve the level of return-on-investment and efficiency of computers and their processes. The mainframe computer was introduced in the early 1960’s and was the most popular choice for business computing needs for nearly four decades. Originally, the mainframe was accessed by simple terminals that provided user interface to the machine. In the early 1980’s, the personal computer came onto the scene and gave the end user the ability to localize some processes, but these early PC mainly replaced the simple terminals as the gateways to the mainframe. This computing trend began to shift with the introduction of more powerful CPU’s and operating systems during the 1990’s. The growing capabilities of personal computers during this period provided the user a new platform that was powerful enough to execute complex processes. These PC’s were equipped with new and exciting features such as friendly GUI’s, progressive architecture, and powerful operating systems that allowed individual computers to become linked together in networks. All of these factors facilitated the shift from centralized computing offered by omnipotent mainframes to communal computing characterized by client/server environments. Client/server computing enables businesses to distribute computing work across a number of smaller, inexpensive machines that cost much less than minicomputers or centralized mainframe systems. The result is an explosion in computing power and applications throughout the firm (Pearson Education).
Key Components of a Client/Server Environment
An effective client/server environment is characterized by efficient requests and responses exchanged between a client(s) (workstation/PC) and a server(s) (host). Usually the processing is discriminately divided between the two. There are a couple of key components that make these exchanges possible.
Client:
The client is a place where the end user is able to gain access and interface with the system. Here the user can request the server to store, retrieve, or process data over a network through a software applications and graphical user interfaces. Typical client computers include PC’s and mobile devices.
Types of Clients
Workstation
Terminals
Web Browser
Laptops