Client / Server Design

Applications are usually designed so that one computer (or end system) acts as a server, providing a service to other computers on a network. To access a server, a program is run on a users computer, this is called a client program. The program establishes a connection through the network allowing communication with the server.

Client / Server interaction across a packet data network

The client/server design is central to most applications programs which use networks. These examples include:

• A web browser (to retrieve a web page from a world wide web server)
• The ping program (which may be used to verify a remote computers operation)
• The dig program (which may be used to perform name and address resolution)
• The Traecroute program (to determine the path taken through the Internet_
• A file transfer program using the trvial file transfer protocol.

Gorry Fairhurst - Date: 01/10/2001