Network Relationship

Computers can relate to each other in different ways. In the client/Server relationship, one computer serves resources to the other computer. The Server may provide data, printing, Internet connection etc. to the Client which receives the resources.

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1. Client / Server

The Server “serves” the client requests. The clients are independent of the server but will use the server for data storages, etc. A good example of a client/server relationship is when you connect to a web site on the Internet. The web site “serves” content to your computer in the form of web pages. A server provides resources for clients.

2. Peer to Peer
The other kind of relationship that is common is the Peer-to-Peer relationship where all computers on the network both act as servers and clients. All computers serve resources to the other computers and make requests of other computers as well. This is how the music file sharing works on the Internet where users share their computer resources with others.

3. Master / Slave
The third kind of relationship is the Master / Slave. This relationship is when the Master is a large server doing all of the processing for the Slaves. The Linux Terminal Server Project is one example. The Terminal Server processes the requests of Terminals that may not have hard drives, only a way to connect to the Master.

When setting up a network which relationship to use is an important decision.