Types of Networks

Types of Networks

1. Client- server network

   • a client server is managed by a server.
   • files and software are usually stored centrally on the server rather than on individuals client devices.
   • clients send requests to the server e.g. asking for data. The server processes the request

2. Peer to Peer

   • peer to peer networks all devices are equal, connecting directly to each other without server.
   • you store files on individual devices and share them with others.
   • you could use peer to peer network at home to share files between devices, or connect devices to printer.
   • easy to maintain as you don't need expertise or expensive hardware
   • no dependence on server as if one device fails the whole network isn't lost.
   • peer machines are lees reliable and data may be lost if one fails.

3. Client

   • A client is a piece of computer hardware or software that accesses a service made available by a server.
   • client is a computer or a program that, as part of its operation, relies on sending a request to another or a computer hardware or software that accesses a service made available by a server(which may or may not be located on another computer). For example, web browsers are clients that connect to web servers and retrieve web pages for display
   • The term was first applied to devices that were not capable of running their own stand-alone programs, but could interact with remote computers via a network

4. Server

   • A network server is a computer system, which is used as the central repository of data and various programs that are shared by users in a network
   • A server is a computer used in a network and which provides a service to a client. Servers usually have more processing power, memory and storage than client computers
   • a server is an instance of a computer program that accepts and responds to requests made by another program, known as a client. Less formally, any device that runs server software could be considered a server as well. Servers are used to manage network resources