The server function primarily includes data management, query processing, and optimization and transaction management. Client functions include mainly user interface. However, they have some functions like consistency checking and transaction management.
Client is the user of the resource whereas the server is a provider of the resource. The client/ server architecture is consisting of one or more client processes and one or more server processes. The applications and tools are put on one or more client platforms (generally, personal computer or workstations) and are connected to database management system that resides on the server (typically a large work station, midrange system, or a mainframe system).The applications and tools act as client of the DBMS, making request for its services.
The DBMS, in turn, services these requests and returns the results to the client(s). A client process can send a query to any one server process. Clients are responsible for user interface issues and servers manage data and execute transaction. Client/Server Architecture is a fundamental concept taught in a BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) program, helping students understand how modern database systems, web applications, and enterprise software operate. At a leading BCA college, students gain practical knowledge of database management systems, networking, and client-server computing through hands-on projects and industry-oriented learning.
Components:
There are following components which are used in Client Server architecture.
- Clients in form of intelligent workstations are an important component as the user’s contact point.
- DBMS server as common resources performing specialized task for devices requesting their services.
- Communication networking which connects the clients and the servers.
- Software applications connecting clients, servers and network to create a single logical architecture.
Advantages:
There are many benefits of client server architecture. Some major advantages of this architecture are as:
- This architecture is relatively simple to implement, due to its clean separation of functionality and because the server is centralized.
- Better adaptability to the computing environment to fulfill the rapidly changing business needs of the organization.
- User of graphical user interface (GUI) on microcomputers by the user at client improves functionality and simplicity.
- Architecture tends to be less expensive than alternative mini or mainframe solutions.
- Computing platform independence.
- Overall productivity improvement due to decentralized operations.
- Improved performance with more processing power scattered throughout the organization.
- Clients offer icon based menu –driven interface which is better than the traditional command line, dumb-terminal interface of mini and mainframes.
- It possesses less expensive platforms to support applications that had earlier been running on large mini or mainframe computers.
Limitations:
The client / server architecture does not allow a single query to span multiple servers because the client process would have to be capable of breaking such a query into appropriate sub queries to be executed at different sites and then putting together the answer to the sub queries.
The client process is quite complex and its capabilities begin to overlap with the server. This results in difficulty in distinguishing between clients and servers.
Some other drawbacks are as follows:
- An increase in the number of users and processing sites create security problems.
- Programming cost is high in these systems.
- There is a lack of management tools for diagnosis, performance monitoring, security control for DBMS, Client and OS and networking environments.
Keywords: Client, Server, Query Processing, Optimization, Transaction Management.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q.1 what do you mean by client-server architecture?
Ans: Client / Server architecture are those in which a DBMS related workload is split into two logical components namely client and server, each of which typically executes on different systems.
Q.2 Advantages of client-server architecture?
Ans: 1.This architecture is relatively simple to implement, due to its clean separation of functionality and because the server is centralized.
2.Better adaptability to the computing environment to fulfill the rapidly changing business needs of the organization.
Author
Mr.Rahul Agarwal
Associate Professor,Department of CS & IT
Biyani Group Of Colleges,Jaipur