Client Server and Peer-to-Peer Systems

Client-Server System

Client-server systems are not limited to traditional computers. An example is an automated teller machine (ATM) network. Customers typically use ATMs as clients to interface to a server that manages all of the accounts for a bank. This server may in turn work with servers of other banks (such as when withdrawing money at a bank at which the user does not have an account). The ATMs provide a user interface and the servers provide services, such as checking on account balances and transferring money between accounts.

A server based network.

To provide access to servers not running on the same machine as the client, middleware is usually used. Middleware serves as the networking between the components of a client-server system; it must be run on both the client and the server. It provides everything required to get a request from a client to a server and to get the server's response back to the client. Middleware often facilitates communication between different types of computer systems. This communication provides cross-platform client-server computing and allows many types of clients to access the same data.

or groupware system.

Peer-to-Peer System

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking is a method of delivering computer network services in which the participants share a portion of their own resources, such as processing power, disk storage, network bandwidth, printing facilities. Such resources are provided directly to other participants without intermediary network hosts or servers. Peer-to-peer network participants are providers and consumers of network services simultaneously, which contrasts with other service models, such as traditional client-server computing.

A peer-to-peer based network.

P2P networks are typically used for connecting nodes via largely ad hoc connections. Such networks are useful for many purposes. Sharing content files containing audio, video, data or anything in digital format is very common, and real time data, such as telephony traffic, is also passed using P2P technology.