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CS- 406 Data Communication & Networks

Semester Spring 2023

Prepared by:

Ramsha Mahmood
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Previous Lecture

 Network
 Internet
 Network Fundamentals
 Advantages and Disadvantages
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Today’s Lecture

 Client
 Server
 Peer
 Advantages and Disadvantages
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Clients, Servers, and Peers

 There are three roles for computers in local area

networks (LAN)
 - Clients, Which use but do not provide network
resources
 - Peers, Which both use and provide network
resources
 - Servers, Which provide network resources
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Networks Division

 Base on the roles of computers connected to them, networks are

divided into three types
-Server-based (client-server): containing clients and the servers that
support them.
-Peer (peer to peer): which have no servers and use the network to
share resources among independent peers
-Hybrid network: which is client –server network that also has peer
sharing resources and use the
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Server-Based Networks

 Are defined by the presence of servers on the network that provide

security and administration of the network.
 Divide processing tasks between client and servers
 Clients request services, such as file storage and printing, and
servers deliver them
 Server computers are more powerful than client
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Advantages of Server-Based Networks

 Strong central security

 Central file storage, which allow all users to work from the
same set of data and provides easy backup to critical data
 Ability of servers to pool available hard ware, lowering
overall cost
 Ability to share expensive equipment, such as laser printers
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Advantages of Server-Based Networks

 Optimized dedicated servers, which are faster than peers at sharing

network resources
 Less intrusive security, since a single password allows access to all shared
resources on the network
 Freeing of users from the task of managing the sharing of resources
 Easy manageability of a large number of users
 Central organization, which keeps data from getting lost among
computers
 Disadvantages of Server-Based 9
Networks

 Expensive dedicated hardware

 Expensive network operating system software and client
licenses
 A dedicated network administrator
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Peer Networks

 Are defined by a lack of central control over the network. There are
no servers in peer networks; users simply share disk space and
resources
 Are organized into workgroups with little security control
 No central login process
 Not optimized to share resources
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Advantages of Peer Networks

 No extra investment in server hardware or software is required

 Easy setup
 No network administrator required
 Ability of users to control resources sharing
 No reliance on other computers for their operation
 Lower cost for small networks
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Disadvantages of Peer Networks

 Additional load on computers because of resources sharing

 Inability of peers to handle as many network connection as servers
 Lack of central organization, which make data hard to find
 No central point of storage for file archiving
 Requirement that users administer their own computer
 Weak and intrusive security
 Lack of central management, which makes large peer networks hard to work with
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Hybrid Networks

 Have all three types of computers operating on them and generally

have active domains and work groups
 Most sharing resources are located on server , network user still
have access to any resources being shared by peers in workgroup
 User do not have to log on to the domain controller to access
workgroup resources
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Advantages of Hybrid Networks

 The advantages of server-based networking

 Many of the advantages of peer-based networking
 Ability of users and network administrators to control
security based on the importance of the shared resource
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Disadvantages of Hybrid Networks

 Hybrid computing share the disadvantages of server-

based networking
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Peer Security vs. Server Security

 Peer to networks are usually less secure than a server base

networks, because this commonly use share – level security, while
server based networks commonly use file - level or access
permission security.
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Summary

 Client
 Server
 Peer
 Advantages and Disadvantages
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References

 These lecture notes were taken from following source:

 Computer Networks: A Systems Approach by Larry L. Peterson and Bruce S. Davies.
 Third Edition [2003], Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Mateo, California, USA
 Computer Networks by Andrew S. Tanenbaum
 Fifth Edition
 Data Communication and Computer Networks, by Behrouz A. Forouzan
 5th Edition