Client Server Software Engineering

Abstract :

The term client/server was first used in the 1980s in reference to personal computers (PCs) on a network. The actual client/server model started gaining acceptance in the late 1980s. The client/server software architecture is a versatile, message-based and modular infrastructure that is intended to improve usability, flexibility, interoperability, and scalability as compared to centralized, mainframe, time sharing computing.

A client is defined as a requester of services and a server is defined as the provider of services. A single machine can be both a client and a server depending on the software configuration. For details on client/server software architectures see Schussel and Edelstein [Schussel 96, Edelstein 94].

This technology description provides a summary of some common client/server architectures and, for completeness, also summarizes mainframe and file sharing architectures. Detailed descriptions for many of the individual architectures are provided elsewhere in the document.

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What is a client /server?
Client/Server are separate logical entities that work together over a n/w to accomplish a task
Client sends a request to server
Server process a request send by the client and sends a reply to the server

Characteristics of client/server
Service: client/server is a relationship between processes running on separate machines. Server process is a provider of resources. Client is a consumer of resources.
Shared Resources: Server can service many clients at the same time and regulate their access to shared resources.
Asymmetrical Protocols: many-to-one relationship between clients and server.
Transparency of location: server is a process that can reside on the same machine as the client or on a different machine across a network. Masks the location of the server from the clients by redirecting a service calls when needed.

5. Mix and Match: Client/Server software is independent of hardware or operating system software platforms.

6. Message based exchanges: Message is the delivery mechanism for the service requests and replies.

7. Encapsulation of services: Message tells the server what service is requested. Server determines how to get the job done.

8. Scalability: can be scaled horizontally or vertically. Horizontal scaling means adding or removing client workstations with only a slight performance impact. Vertical scaling means migrating a larger and faster machine.

9. Integrity: Server code and server data is centrally managed. Results in cheaper maintenance and the guarding of shared data integrity.

Servers
File servers
Database servers
Transaction servers
Groupware servers
Object application servers
Web application servers