Difference Between Client and Server Systems
All businesses, be it of any type, require computers. Large scale business requires a large computer setup which includes networks and mainframes useful to that business. In these businesses a computer network should consist of two-tier or client-server architecture. This architecture is made for the purpose of classification of labor needed in large organizations.
Server
The server computer is the main intelligence source in a client-server environment. A computer with large capacity is utilized as a server. A mainframe can also be there due to its wide-range storage of data and functionalities. Basically, the server computer stores data files and applications and these applications are accessed by computers of workers or workstations all over the network. He/she can access these from his or her client computer. Sometimes, only certain applications can witnessed from the client machine of the employee. This kind of server is named as application server. The client-server architecture is customized for such an environment as the employees, for accessing the stored application on the server, need to login through their client machine. Such applications have spreadsheets, graphic design programs and word processors. In each case, the client-server architecture is exemplified.
Another main usage of the server apart from storage is that it is also a processing power source. It provides processing power to the client machines and the client doesn’t require any additional hardware. Also, a large amount f processing power is consumed.
Client
The client plays the role of a smaller computer in client-server architecture that the employees of the organization utilize for performing their everyday tasks. The client computer is used to approach the stored data files or applications on the server machine. The sanctioned rights of the client machine are different as some employees are permitted to open data files while others are permitted to open only the server applications. The client machine has the power to consume the server’s processing power excluding the usage of data files and applications. The client computer is plugged-in to the server and the calculations are managed by the server machine in this case. Hence, the server’s huge processing power is consumed minus the addition of hardware on the client’s side. World Wide Web (WWW) is the perfect illustration of client-server architecture in which the browser installed is the client on every computer and the server stores the info about various pages that is accessible to the client.
Difference
The information or application that the user can access is stored on the server in client which is a small computer while server is a commanding computer for data file and application storage. Mostly client consumes most of the processing power of the server machine. The client side can have enhanced Graphical User Interface (GUI) in most cases comparing to the server side.