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Computer Network Architecture

Computer network architecture refers to the physical and logical design of how computers are organized and tasks are allocated in a network. There are two main types of network architectures: peer-to-peer and client/server. Peer-to-peer networks connect computers directly as equals to share resources, while client/server networks use a centralized server computer to manage resources that client computers access. Key differences include peer-to-peer networks being best for small networks while client/server scales better, and client/server providing better security, backup, and performance through its centralized server.

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95 views

Computer Network Architecture

Computer network architecture refers to the physical and logical design of how computers are organized and tasks are allocated in a network. There are two main types of network architectures: peer-to-peer and client/server. Peer-to-peer networks connect computers directly as equals to share resources, while client/server networks use a centralized server computer to manage resources that client computers access. Key differences include peer-to-peer networks being best for small networks while client/server scales better, and client/server providing better security, backup, and performance through its centralized server.

Uploaded by

kd ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computer Network Architecture

Computer Network Architecture is defined as the physical and logical design of the software,
hardware, protocols, and media of the transmission of data. Simply we can say that how
computers are organized and how tasks are allocated to the computer.
The two types of network architectures are used:

 Peer-To-Peer network
 Client/Server network

Peer-To-Peer network
 Peer-To-Peer network is a network in which all the computers are linked together with
equal privilege and responsibilities for processing the data.
 Peer-To-Peer network is useful for small environments, usually up to 10 computers.
 Peer-To-Peer network has no dedicated server.
 Special permissions are assigned to each computer for sharing the resources, but this can
lead to a problem if the computer with the resource is down.
Advantages of Peer-To-Peer Network:
 It is less costly as it does not contain any dedicated server.
 If one computer stops working but, other computers will not stop working.
 It is easy to set up and maintain as each computer manages itself.
Disadvantages of Peer-To-Peer Network:
 In the case of Peer-To-Peer network, it does not contain the centralized system.
Therefore, it cannot back up the data as the data is different in different locations.
 It has a security issue as the device is managed itself.

Client/Server Network
 Client/Server network is a network model designed for the end users called clients, to
access the resources such as songs, video, etc. from a central computer known as Server.
 The central controller is known as a server while all other computers in the network are
called clients.
 A server performs all the major operations such as security and network management.
 A server is responsible for managing all the resources such as files, directories, printer,
etc.
 All the clients communicate with each other through a server. For example, if client1
wants to send some data to client 2, then it first sends the request to the server for the
permission. The server sends the response to the client 1 to initiate its communication
with the client 2.
Advantages of Client/Server network:
 A Client/Server network contains the centralized system. Therefore we can back up the
data easily.
 A Client/Server network has a dedicated server that improves the overall performance of
the whole system.
 Security is better in Client/Server network as a single server administers the shared
resources.
 It also increases the speed of the sharing resources.
Disadvantages of Client/Server network:
 Client/Server network is expensive as it requires the server with large memory.
 A server has a Network Operating System (NOS) to provide the resources to the clients,
but the cost of NOS is very high.
 It requires a dedicated network administrator to manage all the resources.

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