Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cimshop!davidm From: cimshop!davidm@uunet.UU.NET (David S. Masterson) Newsgroups: comp.databases Subject: Re: Cle[Dient/Server Question Message-ID: Date: 22 Mar 91 21:54:56 GMT References: <223@picker.picker.com> Sender: davidm@cimshop.UUCP Distribution: comp Organization: Consilium Inc., Mountain View, California Lines: 31 In-reply-to: kobetitsch@pacs.picker.com's message of 21 Mar 91 19:26:39 GMT >>>>> On 21 Mar 91 19:26:39 GMT, kobetitsch@pacs.picker.com (harry kobetitsch) >>>>> said: Harry> Can anyone tell me what Client/Server on a database will buy me? What Harry> is it? What databases support it now? Client/Server architecture is simply an architecture whereby processing of applications can be divided up amongst two (or more) processes where each process handles a layer of the problem. In the case of the database systems, the client is an application that needs database information and the server provides the service of finding that information in the database (typically translation of a query into disk accesses with appropriate locking and such). The benefit is that one database server could service many clients requests for information while each client concentrates on things like user interface. This way the (highly disk intensive) database server can be moved to some system better able to concentrate on disk access (like a mainframe) while the (potentially very graphically oriented) clients reside on individual user application processors (like a workstation). This distribution of loads can be better managed. Most relational database systems are or will soon be a client/server architecture Note, X-Window based system are also client/server architecture. The server provides the service of managing the display while client applications merely request access to parts of the display. -- ==================================================================== David Masterson Consilium, Inc. (415) 691-6311 640 Clyde Ct. uunet!cimshop!davidm Mtn. View, CA 94043 ==================================================================== "If someone thinks they know what I said, then I didn't say it!"