kobetitsch@pacs.picker.com (harry kobetitsch) (03/22/91)
Can anyone tell me what Client/Server on a database will buy me ? What is it ? What databases support it now ? kobetitsch@pacs.picker.com
stone@shamash.cdc.com (Jon Stonecash) (03/22/91)
In article <223@picker.picker.com> kobetitsch@pacs.picker.com (harry kobetitsch) writes: >Can anyone tell me what Client/Server on a database will buy me ? >What is it ? What databases support it now ? > >kobetitsch@pacs.picker.com There are several reasons why a client/server architecture for a DBMS provides benefits. Some of the most important are: * A separate server program consumes less system resources such as memory. Also, the rate of growth of resource usage is less as the number of client processes (users) grows. * The separation of the client code from the server code allows these two functions to operate on different processors. Using the facilities of curent networks, the server can be on an entirely different node of the network. This allows clients in many different processor nodes to share the same server, thus making common data available to a wide variety of users, each of whom may be operating upon a different platform. * Even if there is only one processing node in the network, the client server architecture can take advantage of multi-processor configurations. One processor can handle the server, others the client processes. There is an almost unlimited flexibility in how configurations and priorities can be assigned to solve specific user problems. * Certain problems such as locking for concurrent access to a data base are easier to solve with a client/server approach. Jon Stonecash
davidm@uunet.UU.NET (David S. Masterson) (03/23/91)
>>>>> 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!"