16.1. Introduction

16.1.1. What is Client-Server Architecture?

What is client-server architecture? It means different things to different people, depending on whom you ask as well as whether you are describing a software or a hardware system. In either case, the premise is simple: The server, a piece of hardware or software, is providing a “service” which is needed by one or more clients, users of the service. Its sole purpose of existence is to wait for (client) requests, service those clients, then wait for more requests.

Clients, on the other hand, contact a (predetermined) server for a particular request, send over any necessary data, and wait for the server to reply, either completing the request or indicating the cause of failure. While ...

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