Network architecture

Network architecture

Network architecture refers to the way computers are logically organised on a network, and the role each takes.

Below is an image of three types of network architecture. 

Client/Server network Servers centrally manage access & control and provide a single location for file storage.	Thin client network Servers provide even more functionality, running applications on behalf of clients, which mereley provide the input & output.

Peer-to-peer network

No central authority or control

In client/server network architecture (one of the most common architectures), one or more of the computers acts as servers that provide services to the rest of the network (the clients). 

In thin-client network architecture the client computers rely heavily on a server not only to store files and applications, but to run the software on the clients behalf. The thin client merely acts as a terminal for accepting input and display.

In peer-to-peer network architecture every client (peer) has equal status and there is no central authority or server. Peer-to-peer networks are common in homes and small businesses.