Mr C Johnston ICT Teacher BTEC IT Unit 09 - Lesson 06 Peer-to-Peer VS Client-Server

Session Objectives Understand what a peer-to-peer network is and its associated benefits and drawbacks, Understand what a client server network is and its associated benefits and drawbacks, Be able to compare and contrast peer-to-peer and client server networks and recommend which is appropriate for an organisation,

Peer-to-Peer Within a peer-to-peer network computers communicate with one another without the need for a central server, Each peer (computer) on the network could provide services which others can use for example file or print sharing, Often peer-to-peer networks are cheaper to install as no need to purchase expensive servers / software, Small networks – 9/10 peers max, Users manage own machines so no need for network managers, Can be setup through facilities in OS so quite easy to do – plenty of home networking books, If a peer goes down only loose services that peer provides.

Client-Server Within a client-server network all requests for data or services comes via a central server (s), Servers provide services for clients (computers) attached to the network, Clients use the services provided by the servers so users can carry out tasks, Must be at least one server and one client, Suitable for larger networks with lots of traffic, Central administration of security, data sharing, resources, applications, backups – require lot of management, Users can log onto different clients and see all their files and programs - profiles follow around, Dependant on server - if server brakes whole network goes down

Peer-to-Peer AdvantagesDisadvantages

Client-Server AdvantagesDisadvantages

Factors To Consider Size of network Level of security required Level of administration support available Amount of network traffic Amount of shared data and applications required Cost

Produce Evidence for M1 Define in your own words what a peer-to-peer and client server network is. For each type of network make a summary table listing the advantages and disadvantages. Include a written comparison between the two different types of network. Include diagrams to show the visual difference. BTEC Book – Unit 09 p15-16 Applied A2 Book – p7-8 For M1 you must compare the advantages and disadvantages of peer-to-peer and client server networks – annotated diagrams will clearly illustrate some of the main differences, When comparing the two networks examples should be taken from your experiences of using both types of network. Your home network is likely to be a peer-to-peer and the network at school is a client server. M1 – Compare the benefits and disadvantages of peer-to-peer and client server networks.