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Typically the computers on the Internet either request information or respond to requests. These two actions, requesting and responding, divide computers on the net into two main categories: clients and servers.
They're hundreds of millions of
computers on the Internet, but
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they don't all do exactly the same thing.
0:03
Typically the computers on the net
are either requesting information or
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responding to those requests.
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These two actions,
requesting and responding,
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divide computers on the net into two
main categories, clients and servers.
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While computers can be both the clients
and servers even on the same machine,
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let's take a look at a simple
client-server relationship to find
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out what makes a computer client and
what makes a computer a server.
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A server is both a piece of hardware,
the computer itself and
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a piece of software that
responds to requests.
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While the term server is used to
describe this type of computer,
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not all servers do all things.
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Within the server umbrella,
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there are several different types of
servers including database servers,
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file servers, mail servers, web servers,
and gaming servers among others.
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A server is typically made for production
and speed, meaning they often have
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faster CPUs, high performance RAM,
and more storage capacity.
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In addition, servers are typically more
resilient than your personal devices,
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meaning they have backup power supplies
and storage in case anything goes amiss.
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A client is a computer that
makes requests to a server.
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Clients come in many shapes and sizes.
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The most common ones are desktops,
laptops, tablets, and smart phones.
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The typical client request and
server response cycle
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begins once you pop on the web and
try pulling up your favorite web page.
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At this point your computer is
the client requesting a webpage and
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the computer sending back the webpage is
the server responding to your request.
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This is a classic
client-server relationship.
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Now that you're familiar with
the terminology, client and server,
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let's dig into the main protocols these
computers use to perform their duties and
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share information over the Internet.
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