Week 10: Clear: Differences Of client/server, peer-to-peer, and P2P networks

Client/Servers are basically as the name says, a client that connects to a server. Some examples are web browsers, email clients, and online chat clients. The Clients basically connect to the powerful server which sends them information so people can communicate on it. For instance, a common web browser would be Mozilla Firefox, a common email client would be Mozilla Thunderbird which is packaged with Firefox, and an example of an online chat client is Skype. All of these connect to a server which allows people to communicate with one another very easily.



A peer-to-peer network is when a computer connects directly to another computer over the internet to gather information from it. A typical peer-to-peer network doesn't have a client Some examples after FTP which is file transfer protocol and Limewire. These are generally the easiest to hack and are therefore, the most attack prone of all types of networks.

A p2p network is the abbreviation of the peer-to-peer network so it's the exact same thing. P2P networks are extremely popular and are often used for illegal purposes. For instance the most used networks are the limewire and bearshare network. These are commonly used for the illegal downloading of copyright material such as music and videos.

The Business Environment

These networks are vital for the business environment. The Client/Server networks are used for the company to communicate with the outer parts or to gather information from an external source. The peer-to-peer or p2p networks are used for the internal communication. If a boss wants to send a message to his/her employees he/she uses a p2p network to do so or an internal mail client. Without these businesses wouldn't be able to communicate at all.

Related Link

This link explains the similarities and the differences between peer-to-peer and client/server networks. It also describes the uses and which should be used with the goal desired. It was very helpful in understanding the cloudy parts of the subject.