Client and Server
You can think a client as a computer in your network, where
What is a a network user is performing some network activity. For
Client Example: Downloading a file from a File Server, Browsing
Computer? Intranet/Internet etc. The network user normally uses a
client computer to perform his day to day work.
What is a Server Computer? The client computer
establishes a connection to a Server computer and accesses
the services installed on the Server Computer. A Server is not
What is a
meant for a network user to browse the internet or do
Server
spreadsheet work. A Server computer is installed with
Computer?
appropriate Operating System and related Software to serve
the network clients with one or more services, continuously
without a break 24/7.
An Operating System (also known as "OS") is the most
important set of software programs which are loaded
Operating initially into any computer-like device by a bootstrap
System program. Operating System controls almost all the
resources in a computer, including networks, data storage,
user & user password database, peripheral devices etc.
Operating System Software products are so complex
software products. Operating System Software products are
Operating compiled from millions of lines of source code. Operating
System system products we have currently are created by the hard
Software work of thousands of engineers for decades, internally in a
company (Example: Windows) or by dedicated global
volunteer communities (Example: GNU/Linux, BSD Unix).
A Network Server computer offers its services to a group of Network
Client devices. A Server computer typically has more computing
Network resources like Processors & Processing Power, more Physical
Operating Memory (RAM), more Storage Space etc., compared to client
Systems - computers. The Server computer machine runs on Server Operating
NOS (Server System, also called as Network Operating System (NOS), which
Operating normally has more features and processing capabilities compared
Systems) with the client computer's Operating System. The server may be
installed with special software, to function as a Server Role. The
special software allows a Server Computer to function a particular
server role, like a File Server, Web Server, Mail Server, Directory
Server etc.
A Network Operating System (NOS) includes much more
capabilities than a normal client workstation (or Desktop)
Operating System. Most popular Network Operating
Systems are listed below.
Network
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Operating
System (NOS) • Microsoft Windows Server 2016
• Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Current)
• Unix (Oracle Solaris, IBM AIX, HP UX, FreeBSD, NetBSD,
OpenBSD, Xinuos Open Server/SCO Unix etc)
Network
• GNU/Linux (RedHat Enterprise Linux, Debian Linux,
Operating
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Ubuntu Server,
System (NOS)
CentOS Server, Fedora Server etc.
Client Operating Systems (Workstation Operating
Systems, or Desktop Operating Systems)
• Windows 95/98/ME Vista (obsolete)
Client • Windows NT Workstation / Windows 2000 Professional
Operating (obsolete)
Systems • Windows XP (obsolete)
• Windows 7 (obsolete)
• Windows 8 / Windows 8.1 (obsolete)
• Windows 10 Desktop (Current)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
Client • Ubuntu Desktop
Operating
• LinuxMint
Systems
• Fedora Workstation
• elementary OS
