A network management model is a representation of how data is managed, and how applications are hosted in a network.
It is important to understand network management models because they define the roles and relationships of the devices in your network.
The two most common network management models for a LAN are
- Client-server
- Peer-to-peer.
Client-server model :
In a client-server network model, the data management and application hosting are centralized at the server and distributed to the clients. All clients on the network must use the designated server to access shared files and information that are stored on the serving computer.
If the server goes down, no client can access the network until the server is restored. Examples of client-server models are:
⦁ File server and desktop clients
⦁ Print server and desktop clients
Peer-to-peer model :
In a peer-to-peer network model, each node has its own data and applications and is responsible for its own management and security.
The peer-to-peer model is a distributed architecture that shares tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged participants in the architecture. For example, files can be shared directly between systems on the network without a central server.
This model might be considered under the following conditions:
⦁ Users are responsible for backing up each node
⦁ Security requirements are not restrictive
⦁ A limited number of peers are used