S4. Compare P2P vs client-server model. What are strong and weak sides?

Question 1

What is the client-server model?

Answer 1

A network hierarchy in which a centralized server provides resources or services to multiple clients

Question 2

What are examples of applications the client-server model is commonly used for?

Answer 2

Web applications, email, and online databases

Question 3

What are the strengths of the client-server model?

Answer 3

Centralized managment simplifies security, data backup, and updates. Clients benefit from reliable and consistent access to resources.

Question 4

What are weaknesses of the client-server model?

Answer 4

There is a single point of failure; if the server goes down, the clients lose access to services. The server may get overloaded leading to performance degradation

Question 5

What is a P2P model?

Answer 5

In a P2P model, resources are distributed among a network of peers, where each peer acts both as a server and a client

Question 6

What are examples of the P2P model?

Answer 6

File-sharing networks like BitTorrent, cryptocurrencies and blockchains

Question 7

What are the strengths of the P2P model?

Answer 7

There is no single point of failure; if one peer goes offline, other peers can continue to provide services. Efficient resource utilization, as increased participation can enhance overall capacity and performance.

Question 8

What are weaknesses of P2P?

Answer 8

Its decentralized nature makes it hard to enforce security policies and prevent malicious activity, introducing security and data-integrity related challenges. Performance can be inconsistent as it relies on availability and bandwidth of individual peers.