Build a small network server to know the client server architecture

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Hello all !! Hope that you are all well and enjoying computer networking very much. Today here in this post we’ll discuss about the network serverand client server network.

Build a small network server to know the client server architecture

In a small network generally, there stays one server and one and more clients. Desktop PCs or Laptop PCs can be used as client. The client generally request service from the server and server serves that request as per requested. The server can be different types like web server, mail server, DNS server, File transfer server or file server, or file server etc. types. Here In this post we’ll just learn about the simple client and server network by building them and analyze the client server architecture. If you want you can also build your own Linux file server for security purpose.

Network model & network configuration

The work shown here is done using a network simulator, which is named as cisco packet tracer. This network simulator is provided by cisco. If you don’t have cisco packet tracer installed in PC, then feel free to install the latest version of cisco packet tracer. It is necessary to have cisco packet tracer, because i’m going to share the file which is used to design a network here. I’ll share this at the last of this post. you can download the cisco packet tracer from this blog. It is always recomemded to use the latest version of cisco packet tracer.
Free download cisco packet tracer 7
Free download cisco packet racer 6.3
Free download cisco packet tracer 6.2

Here we use one PC and one server. The PC is connected to the server directly and the server is configured as a DNS server. The server will purpose the DNS service. So through the server we can be able to display a web page as the server hosted the web page. So we can say that our network server is almost ready.

Now lets go to the steps to enjoy the client server architecture:

Step a : Open the Packet tracer Drag a PC(Desktop/Laptop) and Server. Connect them using proper cable. Generally, the connecting cable is used as copper cross-over cable.

Step b : After that implement IP address in both of them.

For PC you can enter the following IP address:

IP address: 192.168.1.1

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.254

DNS server: 192.168.1.2

Now for server you we here we’ve used this configuration:

IP address: 192.168.1.2

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Default gateway: 192.168.1.254

If you have done cable connection properly and if you have implemented IP address properly, the it can say that you have done a proper communication system between the server and a network. You have built a network server.

Now just take a message envelope (close message envelope) and check the connection, by placing the message in two PC. If there is successful message shown the right bottom of the PC, then you can say that, the connection is OK. Also you can ping IP address from PC to check the connection.

Now we’ll look for the packet at the real time simulation mode. It is necessary to realize the client server network architecture. Just click the “Simulation”, which stays by the side of “Realtime”. After the click the option Auto Capture / Play. Now through this you cab be able to see the packet traveling path of this network server.

Now as it is a DNS server, which was configured previously, we can be able to browse a web page from our client PC. To do this follow the steps:

Step a: Click the PC which stays in the logical work place.

Step b: Go to the desktop tab and Click the browser.

Step C: In the address bar of the browser type www.example.com

Finally, you can be able to see a demo web page.

Now if you want to see this event in simulation mode, then click the simulation mode and after that click Auto capture / Play. Before doing this just edit the filter list. To edit the filter just click the “edit filter” option. Here just check the option “DNS” and “HTTP”. Keep all other option uncheck. Now click the Auto play / Capture option. You’ll see the pack traveling between the client and the server.

Now lets see, what we’ve gained from this post:

1. We can have a concept of accessing and run the simulation.
2. We can see the event list in simulation more and realtime mode.
3. We can browse a webpage from a client PC if the server is configured as DNS server.
4. We can see the PDU information from the simulation mode by clicking evet colored box.

So hope that this post helps you to enrich your knowledge about the client server network and to realize its architecture.

You can download the packet tracer file from here. I’ve uploaded it to google drive. Also you’ll be glad to know that this packet tracer file is provided by cisco. So lets download this file:

Build a small network server to know the client server architecture

Also for your better understand I’ve made a video, based on the writing here. You can check this:

 

Please leave your opinion by comment about this post. If you also have any question about this, feel free to comment. Thanks for visiting.