Client-server computing is an efficient way for millions of people to use the Internet. In a client server computing model, there are servers and clients.

• Servers are computers that are set up to distribute data over the Internet. For this reason they are often called "hosts." The types of data these servers distribute depends on the protocols they understand.

• Clients are computers that request information from these servers. By using special client software, your computer can act as a client and request information from a server. The server then responds to the request and "serves it up" to you.