Management Information System (MIS) Practice Exam

Which network type would classify a system where each participant acts both as a client and a server?

1. Client-centric

2. Peer-to-peer

3. Server-centric

4. Client-server

The correct answer is: Peer-to-peer

In a peer-to-peer network, each participant or node in the network functions both as a client and a server. This means that every participant can request and share resources, making it a decentralized network structure. Each user has the ability to contribute resources or data while also consuming services provided by others in the network. This setup contrasts with client-centric and server-centric networks, where roles are more defined. In a client-centric model, clients request services from a centralized server, which manages the resources and requests of clients, resulting in a dependency on the server for access to resources. In a server-centric architecture, the server provides all the necessary resources, and clients only consume these resources without contributing any back. The client-server model follows a similar structure, where one party (the client) requests services, and the other (the server) provides them, thus not allowing for the dual roles seen in a peer-to-peer setup. Therefore, peer-to-peer is the most accurate classification for a network where each participant acts as both a client and a server, reflecting the autonomy and resource-sharing capabilities inherent in this network type.