ple of this model. It is simple, easy to implement, and does not require a complex operating system to operate. It does, how- ever, result in a free-for-all approach to networking, and in large net- works can result in security and performance problems. The alternative and far more commonly seen technique is called client server. In a client-server LAN, all data and application resources are archived on a designated server that is attached to the LAN and acces- sible by all stations (user PCs) with appropriate permissions, as illus- trated in Figure 5-25. Because the server houses all of the data and application resources, client PCs do not have to be particularly robust. When a user wishes to execute a program, such as a word processor, he or she goes through the same keystrokes he or she would on a stand- alone PC. In a client-server environment, however, the application Downloaded from Digital Engineering Library @ McGraw-Hill (www.digitalengineeringlibrary.com) Copyright © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website. Premises Technologies Chapter 5 actually executes on the server, giving the user the appearance of local execution. Data files modified by the user are also stored on the server, resulting in a significant improvement in data management, cost control, security, and "software harmonization" compared to the peer-to-peer design. This also means that client devices can be relatively inexpensive, because they need very little in the way of onboard computing resources. The server, on the other hand, is really a PC with additional disk, mem- ory, and processor capacity so that it can handle the requests it receives from all the users that depend on it. Needless to say, client-server archi- tectures are more common than peer-to-peer architectures in corporate environments today. Deployment So when should Ethernet be used as opposed to token ring? Both have their advantages and disadvantages, both have solid industry support, and both