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The main part of the database intelligence is contained in a server program (e.g. Firebird/InterBase^®). The operation is sent from the client to the server and is processed there, and the resulting data transferred back to the client.

Client-server architecture is a network architecture in which each computer or process on the network is either a client or a server. Servers are powerful computers or processes dedicated to managing disk drives (file servers), printers (print servers), or network traffic (network servers).

Clients are PCs or workstations on which users run applications. Clients rely on servers for resources, such as files, devices, and even processing power.

Another type of network architecture is known as a peer-to-peer architecture because each node has equivalent responsibilities. Both client/server and peer-to-peer architectures are widely used, and each has unique advantages and disadvantages.

Client/server architectures are also sometimes called two-tier architectures.

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