Network Applications

Networks are widely used in different fields like financial institutions, communication services and Internet services like E-mails. Network selection criteria are the most important aspect in each and every type of network and applications.

Organizations which provide financial services need secure networks and Network Application Monitoring. The frequency of failure has to be low and the network recovery should be fast. This will help to provide a reliable network with better performance. All these network criteria are also applicable for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) which enables data transfer between two computers as well as data between different networks.

Marketing and sales services are important in various sectors. So it is necessary that the networks used for these services be reliable and protected from the unauthorized access.

All the fields where networks are used has department called Information Service which is the key for network application monitoring. This department manages the network systems and data. It also provides directory service. Directory service identifies all resources on a network. It collects software, hardware, administrative procedures of the network and makes them available to network users. For such type of services, network security plays an important role. The networks should not have unauthorized interference and virus.

Network applications use a client-server architecture, where the client and server are two computers connected to the network. The server is programmed to provide some service to the client.

The client is typically a desktop, laptop or portable device. The server can be any of these, but is typically a computer in a data center.

In most (not all) network applications, the client computer runs a Web client program like Firefox or Internet Explorer, and the server runs a Web server program like Apache or Internet Information Server. Shared data would be stored on the server or a computer it could access.

Note that the user of a network application might be a computer, not a person. 

*For example: Search engine companies like Google run client programs that constantly scan the Web, checking for new pages which can be indexed.

These are network software applications that utilize the Internet or other network hardware infrastructure to perform useful functions for example file transfers.

There are 2 types of network applications:

1. Pure network applications
2. Standalone network application

1. Pure Network Applications

These are applications created to be used in networks, using pure network application on a single computer doesn't make sense. Such applications have a separate and distinct user interface that users must learn.

A. Email programs

They allow users to type messages at their local nodes and then send to someone on the network. It is a fast and easy way of transferring mail from one computer to another. Examples of electronic mail programs (Clients) are:

• Pegasus mail
• Outlook express
• Eudora Windows mail
• Fox mail
• Opera
• Poco mail
• Mozilla Thunderbird
• Windows mail 

B. File transfer protocol (FTP)

This application facilities transfer of files from one computer to another. ex: from a client to a server. There are 2 common processes involved in FTP:

Downloading: This is the process of obtaining files from a server to a workstation or a client (for example when you download programs and music from a server).

Uploading: This is obtaining of files from a workstation to a server (for instance when you attach documents and upload them to a server, a good example being when you upload photos to facebook).

Examples of FTP programs are:

• FTP in Linux
• FTP in Windows

 

C. Groupware

These applications are used to automate the administration functions of a modern office (video conferencing and chatting). They facilitate the work of groups, they can be used to communicate,  coordinate, solve problems, compete or negotiate. 

Video Conferencing

This is the process of conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data. 

ex: skype, etc

Each participant has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered to the others speakers, and whatever images appear in front of the video camera appear in a window on the other’s monitor.

Chatting

It is a real-time communication between two users via computer. Once a chat has been initiated, either user can enter text by typing on the keyboard and the entered text will appear on the other user monitor. The two must be online for a chat to be initiated. Most networks and online services offer a chat feature which enables computer users to chat.

B. Stand alone applications

They are applications that run on stand alone computers.

In order to extend their activity, they are rebuild to run on network environments.

Can mean a program that does not require operating system's services to run.

A standalone application is a computer program that does not load any external module, library function, or program and that is designed to boot with the bootstrap procedure of the target processor.

In early computers like the ENIAC without the concept of an operating system, standalone programs were the only way to run a computer.

For Example (CouchDB,BitFonter,etc)