Centralized and Distributed Computing

The terms centralized and distributed computing are used to describe where the network processing takes place. In a centralized computing model, one system provides both the data storage and the processing power for client systems. This networking model is most often associated with computer mainframes and dumb terminals, where no processing or storage capability exists at the workstation. These network environments are rare, but they do still exist.

A distributed network model has the processing power distributed between the client systems and the server. Most modern networks use the distributed network model, where client workstations share in the processing responsibilities.