Understanding Local Versus Server

Some databases are local databases; the database files are stored on the hard disk of your PC and are available whenever you need them, regardless of whether you are connected to the Domino server. When you make your changes, additions, and deletions in a local database, no one else sees those changes.

Other databases are stored on the Domino server. This enables you and others in your organization to access information centrally and share it. When you are working on a server database, the changes you make can be immediately seen by anyone else who is also accessing that database.

If you are a remote user, which means your computer is not connected to the server at all times, the local databases you have might be replicas of databases on the server. A replica is a specialized form of copy that maintains a link back to the original on the server. When you make changes to your local replica of the database, you are working on your computer with a database that is saved on your hard disk. However, at some point the changes you make to the database are transmitted to the server, and any modifications to the server version of the database are transmitted back to your replica. This process is called replication. When you replicate, your computer and the server only exchange the modified or new database documentsnot the entire database file. See Chapter 17, "Using Notes Remotely," to learn more about replication.