skip navigation

Elements of Networking: Data and File Sharing

CITES > networking > concepts > elements > data and file sharing

The last defining characteristic of a network is how computers exchange data with each other. There are three main types of file sharing; a network can use just one file-sharing method or any combination of the three.

• System-native file sharing
  This type of file sharing is built into your operating system, originally intended for sharing files (and often printers) with other users in your local network, and not intended for sharing files with others across the Internet. The Microsoft Windows Network Neighborhood and Macintosh AppleTalk are the two most frequently used examples of this model.

• Client-server file sharing
  Ths model covers web pages, email, FTP, and other types of file sharing where the data is stored in a central location (the server) and sent separately to each user who requests it (the clients). This model is the most commonly used type of file sharing on the Internet.

• Peer-to-peer file sharing
  Peer-to-peer file sharing doesn't rely on a single central server. Any two users (the clients in the above model) can exchange data with each other directly, rather than having one user upload files to the server and the second user download files from the server.

For more information about the different models of data and file sharing over a network, and each model's security strengths and weaknesses, see File Sharing.

Back to the Elements page