Client/server : what exactly is the problem?

Includes bibliographical references.Various organizations have made a commitment to migrate their systems to a new client/server architecture. Due to it's diverse nature, many problems have arisen inherent to the way the system works. For instance, the use of different tools and platforms to accomplish various tasks is required. Getting these tools to work well together in disparate situations is a key issue. How can a company determine which tools, platforms, and systems changes are desired? One way to do this is to communicate; share the information concerning the problems one encounters with others who find themselves in the same boat. Therefore, a survey was distributed focusing within six facets of client/server application development: performance, capacity, scalability, portability, connectivity, and functionality. The objective: to discover various common links and/or connections that contribute to successful client/server application development The result: information was gathered from the people who are out there right now producing it. The four page survey was disseminated to over 500 information systems professionals throughout the domestic United States. Participants were selected by the respondent's title( manager or director of MIS or Systems & Programming), the corporation's listed systems, and were obtained from the Spring 1995 Computing IS Managers Guide. The design of the survey was critical in obtaining specific, relevant information. Utilizing the inverted funnel sequencing style, the task of getting a given respondent to open up was accomplished. The respondent contributed the answers as opposed to the survey suggesting them. 15% of the surveys (74 of 500) were returned; 40 of which the respondent indicated no background in client/server and 34 of which were completed in full. Through analysis of these surveys, I have gained a greater appreciation for exactly how diverse client/server really is. I was able to discover some common threads in each area. This paper is an excellent starting point to further analyze client/server problem areas.B.S. (Bachelor of Science