The client-server computing model is emerging as the networking architecture of the 1990s. This book describes in detail the client-server model - its architecture, components, benefits, and functions - as well as existing products and industry trends and standards. Systems and network integrators, project managers, and MIS/DP executives and decision-makers will find practical information the evolution of distributed systems and the place of the client-server architecture in distributed environments; open systems and standards - including the role of UNIX, UNIX International, and the Open Software Foundation - together with the OSF's Distributed Computing Environment; APPC/LU6.2, AIX, SAA, OS/2 and MS/DOS environments; distributed database management systems for mainframes and local area networks; a practical guide to DBMS products from the major vendors; client-server platform specialization, including GUIs, RISC, CISC, and symmetrical multiprocessing architectures; and various client-server implementations in use today. Filled with practical examples and recommendations, and with an emphasis on open systems and standards, this book is aimed both at IBM customers and proponents of the UNIX operating system. Readers will discover how client-server architecture allows companies to connect heterogeneous systems in a cooperative processing environment, provide a cost-effective approach to distributed data.