A fat client is a computer in a client-server configuration that can function independently of the server. It has its own storage, memory, and processing power, allowing for richer graphical user interfaces and faster performance. Fat clients are becoming more widespread due to declining costs and are commonly implemented through corporate laptops.
A fat client, also known as a thick client or rich client, is a computer in a client-server configuration that can function independently of the server. Many applications are installed locally on the client’s hard drive. While a fat client pulls some data from the central server and sometimes needs to be connected to the server, it can run on its own, without always having to be connected to the central server.
Fat client architecture is an alternative to thin client computing. In a thin client environment, all applications and in some cases all processing power is provided by the server computer. A thin client can be a computer that accesses and runs applications directly from the server or it can be a simple terminal machine that does not provide any processing of its own. The fat client or thick client is a computer that has its own storage, memory and processing. When trying to decide between a thin client and a thick client environment, important considerations include the applications to run, the graphical requirements for each terminal, and the portability and scalability needed.
Some of the advantages of fat clients are the low load on the server and the ability to work independently from the central server while still being able to provide rich functionality. Because the output is generated locally, fat clients allow for richer graphical user interfaces (GUIs). A fat client can also run faster than a thin client, especially with resource-intensive applications, since fat clients store many applications locally. Program information is written to and accessed from local computer resources instead of having to be transmitted across the network infrastructure.
The use of fat clients is becoming more widespread. This is partly due to declining computer and software licensing costs. It has become much more cost effective to implement a fat or thick client on each desktop than to keep adding resources to a server to accommodate an increasing number of terminals.
A common implementation of a fat client environment is the use of corporate laptops. While docked or remotely connected to the internal network, these computers can use resources stored on a central server. They can also be removed from the network environment and still be used as a standalone computer to run locally installed applications. However, they are unable to access documents stored on the server and may only be able to use some applications, such as e-mail programs, offline.
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