Client / Server Distribution in a Structure-oriented Database Management System

Client / Server distribution in (software) design environments can be achieved by distributing an underlying repository database management system. Several alternative approaches for such a distribution exist, which diier in the layer of the architecture at which client / server communication takes place. We discuss two approaches | query-server and page-server | we have studied in the context of the graph database management system GRAS which is used in the IPSEN project. We focus this discussion on the impact the two approaches have on DBMS architecture and functionality as well as on performance with respect to the communication overhead induced by them. The work which has been done to evaluate and implement these approaches in GRAS is presented and problems of both alternatives and the solution we have found are outlined.