Network transparency

Network Transparency in its most general sense refers to the ability of a protocol to transmit data over the network in a manner which is transparent (invisible) to those using the applications that are using the protocol.

The term is often applied in the context of the X Window System which is able to transmit graphical data over the network and integrate it seamlessly with applications running and displaying locally.

Databases

In a centralized database system, the only resource that needs to be shielded from the user is the data (that is, the storage system). In a distributed DBMS, a second resource needs to be managed in much the same manner: the network. Preferably, the user should be protected from the network operational details. Then there would be no difference between database applications that would run on the centralized database and those that would run on a distributed one. This kind of transparency is referred to as network transparency or distribution transparency. From a DBMS perspective, distribution transparency requires that users do not have to specify where data is located.

Some have separated distribution transparency into location transparency and naming transparency.

Location transparency in commands used to perform a task is independent both of the locations of the data, and the system on which an operation is carried out.

Naming transparency means that a unique name is provided for each object in the database.

See also

• Data independence
• Replication transparency