client pull

Client pull refers to a dynamic process by which a client is instructed to initiate a automatic sequence of requests from one or more servers, as when a browser requests that a file be reloaded or updated at regular intervals.

URLs:

An Exploration of Dynamic Documents in Netscape 1.1

A discussion of client pull applications using the browser Netscape Navigator 1.1

Client pull example

An example of client pull requiring use of the browser Netscape 1.1 or over.

W3E References:

server push

The opposite process, in which each subsequent transfer is initiated by the server.

Detail:

In the client/server relationship, the client calls for (pulls) data; the server then sends (pushes) the data. The server responds only to explicit client requests. In client pull, the server includes a directive to the client to reload the initial data or some other data at specific intervals. The connection is closed between such requests.

Client pull is accomplished by an HTTP response header or equivalent HTML 3.0 META tag that tells the client what to do after some specified time delay.