Networking software for personal computers has been built on the model of a powerful computer — the server — that provides specialized services to workstations, or client computers. In this model, servers are designated as file servers, print servers, or communications (modem) servers, depending on whether they are assigned to file sharing or are connected to printers or modems.
RPC represents an evolutionary step in this model. In addition to its traditional roles, a server using RPC can be designated as a computational server or a compute server. In this role, the server shares its own computational power with other computers on the network. A workstation can ask the compute server to perform computations and return the results. The client not only uses files and printers, it also uses the central processing units of other computers.