running a graphical application over ssh - where is rendering done?

[Anton Shterenlikht]

>From steve at sohara.org Thu Aug 20 11:19:11 2015
>
>> So does the graphical application send the data over the
>> network back to my laptop, where I render it using the local resources?
>
>	The graphical application communicates with the display server
>using X11 protocol (and whatever extensions are available which includes
>GLX and DRI on most systems these days) the rendering is done by the display
>server. It doesn't have to be, the application could present a bitmap and
>update it leaving the server to place the bitmap into a window. A high
>resolution, 24 bit colour animation can eat a lot of network bandwidth done
>this way, and network latency can really kill interactive behaviour.

I think I understand.

And if you can spare another few minutes,
where does Mesa fit in this?

If I launch this graphical app
on a remote server with no Mesa option,
it gives some error and crashes.
If I launch it with Mesa, then it runs ok,
meaning I can see what I need on the laptop screen.
Is using mesa on the remote side related to using mesa
on the laptop? Do I need to have Mesa installed
both on the server and on the laptop for this to work?
Does the fact that the graphical app
crashes with no Mesa option mean that
GL hardware is not available on the server?

If you can post a link to a beginner's material
on Mesa + client/server model, I'd be most grateful.

Thank you

Anton