Microsoft® .NET Distributed Applications: Integrating XML Web Services and .NET Remoting (Pro-Developer) (Paperback)

by Matthew MacDonald (Author) "In this chapter, we start on the ground floor and ask what distinguishes a distributed application from any other program..." (more)
Key Phrases: pooled object, service proxy class, serializable types, Public Class, Public Sub, Visual Studio (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Make the jump to distributed application programming using the .NET Framework—and introduce a new level of performance, scalability, and security to your network and enterprise applications. Expert .NET developer Matthew MacDonald shares proven techniques for fully exploiting .NET Remoting, XML Web services, and other .NET technologies and integrating them into your real-world solutions. MacDonald digs into key .NET building blocks and architectural issues, explaining which features and designs will best serve your customized distributed application projects—and when to use them. Case studies with full code examples illustrate these practical techniques in action, as well as demonstrating their benefits and tradeoffs.Learn how to: • Cross application boundaries with .NET Remoting, XML Web services, and Message Queuing• Create responsive clients and scalable servers with multithreading• Model your distributed application with interfaces, facades, and factories• Use COM+ services such as object pooling, JIT activation, and transactions• Craft a data transfer plan with Microsoft ADO.NET?without concurrency errors• Help secure your code end to end?from the transport level to the presentation tier• Learn ways to avert?or unclog?performance bottlenecks in your applications• Automate deployment using self-updating applications and XML Web services• Master stateless programming and other best practices for distributed applications

Product Details

• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (March 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735619336
• ISBN-13: 978-0735619333
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #491,040 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for any enterprise developer., July 5, 2003

By	Brian Schkerke (St. Charles, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book uses Visual Basic.NET and not C# for it's examples. If I were to list any one particular disappointment I had with this book, it would be that. However it's extremely easy to port VB.NET code to C# and vice versa, and VB.NET code is a little easier to read and understand.

With that out of the way this book completely rocks. It should be required reading for any enterprise application developer. The title is a bit deceptive in that you believe the book concentrates on NET Remoting and XML Web Services; it does concentrate more on those topics than any other, but only to the extent necessary - you never feel like he's repeating himself. Also included is a comprehensive examination of threads, messaging (Microsoft Message Queue Server), advanced remoting, deployment, logging, security - everything.

I'm a self taught developer and there are a lot of holes in my knowledge that I know exist. This book single handedly filled in more of those holes than any other book I've read in recent memory. Gestalt after gestalt followed as I consumed this book over the course of a weekend.

Someone once called me and asked if I had seriously posted the review of the Access Developer's Handbook. (My name is, ah, unique.) It was a glowing review like this one, and he doubted that a real person had posted it. I'm a real person, and this is really my opinion of this book. If you can afford it, buy it. You will not regret it.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Book on Architecture with .NET, April 2, 2003

By	Mark - See all my reviews

I'm only halfway through this one, and I decided I just HAD to write a review. In a world that has 200-page books written by five authors (see my IIS6 Handbook review), a comprehensive 700 page book that speaks with a single voice is a rare find. I've found a few other good single-author books (like Balena's book on VB), but this is far and away the best book for learning enterprise architecture, best design practices & patterns, and advanced techniques like multithreading.

Here's just one example: I've lost track of how many times I've read about how to use COM+ services in .NET without an explanation of why I should (or shouldn't)!! This book not only explains brilliantly how to use COM+, it explains when you should and shouldn't use it, and the limitations you'll encounter. We also get similar treatment of threading issues (for 2 whole chapters), caching/optimization, security (in only one chapter, but it's a solid overview). There's also a chapter just on design that talks in practical terms about facades, factories and other patterns. I've read some of this stuff in other books, but all I got was theory and contrived examples. In this book I see how to apply these patterns in the real world. That alone would have won me over.

Basically, this book is FULL of great material for anyone who knows the code but want to move up. It also includes three full case studies, which I haven't seen anywhere else. I'm not a big fan of case studies, but these do show the author's multi-layered approach in detail. Overall, great!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful, highly recommended!, May 29, 2005

By	Yongsheng Yang (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very useful and well written!

#1. It covers most of important things in architecture design in enterprise development.
#2. It is easy to read. Easy to understand. To the point and a efficient learning tool.
#3. It is very accurate. With picky eyes, I have not found any inaccuracies so far. (Technology advancement will make some comments out-of-date, but that would be another story).
#4. You do not have to use web service or remoting for this book to be greatly helpful.
#5. It appears that the author knows every corner of distributed system design to a great depth.

Last comment/advice to Microsoft - Microsoft should invest more on this kind of quality books if it wants drag more IT projects on .Net and to defeat the competing platforms.

I recommend this book to IT professionals. 5 stars of course.