Weighing in at nearly 1,000 pages, Professional Windows DNA is a comprehensive guide to creating state-of-the-art Windows enterprise applications. Written for the more experienced VB or C++ programmer, this guide shows you best practices for creating scalable, multitiered Web applications that make use of the latest and greatest in Microsoft tools and standards, including SOAP and XML.
The tools-based focus of this tutorial is what sets it apart. While the authors provide background on important standards like COM+ for building middle-tier components, the book is anchored by real hands-on examples (and plenty of screen shots, where appropriate) on using tools like Visual Basic and SQL Server 2000.
First, the book leads you through a discussion of the latest developments and tools from Microsoft (like COM+, SQL Server 2000, and SOAP for communicating on distributed systems). There's a thorough tour of COM+, which gives DNA its middle-tier prowess. You'll learn COM+ configuration, security, and deployment, as well as how to use COM+ transactions and asynchronous message processing with built-in MS Message Queue (MSMQ) services. Later, there's a concise introduction to ADO database programming, as well as the new support for XML in SQL Server 2000. Useful debugging advice will help you out with server-side components, which can be notoriously hard to troubleshoot.
Final sections present a fairly substantial case study for an airline reservation system that's built with middle-tier components and ASPs for a Web interface. (There's also an e-commerce application for renting construction equipment.) The book also walks you through implementation of a back-end database, middle-tier COM+ components, and a browser-based front end that's built with ASP.
At least until the new Microsoft .NET Framework arrives, any system architect or developer can rely on this title to get a sense of how to build effective software for the enterprise. Professional Windows DNA is a thorough and up-to-date guidebook on the constantly shifting terrain of Microsoft tools and technologies. It's filled with nearly everything you need to know to develop scalable Web applications by using Visual Basic and Windows 2000. --Richard Dragan
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Product Description
Building distributed web applications is a wide-ranging topic, covering a variety of technologies and techniques. Windows DNA is the name given to the combination of traditional n-tier architecture with the intrinsic Windows 2000 services, including COM+, MSMQ, and Active Directory. Using this architecture, you can design and build scalable enterprise-level distributed applications on the Windows 2000 platform.
This book takes an in-depth look at the DNA architecture, focusing on fitting the pieces of the puzzle together. Each of the logical tiers is examined, with particular emphasis placed on the features COM+ contains to make component building simpler and more powerful.
Who Is This Book For?
This book is for anyone involved with building distributed web applications that want to see the bigger picture. As such the book assumes a working knowledge of VB and ASP in places, but the emphasis is not so much on the code as on where each of the pieces fit into the puzzle. It's designed to give you an idea of how each area or technology affects you, enabling you to make informed decisions about whether to pursue a subject further, or confidently assert that you can do without it.
What Does This Book Cover?
DNA architectural overview
COM+ including Transactions, Events, and Queued Components
Variable client richness and building rich clients
MSMQ
Business Objects
SOAP
Universal Data Access
Directory Services
Scalability and Availability
Security and Debugging
Case Studies showing actual implementation
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