Building a Robust and Highly Scalable Distributed Architecture using VB.NET
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This article starts with an introduction to .NET Enterprise Services and finally concludes with an implementation of very flexible approach to build robust distributed enterprise solutions using .NET Enterprise Services. We will build a simple distributed enterprise solution just by building and integrating COM+ components, remoting components and Windows Services and accessing through remoting clients.
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.NET Enterprise Services in a nutshell
Let me start out by listing the most frequently used .NET Enterprise Services in the distributed environments:
- COM+ or Serviced Components
- .NET Remoting
- Windows Services
- XML Web Services
- MSMQ Services
A serviced component is the mechanism that enables COM+ services to be available to .NET Framework classes. Just-in-Time (JIT) Activation, Synchronization, Object Pooling, Transactions, and Shared Property Management are examples of well-known COM+ services that are available for us to use.
.NET remoting enables you to build widely distributed applications easily, whether application components are all on one computer or spread out across the entire world. You can build client applications that use objects in other processes on the same computer or on any other computer that is reachable over its network. You can also use .NET remoting to communicate with other application domains in the same process.
Microsoft Windows services, formerly known as NT services, enable you to create long-running executable applications that run in their own Windows sessions. These services can be automatically started when the computer boots, can be paused and restarted, and do not show any user interface. This makes services ideal for use on a server or whenever you need long-running functionality that does not interfere with other users who are working on the same computer.
An XML Web service can be used internally by a single application or exposed externally over the Internet for use by any number of applications. Because it is accessible through a standard interface, an XML Web service allows heterogeneous systems to work together as a single web of computation.
Microsoft Windows Message Queuing makes it easy for application developers to communicate with application programs quickly and reliably by sending and receiving messages. Messaging provides you with guaranteed message delivery and a robust, fail-safe way to carry out many of your business processes.
You can use the .NET Framework on Windows 2000 and create a great application. Building and deploying your application on Windows Server 2003 will give you more options for the design and architecture of your system and your application will run faster and more reliably than ever before.
Next: A Brief Discussion on Architectural Considerations >>
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