To digress for a moment, if you had to explain a railway system your
description would start with the trains and their passengers, then there would
be security, safety, track infrastructure and maintenance. My point is
that just a railway is a complex system with many parts, so with .NET Framework, you will
find a web of interconnected services.
I will let you into a secret, for a year and half .NET confused me. The
break through came when I uncoupled the name .net, from the strategy .net.
It gradually dawned on me that .net was really one big library of components.
Framework meant an outline, a skeleton, or perhaps scaffolding best describes
the role of .Net Framework.
Here is a break down of the .NET components
Client - Server (Classic technology duo)
Server - Server Links (Windows 2003 web servers providing the backbone)
Service - Service connections (Text, voice, images)
Client - Client (The whole point is to connect people through a range of
devices)
XML - (Powerful tag mark-up language that glues it all together)
.NET Framework
My first thought about the word .NET was - NET in computing NETWORK. Then I
realised how clever Microsoft have been with the name because it also implies a
net – like a fishing net or a net framework. Once I absorbed this concept then
the significance of .NET slowly dawned. Microsoft provides robust and
efficient elements which developers glue together with extra instructions to
build applications.
Next I began to make connections. Making client server technology work over LANs
has been part of my day to work for decades. The new factor with .NET is the
range of clients, Laptops, PDA, the latest Phones specialist devices only just
in development. How do they make these connections I wondered? Then I saw the
Web technology and XML providing the glue. What I have learnt about XML is that
it is a powerful tag language to organize, present and enhance HTML data.
Then I saw uses for Client to Client connections especially with phones. I
have seen people sending pictures, as well as text and voice messages.
I could also see the importance of Server to Server connections and within that
the role of Service to Service connections like messaging. Then the
word servers came to the forefront of my mind and I realised the part that the Web
'flavour' of Windows 2003 Server can play in .NET, IIS, email and databases.
Next I looked at related technologies, Active Server Pages hence ASP.NET and
.NET Framework.
Also Active Directory has numerous roles including security, configuring user
properties and a search mechanism for objects.
Perhaps you have used online banking services, if so then you can
probably see the power of these integrated services. You can transfer money and
shop online with just a browser, think what more you could do if the clients were using Excel or Work XP.
Evolution of .NET Framework
In the XP and Windows Server 2003 era you had to download and install
.Net Framework, but with the advent of Vista and Server 2008 .Net Framework
is build-in, you just add it as 'Feature'.
Old-timers say 'Wait until version 3 before you adopt any new software'.
Big changes in version 3.0 highlighted the wisdom of this sage advice.
.NET Framework 3.0 added these four new components:
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF): A new user
interface subsystem and API based on XML and vector graphics.
(Formerly called Avalon)
Windows Communication Foundation (WCF): A
service-oriented messaging system which allows programs to interoperate
locally or remotely. Similar to web services. (Formerly called
Indigo)
Windows CardSpace: A software component which
securely stores a person's digital identities. Another benefit is a
unified interface for choosing the identity for a particular transaction,
such as logging in to a website. (Formerly called InfoCard)
Windows Workflow Foundation (WF): Enables you
automation and integrated transactions using workflows.
Latest Version Summer 2008: .Net Framework 3.5 SP1
(Arrowhead)
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Suppose you use a stock inventory system, on its own it would be useful,
but limited. What if you connected your inventory system to your
accounting system, now it gets more interesting. The result is, whenever
you sell something, your inventory and your cash flow can be tracked in one
step. This dream can become reality thanks to XML, web servers and
intelligent clients. The connections can be made easily using Web
services, regardless of the
operating system that the application is using.
Summary of .Net Framework
Once I realized Microsoft were dropping the name .net from their servers,
for example .NET server became Windows Server 2003, I could concentrate on
what was left a .NET family of components. The framework meant a
skeleton of tried and tested snippets of code that we could build into
applications.
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See more about Windows 2003 training here
