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.‎ I t‎'‎ 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

Salability and Availability

Security and Debugging

Case Studies showing actual implementation