dot NET 3.5 Framework Details

Introduction

Developers must realize there is more to programming than simple code. This two-part series addresses the important issue of application architecture using an N-tier approach. The first part is a brief introduction to the theoretical aspects, including the understanding of certain basic concepts. The second part shows how to create a flexible and reusable application for distribution to any number of client interfaces. Technologies used consist of .NET Beta 2 (including C#, .NET Web Services, symmetric encryption), Visual Basic 6, the Microsoft SOAP Toolkit V2 SP2, and basic interoperability [ability to communicate with each other] between Web Services in .NET and the Microsoft SOAP Toolkit. None of these discussions (unless otherwise indicated) specify anything to do with the physical location of each layer. They often are on separate physical machines, but can be isolated to a single machine. For starters, this article uses the terms "tier" and "layer" synonymously. In the term "N-tier," "N" implies any number, like 2- tier, or 4-tier, basically any number of distinct tiers used in your architecture.

Description of 1-Tier and 2-Tier Web Applications

Client-Server environments. Perhaps the most influential Client- Server environment is the Internet and its global users. With the increasing use of web applications, an examination of the best architecture to support web applications is timely. The architectural component of this discussion will focus on the underlying structures and schematics that best build web applications. Specifically, we will be discussing tier architecture, which is the breaking down of an application into logical chunks that are called Tiers. Tiers can exist on the same computer and be connected virtually or logically or on different machines. The simplest examples of tier architecture are enumerated as 1-Tier, 2-Tier, and 3-Tier. 1-Tier Architecture is the simplest, single tier on single user, and is the equivalent of running an application on a personal computer. All the required component to run the application are located within it. User interface, business logic, and data storage are all located on the same machine. They are the easiest to design, but the least scalable. Because they are not part of a network, they are useless for designing web applications. 2-Tier Architectures supply a basic network between a client and a server. For example, the basic web model is a 2-Tier Architecture. A web browser makes a request from a web server, which then processes the request and returns the desired response, in this case, web pages. This approach improves scalability and divides the user interface from the data layers. However, it does not divide application layers so they can be utilized separately. This makes them difficult to update and not specialized.
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