Microsoft .Net™ Framework

An introduction to a new infrastructure

The .Net Framework forms the infrastructure for the .Net™ Platform. Together, the Common Language Runtime and the class libraries (including Windows Forms, ADO.Net and ASP.Net offer services and solutions which can easily be integrated within and between different systems.

The .Net Framework is used to build web applications based on the XML and SOAP standards, among others. It also offers a secure and very extensive execution environment for applications, simplified development and deployment, and seamless integration between different languages. A brief introduction to the .Net Framework follows below.

An extensive infrastructure is clearly required in order to make the process of building Web services transparent for developers. The .Net Framework provides that infrastructure. The framework includes an application model and the essential technologies which simplify the creation, deployment and continuing development of secure, reliable, scalable and constantly available Web services, while continuing to build on the developers' existing skills.

The purpose of the .Net Framework is to simplify the process of building Web services, Windows applications and web applications. But this framework also has a profound effect on each type of application, from simple client applications to many other kinds of distributed applications. The .Net Framework consists of three main elements: the Common Language Runtime, a hierarchical series of unified class libraries and a component version of Active Server Pages called ASP.Net. The most important functions of the .Net Framework for Web Service developers are summarised briefly below:

Common Language Runtime

The Common Language Runtime manages the requirements of running code written in any programming language and ensures that no special interfaces, such as IUnknown and Idispatch, need to be implemented. Developers can easily implement classes in the desired programming language.

An improved model for application deployment

The advantages offered by the .Net‚Ñ¢ Framework virtually put an end to the 'DLL hell', because multiple versions of libraries can exist and be used within it. Information about application configurations can be recorded in text files, which simplifies the management and deployment of applications.

Integrated, in-depth security services. These services ensure that unauthorised people do not have access to code and cannot carry out illicit transactions.

ADO.Net‚

ADO.Net provides classes for access to XML documents, relational databases and each ODBC and OLEDB compliant data source. As the name indicates, ADO.Net is an evolution of ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).

A powerful HTTP runtime

An HTTP runtime is needed for processing HTTP requests; this must automatically correct violations of access rights, memory leaks and hanging applications as well as possible. The runtime must also support 'pre-emptive cycling' of applications, which improves the overall stability of the system in the case of applications which leak resources.

ASP.Net

ASP.Net provides a low-level programming model which is comparable with ISAPI (but easier to implement) and high-level programming models for building web applications (also known as Web Forms) and Web Services.

.Net Remoting

.Net Remoting involves activating objects and method calls across the boundaries of contexts, application domains, processes or machines. When a machine is called remotely, .Net Remoting supports both a DCOM-type binary protocol via TCP/IP and the SOAP protocol via HTTP or SMTP. The architecture is expandable, so that support for additional protocols and transports can be added. If you need a better connected, object-based programming model between the client and server, use .Net Remoting. .Net Remoting offers remote access to objects on the server with complete type safety. Clients can retrieve references to objects on the server and determine the life of those objects. However, if you use these services for the life of objects, client applications must also be implemented with .Net Remoting.