Client/Server Architecture

Client Server Architecture

(Course Material)

CONTENTS

Sl.No Topic Contents

1. Introduction to Client/Server 1.1 Introduction to Client/Server
1.2 Characteristics of the Client and the Server
1.3 Merits and Demerits of the Client Server
2. Client/Server Architecture 2.1 Types of Servers
And Servers 2.2 ORB
2.3 Client Server Architectures
2.3.1 The knowledge about the Fat Servers
And the Fat Clients
2.3.2 The Architectures
2.4 Stored Procedure
2.5 Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
2.6 InterProcess Communication
3. Client Side Services 3.0 Services
3.1 Print Services
3.2 Remote Services
3.3 Utility Services
3.4 Message Services
3.5 Network Services
3.6 Application Services
3.7 Database Services
3.8 Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)
3.9 Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
3.10 Client Tools
3.11 GUI Clients
3.12 Non-GUI Clients
3.13 OOUI (Object Oriented User Interface)
Clients

1
 Client/Server Architecture

4. Server Side Services 4.1 Server Functionality

4.2 Request Processing
4.3 Print Services
4.4 Database Services
4.5 Security Services
4.6 File Services
4.7 Communication Services
5. Network and Protocol Basics 5.0 Communication Network
5.1 Local Area Network
5.2 Metropolitan Area Network
5.3 Wide Area Network
5.4 Network Structure
5.5 OSI Model
5.6 TCP/IP Architecture
5.7 TCP/IP Protocols
6. CORBA 6.1 Common Object Request Broker
Architecture
6.2 CORBA Object Services
6.3 CORBA Common Facilities
6.4 CORBA 3.0 Next Generation
6.5 CORBA Style Interfaces
6.6 DCOM Object
6.7 COM Server

2
 Client/Server Architecture

UNIT I
Introduction to Client/Server
1.1 Introduction to Client/Server
1.2 Characteristics of the Client and the Server
1.3 Merits and Demerits of the Client Server

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 The Vision of the Client/Server Computing

We are in the midst of a fundamental change in both technology and its

application. Organizations today expect to get more value from their investments
in technology.

Opportunities are available to organizations and people who are ready and able to
compete in the global market. A competitive global economy will ensure
obsolescence and obscurity to those who cannot or are unwilling to compete. All
organizations must look for ways to demonstrate value. We are finally seeing a
willingness to rethink existing organizational structures and business practices.

Organizations are aggressively downsizing even as they try to aggressively expand

their revenue base. There is more willingness to continue improvement practices
and programs to eliminate redundancy and increase effectiveness. Organizations
are becoming market-driven while remaining true to their business vision.

Client/server computing is the most effective source for the tools that empower
employees with authority and responsibility.

Workstation power, workgroup empowerment, preservation of existing

investments, remote network management, and market-driven business are the
forces creating the need for client/server computing.

The Client/server computing is an irresistible movement that is reshaping the way

computers is being used. Though this computing is very young it is already in full
force and is not leaving any area and corner of the computer industry untouched.
The Client/Server application development requires hybrid skills that include
transaction processing, database design, communication experience, graphical user
interface design, and being Internet Savvy. The more advanced applications
require knowledge of distributed objects and component infrastructures.

3
 Client/Server Architecture

Most client/server solutions today are PC LAN implementation that is

personalized for the group that uses them.

The Client/Server Computing has changed the way in which computers are being
used. This has a unique feature of having a strong foothold on the entire spectrum
of the computer industry.

For the “PC my World” lot, the Client/Server Computing means - scrapping of
every mainframe that cannot fit on the desktop and thus end of the host-centric
computing.

For the “Diehard fans of the Mainframes”, the Client/Server Computing means
unleashing the rebirth of the networked mainframes that will bring every PC in the
enterprise block to the fold.

For “Men in between”, it is a new era of Internet based co-existence and openness
in which all can play.

Let us now know what a client is and what is a server?

• Client - A client is a single-user workstation that provides presentation

services and the appropriate computing, connectivity and the database
services and the interfaces relevant to the business need.

• Server- A server is one or more multi-user processors with share

memory providing computing, connectivity and the database services
and the interfaces relevant to the business need.

The Client/Server computing is an environment that satisfies the business need by

appropriately allocating the application processing between the client and the
server processors.

The protocol is the client requests the services from the server; the server
processes the request and returns the result to the client. The communication
mechanism is a message passing InterProcess communication (IPC) that enables
the distributed placement of the client and server processes

The Client/Server is the generic model and fits what is know in the industry as the
“cooperating processing” or “peer-to-peer”.The client/server computing is
fundamentally platform independent.

4
 Client/Server Architecture

The user of an application wants the functionality (business) it provides; the

computing platform provides access to this business functionality. There are no
benefits but a considerable amount of risk of exposing the platform to the users.

The changes in the platform and the underlying technology should be transparent
to the user, as it is understood that the systems built with transparency to the
technology, for the entire user offer the highest probability of solid ongoing return
for the technology investment. It is also easily demonstrable that is the developers
become aware of the target platform, development will be bound to that platform
and they will use special tricks and feature found in that specific platform.

The figure 1.1 shown below depicts the modern client/server architecture.

Mainframe
Terminals

Network
Minicomputers

Workstations
Server

Fig.1.1 Modern Client/Server Architecture

1.2 Characteristics of the Client and the Server

The clients and the servers are the logical entities that work together over a
network to accomplish a task.

The distinguishing characteristics of the Client/Server systems are:

1. Service: The client/server is primarily a relationship between processes
running on separate machines. The server process is a provider of services.

5
 Client/Server Architecture

The client is a consumer of services. In essence, client/server provides a

clean separation of function based on the idea of service.

2. Shared Resources: A server can service many clients at the same time and
regulate their access to shared resources.

3. Asymmetrical protocols: There is a many-to-one relationship between the

clients and the server. Clients always initiate the dialog by requesting a
service. Servers are passively awaiting request from the clients. In some
cases a client may pass a reference to a callback object when it invokes a
service. This lets the server call back the client. So the client becomes a
server.

4. Transparency of location: The server is a process that can reside on the

same machine as the client or on a different machine across a network.
Client/Server software usually masks the location of the server from the
clients by the redirecting the service calls when needed. A program can be a
client, a server, or both.

5. Mix-and-match: The ideal client/server software is independent of

hardware or operating system software platforms. You should be able to
mix-and-match client and server platforms.

6. Message-based exchanges: Clients and servers are loosely coupled

systems that interact through a message-passing mechanism. The message
is the delivery mechanism for the service request and replies.

7. Encapsulation of services: The server is a specialist. A message tells a

server is requested; it is then up to the server to determine how to get the
job done. Servers can be upgraded without affecting the clients as long as
the published message interface is not changed.

8. Scalability: Client/Server systems can be scaled horizontally or vertically.

Horizontal scaling means adding or removing client workstations with only
a slight performance impact. Vertical scaling means either migrating to a
larger and faster server machine or distributing the processing load across
multiple servers.

9. Integrity: The server code and server data is centrally managed, which
results in cheaper maintenance and the guarding of shared data integrity. At
the same time, the clients remain personal and independent.

6
 Client/Server Architecture

1.3 Merits and Demerits of the Client Server

The Merits of Client/Server Computing

Client/server computing provides the capability to use the most cost-effective user
interface, data storage, connectivity, and application services. Frequently,
client/server products are deployed within the present organization but are not
used effectively.

The client/server model provides the technological means to use previous

investments in concert with current technology options.Organizations see
opportunities to use technology to provide business solutions. Service and quality
competition in the marketplace further increases the need to take advantage of the
benefits available from applications built on the client/server model.

Client/server computing in its best implementations moves the data-capture and

information-processing functions directly to the knowledgeable worker—that is,
the worker with the ability to respond to errors in the data, and the worker with the
ability to use the information made available.

1. Enhanced Data Sharing

Data that is collected as part of the normal business process and maintained on a
server is immediately available to all authorized users.

The use of Structured Query Language (SQL) to define and manipulate the data
provides support for open access from all client processors and software.

SQL grants all authorized users access to the information through a view that is
consistent with their business need. Transparent network services ensure that the
same data is available with the same currency to all designated users.

2. Integrated Services

In the client/server model, all information that the client is entitled to use is
available at the desktop. There is no need to change into terminal mode or log into
another processor to access information.

All authorized information and processes are directly available from the desktop
interface. The desktop tools—e-mail, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, and word

7
 Client/Server Architecture

processing—are available and can be used to deal with information provided by

application and database servers resident on the network.

Desktop users can use their desktop tools in conjunction with information made
available from the corporate systems to produce new and useful information.

3. Sharing Resources among Diverse Platforms

The client/server computing model provides opportunities to achieve true open

system computing. Applications may be created and implemented without regard
to the hardware platforms or the technical characteristics of the software.

Thus, users may obtain client services and transparent access to the services
provided by database, communications, and applications servers.

Operating systems software and platform hardware are independent of the

application and masked by the development tools used to build the application.

In this approach, business applications are developed to deal with business

processes invoked by the existence of a user-created "event."

4. Data Interchangeability and Interoperability

SQL is an industry-standard data definition and access language. This standard

definition has enabled many vendors to develop production-class database engines
to manage data as SQL tables. Almost all the development tools used for
client/server development expect to reference a back-end database server accessed
through SQL.

Network services provide transparent connectivity between the client and local or
remote servers. With some database products, such as Ingres Star, a user or
application can define a consolidated view of data that is actually distributed
between heterogeneous, multiple platforms.

Systems developers are finally reaching the point at which this heterogeneity will
be a feature of all production-class database engine products. Most systems that
have been implemented to date use a single target platform for data maintenance.
The ability to do high-volume updates at multiple locations and maintain database
integrity across all types of errors is just becoming available with production-level
quality performance and recovery.

Systems developed today that use SQL are inherently transparent to data storage
location and the technology of the data storage platform. The SQL syntax does not
specify a location or platform.

8
 Client/Server Architecture

This transparency enables tables to be moved to other platforms and locations

without affecting the application code. This feature is especially valuable when
adopting proven, new technology or if it makes business sense to move data closer
to its owner.

5. Location Independence of Data and Processing

We are moving from the machine-centered computing era of the 1970s and 1980s
to a new era in which PC-familiar users demand systems that are user-centered.
Previously, a user logged into a mainframe, mini-, or micro application. The
syntax of access was unique in each platform. Function keys, error messages,
navigation methods, security, performance, and editing were all very visible.
Today's users expect a standard "look and feel." Users log into an application from
the desktop with no concern for the location or technology of the processors
involved.

6. In most cases, client-server architecture enables the roles and responsibilities of

a computing system to be distributed among several independent computers that
are known to each other only through a network.

This creates an additional advantage to this architecture: greater ease of

maintenance. For example, it is possible to replace, repair, upgrade, or even
relocate a server while its clients remain both unaware and unaffected by that
change. This independence from change is also referred to as encapsulation.

7. All the data is stored on the servers, which generally have far greater security
controls than most clients. Servers can better control access and resources, to
guarantee that only those clients with the appropriate permissions may access and
change data. Since data storage is centralized, updates to that data are far easier to
administer than what would be possible

8. Many mature client-server technologies are already available which were

designed to ensure security, 'friendliness' of the user interface, and ease of use. It
functions with multiple different clients of different capabilities.

The Demerits of Client/Server Computing

(Comparions with the P2P)

1. Traffic congestion on the network has been an issue. As the number of

simultaneous client requests to a given server increases, the server can become
severely overloaded.

9
 Client/Server Architecture

Contrast that to a P2P network, where its bandwidth actually increases as more
nodes are added, since the P2P network's overall bandwidth can be roughly
computed as the sum of the bandwidths of every node in that network.

2. The client-server paradigm lacks the robustness of a good P2P network.

Under client-server, should a critical server fail, clients’ requests cannot be
fulfilled.

In P2P networks, resources are usually distributed among many nodes. Even if
one or more nodes depart and abandon a downloading file, for example, the
remaining nodes should still have the data needed to complete the download.

10
 Client/Server Architecture

UNIT 2

Client/Server Architecture and Servers

2.1 Types of Servers

2.2 ORB

2.3 Client Server Architectures

2.3.1 about the Fat Servers and the Fat Clients

2.3.2 The Architectures

2.4 Stored Procedure

2.5 Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
2.6 InterProcess Communication

2.1 Types of Server

i. File Server
• File Servers are useful for sharing information across the network
• The client passes a request for file records over a network to the file server.
• This is the most primitive type of data service used for exchanging
messages over the network to find the requested data.
• The file servers provide access to the remote server processors. In the
typical implementation the software, shared data, databases and backups are
stored on disk, tape and optical storage devices that are managed by the file
server.

Applicatio
n

Applicatio File Calls

n
File Server

Fig 2.1 a Client/Server with a File Server.

11
 Client/Server Architecture

ii. Database Server

• The client passes the SQL requests as messages to the database server; the
result of each SQL command is returned over the network.

• The code, which processes the SQL request and the data, reside in the same
machine, the server uses its own processing power to find the requested
data back to the client, instead of passing all the records back to the client.
This results in a much more efficient use of the distributed processing
power.

• Note that the application code resides on the client; thus you must either
write code for the client or you can buy a shrink-wrap query tool.

• The database servers provide the foundation for decision-support systems

and also provide key role in data warehousing.

Applicatio
n

SQL
Applicatio CALLS DBMS Server
n

Fig 2.1 b Client/Server with the Database Servers

iii. Transaction Servers

The client can invoke remote procedure or services that reside on the server with
an SQL database engine using the transaction server.
• The network exchange consists of a single request/ reply. The SQL
statements either all succeeded or fail as a unit.

12
 Client/Server Architecture

• These grouped SQL statements are called transactions.

• With a transaction server you create the client/server application by writing

the code for both the client and the server components.
• The client component usually includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
The server component consists of SQL transaction against a database.
These applications are called Online Transaction Processing or OLTP.

• The OLTP are mission-critical applications that require a very less response
time (1-3 sec).

• The OLTP applications also require tight controls over the security and
integrity of the database.

• It has two forms

o TP-Lite: based on the stored procedures provided by database

vendors.

o TP-Heavy: bases on the TP Monitors which is provided by

OLTPvendors.

Applicatio
n

Applicatio TRANSACTIONS
n DBMS
TP Monitor

Fig 2.1 c Client/Server with the Transaction Servers

13
 Client/Server Architecture

iv. Groupware Servers

• It involves the management of semi-structured information such as text,

image, mail, bulletin boards and the flow of work.

• These client/server system places people in direct contact with other

people. Best examples are Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange.

• Specialized groupware software can be built on top of a vendor’s

canned set of client/server API’s. In many cases, applications are created
using a scripting language and form-based interfaces provided by the
vendor. Now many groupware products use e-mail as their standard
messaging middleware. Also, Internet is quickly becoming the
middleware platform of choice for groupware.

Applicatio
n

Applicatio
n
File Server

v. Object Application Servers.

• The client/server application is written as a set of communicating objects

with an object server.

• The client object uses the Object Request Broker (ORB) to communicate
with the server objects.

• The ORB locates an instance of that object server class, invokes the
requested method and returns the results to the client object.

14
 Client/Server Architecture

• The server objects must support the concurrency and sharing aspects. The
ORB and a new generation of CORBA application servers bring it all
together.

• The commercial ORB’s that comply with the Object Management Group’s
CORBA standard include Iona’s Orbix, Inprise’s VisiBroker, ICL’s DAIS,
JavaSoft’s Java IDL , BEA’s ObjectBroker, IBM’s SOM and Expersoft’s
PowerBroker.

• CORBA is also the basic foundation technology for the Enterprise

JavaBeans component model. The new generation CORBA application
servers are also called as the Object Transaction Monitors (OMTs) provide
server-side component coordination services.

• Microsoft hat Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) as an

competitor for CORBA; Where DCOM is the foundation technology for
Microsoft’s enterprise software and also it s ActiveX component model.
The Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) is the application server for
ActiveX components; it is also called as COM+.

• Web Application Server

Web application servers are a new class of Internet software. They
combine the standard HTTP servers with server-side component
frameworks. Functionally they are very similar to the object servers.

• This model of the client/server consists of thin, portable, and “universal”

client that talk to the super fat servers. Here the Web server returns
documents when clients ask for them by name. The clients and the servers
communicates using and RPC like protocol called HTTP, which defines a
simple set of commands, parameters which are passed as strings, with no
provision for typed data.

• In case of Microsoft, the MTS distributed object server is also the Web
Application Server. Whereas in case of CORBA/Java; Enterprise JavaBeans
has become common currency of Web Application servers.

• Some of these servers also provide the COM/CORBA bridges.

• The examples of the CORBA/Java Web application servers are Netscape

/Kiva’s Application Server, BEA’s WebLogic, Bluestone’s Sapphire Web,
IBM’s WebSphere, SilverStream’s SilverStream Application Server 2.0,
Novera’s jBusiness Application Server etc.

15
 Client/Server Architecture

2.2ORB

An object request broker (ORB) is a middleware technology that manages

communication and data exchange between objects. ORBs promote
interoperability of distributed object systems because they enable users to build
systems by piecing together objects- from different vendors- that communicate
with each other via the ORB

ORB technology promotes the goal of object communication across machine,

software, and vendor boundaries.
The functions of an ORB technology are

• Interface definition
• Location and possible activation of remote objects
• Communication between clients and object

An object request broker acts as a kind of telephone exchange.

It provides a directory of services and helps establish connections between clients

and these services is illustrated in the figure 2.2

Fig 2.2 Object Request Broker

The ORB must support many functions in order to operate consistently and
effectively, but many of these functions are hidden from the user of the ORB.

16
 Client/Server Architecture

Responsibilities of the ORB

1. Providing Illusion of Locality:

It is the responsibility of the ORB to provide the illusion of locality, in

other words, to make it appear as if the object is local to the client, while in
reality it may reside in a different process or machine.

Thus the ORB provides a framework for cross-system communication

between objects. This is the first technical step toward interoperability of
object systems.

2. Hide the Implementation Details:

The next technical step toward object system interoperability is the

communication of objects across platforms. An ORB allows objects to hide
their implementation details from clients. This can include programming
language, operating system, host hardware, and object location.

Each of these can be thought of as a "transparency," and different ORB

technologies may choose to support different transparencies, thus extending
the benefits of object orientation across platforms and communication
channels.

There are many ways of implementing the basic ORB concept; for
example, ORB functions can be compiled into clients, can be separate
processes, or can be part of an operating system kernel. These basic design
decisions might be fixed in a single product; or there might be a range of
choices left to the ORB implementer.

There are two major ORB technologies:

• The Object Management Group's (OMG) Common Object Request

Broker Architecture (CORBA) specification
• Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM).

2.3 Client Server Architecture

2.3.1 The knowledge about the Fat Servers and the Fat Clients

We know that the client/server models can be distinguished by the service

they provide and how the distributed application is split between the client and the
server.

17
 Client/Server Architecture

In these lines we have

1. Fat Server Model
2. Fat Client Model

1. The Fat Server Model

• Place more functions on the server
• Usually used for the mission-critical applications.
• Applications are easier to manage on the network as most of the work is
done on the server.
• The fat servers create abstract level of services by which the network
interchange is minimized.
• The Transaction Servers and the Object Server embed the concept of
encapsulation of database by exporting the procedure/ methods, which act
on the data instead of the raw data.
• The client interacts with such fat servers using the remote procedure call.
• The examples are the Groupware, Transaction Servers, and Web Servers.

2. Fat Client Model

• Places more function on the client. In a client/server architecture, a client

that performs the bulk of the data processing operations. The data itself is
stored on the server.
• They are the traditional form of the client/server systems
• They are generally used for decision support and personal software
• They lead to the creation of the front-end tools and applications.
• The best places are – the file server and the database server models where
the client knows how the data is organized and stored on the server.

We must know that in the real/actual working environment both fat server and the
fat client may coexist in one application.

2.3.2 The Architectures

A network architecture in which each computer or process on the network is either

a client or a server. Servers are powerful computers or processes dedicated to
managing disk drives (file servers), printers (print servers), or network traffic
(network servers ). Clients are PCs or workstations on which users run
applications. Clients rely on servers for resources, such as files, devices, and even
processing power.

18
 Client/Server Architecture

Another type of network architecture is known as a peer-to-peer architecture

because each node has equivalent responsibilities. Both client/server and peer-to-
peer architectures are widely used, and each has unique advantages and
disadvantages. Client-server architectures are sometimes called two-tier
architectures.

The gurus of the client/server architecture do not use the terms fat client and the
fat servers on the contrary they refer to them are 2-tier, 3-tier and N-tier
client/server architecture. This is the means by which they are functionally split.
The functional units comprise of user interface, business logic and the shared data.

1. 2-tier Client/Server Architecture

Two tier software architectures were developed in the 1980s from the file server
software architecture design. The two-tier architecture is intended to improve
usability by supporting a forms-based, user-friendly interface. The two-tier
architecture improves scalability by accommodating up to 100 users (file server
architectures only accommodate a dozen users). It also proves flexibility by
allowing data to be shared, usually within a homogeneous environment. The two-
tier architecture requires minimal operator intervention, and is frequently used in
non-complex, non-time critical information processing systems.

GUI and Application DBMS, Legacy and other resource

Managers

SQL, File
Tier 1 I/O
HTTP

Fig 2.3.2 a 2-tier Client/ Server Architecture

Eg: File Servers, Database Servers with Stored Procedure.

Two tier architectures consist of three components distributed in two layers: client
(requester of services) and server (provider of services).

19
 Client/Server Architecture

The three components are

1. User System Interface (such as session, text input, dialog, and display
management services)
2. Processing Management (such as process development, process enactment,
process monitoring, and process resource services)
3. Database Management (such as data and file services)

The two-tier design allocates the user system interface exclusively to the client. It
places database management on the server and splits the processing management
between client and server, creating two layers.

The application logic may be present at the client side within a user interface or it
may be present within the database on the server or on the both. It is most popular
because of its simplicity. These applications can be quickly built by using and
visual builder tools; which can be used for developing applications for decision
support system of small-scale groupware or you may build a simple web
publishing applications.

But the real problem arises only when you deploy them beyond the departmental
LAN. Typically the applications that worked perfectly well in prototypes and small
installations failed for large-scale productions. It actually went through a transition
phase, where it grew beyond the departmental LAN’s.

Thus the complex world is now faced by the 3-tier and the N-tier applications.

2. 3-tier Client/Server Architecture

The three-tier software architecture emerged in the 1990s to overcome the

limitations of the two-tier architecture.
The third tier (middle tier server) is between the user interface (client) and the data
management (server) components.
This middle tier provides process management where business logic and rules are
executed and can accommodate hundreds of users (as compared to only 100 users
with the two tier architecture) by providing functions such as queuing, application
execution, and database staging.

The three tier architecture is used when an effective distributed client/server

design is needed that provides (when compared to the two tier) increased
performance, flexibility, maintainability, reusability, and scalability, while hiding
the complexity of distributed processing from the user.

20
 Client/Server Architecture

They are also easy to manage and deploy the network and most of the code runs
on the server. The protocol of interaction between the client and the server is as
follows:

The client calls for the business logic on the server, the business logic on the
behalf of the client accesses the database.

The 3-tier substitutes a few server calls for many SQL queries and updates so it
performs much better than 2-tier. A three tier distributed client/server architecture
includes a user system where user services (such as session, text input, dialog, and
display management) reside.

The middle tier provides process management services (such as process

development, process enactment, process monitoring, and process resourcing) that
are shared by multiple applications.The third tier provides database management
functionality and is dedicated to data and file services that can be optimized
without using any proprietary database management system languages.

RPC,OR SQL
B,MOM, data
HTTP access

Tier 1

Tier 2
Dbms, Legacy and other
resource managers

Tier 3
Fig 2.3.2 b 3-tier Client/ Server Architecture

3-tier to N-tier

21
 Client/Server Architecture

In the 3-tier applications, the middle tier is generally not a monolithic program but
is implemented as a collection of components that are initiated by several client-
initiated business transaction.
One component can call other components to help it implement a request; also
some components may act as gateways which may encapsulate legacy applications
running on mainframe.

The component-based application provides the following advantages over the

monolithic applications.
1. You can develop big applications in small steps
Large mission-critical application projects may be divided into small
component projects. The component enriches them for a small-team and
incremental development approach.

2. You can reuse components

3. Clients can access data and functions easily and safely.

The client sends request to the components to execute on their behalf. The
clients do not need to know which database is being accessed to execute the
request; also they do not need to know if the request was sent to another
component or application for execution. The server component encapsulates
the details of the application logic and thus raises the level of abstraction.

4. Custom applications can incorporate off-the-shelf components

Today’s trend is to buy ready-made components that are packaged as
applications. They can also be mix and matched with different software
vendors; but a word of caution is the “Mix-and-Match “capability needs some
semantic glue.

When can /should you use 3-tier?

According to Gartner Group’s for the smaller projects – 2-tier applications are
easier to develop than 3-tier, however as the application becomes more
complex, 2-tier applications become exponentially harder to develop.
According to Gartner Group, if your application has any of the following
characteristics then you may choose 3-tier architecture:
1. Many applications services/classes (around or more than 50)
2. Application programmed in different languages or written by different
organizations
3. An application life longer than 3 years.
4. If there are more than 50,000 transactions per day or more than 300
concurrent users on the same system accessing the same database.

22
 Client/Server Architecture

5. Two or more heterogeneous data sources like two DBMS or a DBMS and a
file system.

Intergalactic Client/Server

The client/server applications stand at a new threshold brought on by the

exponential increase of low-cost bandwidth on Wide Area Network for
example, the Internet and AOL.
1. A new generation of Web-enabled desktops and devices. This new
threshold marks the beginning of a transition from 2-tier Ethernet
client/server to N-tier intergalactic client/server.
2. The client and the server do not have to be co-located on the same campus;
but they can be a world away. This is called as the “Irrelevance of
proximity”.

Client/Server Building Blocks

When we think of client/server systems there are few questions, which come into
our mind, like
1. How is the application split between the client and the server?
2. What function goes into the client and what function goes in the server?
3. Can the client/server model accommodate business of all sizes?
4. Can the client/server play at home?
5. How are the new tribes of nomadic laptop users brought into the
client/server fold?

The answer for all these…

The client/server model accommodates all types of users, it is simple and it works
well with today’s technologies. Let us now see which are the 3 building blocks of
the client/server system, which meet a wide spectrum of client/server needs from
the tiny to the intergalactic.

The 3 building blocks are

1. Client
2. Server
3. Middleware

Now let us see are they used for the following four situations:
1. Client/Server for tiny shops and nomadic tribes
• Here the client, middleware software and most of the business
services run on the same machine.
• Suggested for implementation is home office, one-person shops and
mobile user with well-endowed laptops.

23
 Client/Server Architecture

2. Client/Server for small shops and departments

• This is the classic Ethernet client/server building block
implementation.
• Used in small shops, departments and branch offices.
• This is one of the predominant forms of client/server today.
3. Client/Server for intergalactic enterprise
• This forms the multiserver building-block implementation of
client/server.
• The server presents a single-system image to the client.
• They can be spared throughout the enterprise, but they can be made
to look like they are part of the local desktop.
• This implementation meets the initial needs of intergalactic
client/server computing.

4. Client/Server for a post-scarcity world

Transforms every machine in the world into both a client and a server.
Personal agents on very machine will handle all the negotiations with their
peer agents anywhere in the universe.

Building Blocks in Nutshell

Let us now view each of the building blocks in detail.

1. The client building block
• Runs the client side of the application
• It runs on the Operating System that provides a Graphical User Interface
(GUI) or an Object Oriented User Interface (OOUI)
• The thin clients require a Web Browser to download JavaBeans and
applets on demand.
• This blocks the operating system, passes the buck to the middleware and
lets it handle the non-local services.
• The client also runs a component of the Distributed System
Management element (DSM). Where the DSM could be a simple agent
on a PC or a front-end of the DSM application on a managing station.

2. The server building block

• Runs the server part of the application.
• We have 5 contending server platforms for creating the next generation
of client/servers.
o TP Monitors
o SQL Database Servers

24
 Client/Server Architecture

o Groupware Servers
o Object Servers
o Web
• The server is operating system dependent to interface with the
middleware.
• The server also runs a DSM component, which is once again a simple
agent on a managed PC to the entire back-end of the DSM application.

3. The middleware building block

• It runs on both the client and the server sides of an application.
• This is further divided into 3 categories
o Transport stacks
o Network Operating Systems (NOS)
o Service-specific Middleware
• This also has a DSM software component.
• Where middleware forms the nervous system of the client/server
infrastructure.

2.4 Stored Procedure

• Stored Procedure is a named collection of SQL statements and procedural

logic that is compiled, verified and stored in the server database.

• Sybase pioneered this concept of stored procedure in 1986 to improve the

performance of SQL on networks.

• The major database vendors are now offering an RPC-like mechanism for
executing functions that are stored in their databases. This mechanism is
sometimes referred to as “TP-Lite” or “stored procedure”.

• A stored procedure is typically treated like any other database object and
registered in the SQL catalog. The access to the stored procedure is
controlled through the server’s security mechanisms.

• They are
1. Used to enforce business rules and data integrity
2. Perform system maintenance and administration functions
3. To extend the database server’s functions
4. Used to create the server side of application logic.
5. It is also well suited for creating performance-critical applications
known as Online Transaction Processing OLTP

25
 Client/Server Architecture

• Typically these applications can

1. Receive a fixed set of inputs from remote clients
2. Perform multiple precompiled SQL commands against a local
database
3. Commit the work
4. Return a fixed set of results.
5. Stored Procedures are database-centric, RPC-like SQL entity that
is persistent, shared and has a name,
6. It reduces the network traffic and improves the response time.
7. Provide better site autonomy because the remote modification of
tables can only occur through locally executing programs. Any
changes are made to the tables need not be recompiled in all
applications in the remote machines.
8. They provide better distribution of intelligence than static or
dynamic SQL.
9. It provide service-oriented interface that is well suited for OLTP
applications.

Major Drawbacks of Stored Procedure

• They provide less ad hoc flexibility than remote dynamic
SQL.
• They may perform very poorly if their plans are not refreshed/
rebound to take advantage of the optimize statistics.
• They are totally non-standard. Results in number of problems, no
two-vendor implementations are alike.
• There is no standard way to pass or describe the parameters.
• The language for describing the stored procedure is not portable
across vendor platform.
• There is no transactional synchronization- i.e., two-phase commit
between stored procedures; where each stored procedure is a
separate transaction.

2.5 Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Over the years, good programmers have developed modular code using structured
techniques and subroutine logic. Today, developers want subroutines to be stored
as named objects "somewhere" and made available to everyone with the right to
use them.

26
 Client/Server Architecture

Remote procedure calls (RPCs) provide this capability. RPCs standardize the way
programmers must write calls, so that remote procedures can recognize and
respond correctly.

The RPC hides the intricacies of the network by using the ordinary procedure call
mechanism familiar to every programmer.

A client process calls a function on a remote server and suspends itself until it gets
back the results. Here the parameters are passed like any ordinary procedure. The
server receives the request, unpacks the parameters, calls the procedure, and sends
the reply backs to the client.

While RPC makes life easier for the programmer, they pose a challenge for the
NOS designers who supply the development tools and run-time environments.

If an application issues a functional request and this request is embedded in an

RPC, the requested function can be located anywhere in the enterprise that the
caller is authorized to access. The RPC facility provides for the invocation and
execution of requests from processors running different operating systems and
using hardware platforms different from that of the caller. Many RPCs also
provide data translation services. The call causes dynamic translation of data
between processors with different physical data storage formats. These standards
are evolving and being adopted by the industry.

27
 Client/Server Architecture

UNIT 3
Client Side Services

3.0 Services
3.1 Print Services
3.2 Remote Services
3.3 Utility Services
3.4 Message Services
3.5 Network Services
3.6 Application Services
3.7 Database Services
3.8 Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)
3.9 Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
3.10 Client Tools
3.11 GUI Clients
3.12 Non-GUI Clients
3.13 OOUI (Object Oriented User Interface) Clients

3.0 Services

3.0.1Introduction

The client in the client/server model is the desktop workstation. Any workstation
that is used by a single user is a client, if multiple users share the same workstation
simultaneously, then it is a server.

The famous servers like Apple Macintosh SE, an IBM PS/2 Model 30, an ALR
386/220, a Compaq System Pro, an NCD X-Terminal, Sun SPARCstation, a DEC
station 5000 all are used somewhere as a client workstation. There are no specific
technological characteristics of a client.

3.0.2 Role of the client and its services

• In client/server applications, functions are provided by a combination of

resources using both the client workstation processor and the server processor.

28
 Client/Server Architecture

• Like a database server provides data in response to an SQL request issued by

the client application. The local processing by the client might calculate the
invoice amount and format the response to the workstation screen.
• The client workstation can provide business functions using a mixture of
personal productivity products blended with a custom application.
• The capability to cut and paste input from several different sources is one of
the most powerful aspect of a client workstation.
• In the client/server model, the client is primarily a consumer of services
provided by one or more server processors. Whereas the server acting a service
provider responding to the client’s request.
• The client provides presentation services. The user input and final output are
presentation at the client workstation. The current technology provides full
support for GUI’s. The functions like field edits, context-sensitive help,
navigation, training, personal data storage and manipulation frequently execute
on the client workstation. All of them use the GUI and Windowing
functionality.
• The client workstation can use or uses local operating system to support both
basic services and the network OS interfaces.

3.0.3 Request for Services

A client workstation requests services form the attached server; whatever may be
the type of processor the format of request is the same. It is the job if the NOS
software to translate or add the necessary details as required by the targeted
requester to the application request. OS also provides the redirection service.

Redirection

This service intercepts client workstation operating system calls and redirects them
to the server operating system.
Thus in this way the request for disk directories or disk files, printers, printer
queues, serial devices, application programs and named pipes are trapped by the
redirection software and redirected to the correct server location.

How does this redirection work?

Let the local disk driver be labeled A: and C: and the remote drivers labeled D: , E:
and F:
1. Any request for drive A: of C: is passed through to the local file system by
the redirection software. Then the request is sent to the server OS.
2. The NOS requester software constructs the remote procedure call (RPC) to
include the API call to the NOS server.

29
 Client/Server Architecture

3. The NOS server then processes the request as if it was executed locally and
ships the response back to the application.

3.1 Print Services

The NOS enables the client to generate print requests even when the printer is
busy.
The NOS redirector software redirects it and the print server queue manage
further manage it.
The client has facility to view the status of the print queue at any time and
client is also notified when the print is completed. Similarly there are also fax
services.

3.2 Remote Services

Client invokes an application that is executed on a remote server, for example

the backup services. Business functions like downloading data from host or
checking list of stock process might also be invoked locally to run remotely.

NOS provide software, which runs on the client workstation to initiate these
remote applications.

Work from home is another concept, where the technology binds people
working from home and effectively communicates with the office LAN (Which
forms the Mobile Computing).

3.3 Utility Services

The operating system facilitates some local functions which are very often used
to perform actions like edit, copy, move, compare and help which works on the
client end.

3.4 Message Services

Messages can be sent and received to or from the network synchronously. The
message services provide the buffering, scheduling and arbitration services to
support this function.

3.5 Network Services

30
 Client/Server Architecture

The client workstation communicates with the network through protocol, some
set of service and API’s that creates, send and receive and format network
messages.
Protocols, which are supported, are NetBIOS, IPX, TCP/IP, APPC, Ethernet,
Token Ring, FDDI, X.25 and SNA.

3.6 Application Services

In addition to the remote execution services that the NOS provide, custom
applications will use their own API’s embedded in an RPC to invoke
specialized services form a remote server.

3.7 Database Services

Database requests are made using the SQL syntax. SQL is an industry standard
language supported by many vendors.

Because the language uses a standard form, the same application may be run
on multiple platforms. There are syntactical differences and product extensions
available from most vendors.

These are provided to improve developer productivity and system performance

and should be carefully evaluated to determine whether their uses are worth the
incompatibility implied by using proprietary components. Using unique
features may prevent the use of another vendor's products in a larger or smaller
site.

Certain extensions, such as stored procedures, are evolving into de facto

standards.

The use of stored procedures is often a way of avoiding programmer use of

proprietary extensions needed for performance.

A clear understanding, by the technical architects on the project, of where the

standards are going is an important component of the SDE standards for the
project.

3.8 Dynamic Data Exchange

Microsoft Windows provides several methods for transferring data between

applications. DDE protocol is one of these methods. DDE protocol is a set of
messages and guidelines. It sends messages between applications that share
data and uses shared memory to exchange data between applications.

31
 Client/Server Architecture

DDE can be used to construct hot links between applications in which data can
be fed from window to window interruption and intervention.

Eg: A hot link can be created between a 3270-screen session and a word
processing
document. Data is linked form the 3270 window into the word processing
document. Whenever the key of the data in the screen changes, the data linked
into the document also changes.

DDE also supports warm links created so the server application notifies the
client that the data has changed and the client can issue an explicit request to
receive it. This information is attractive when the volume of changes to the
server data is so great that the client prefers not to be burdened with repetitive
processing.

If the server link ceases to exist at some point, use a warm link rather than hot
link to ensure that the last data iteration is available. You can create request
links to enable direct copy-and –paste operations between a server and client
without the need for an intermediate clipboard.

DDE also facilitates the feature of extending applications. These facilities,

Available to the desktop user, considerably expand the opportunity for
application enhancement by the user owner.

3.9 OLE (Object Linking And Embedding)

OLE is an extension to DDE. OLE is designed to let users to focus on data

encompassing of words, numbers and graphics rather than on the software
required to manipulate the data.

Here the documents are collection of objects, rather than a file, each object
remembers the software that maintains it.

OLE allows users to integrate data from different applications. It allows

users to share a single source of data for a particular object.

The document contains the name of the file containing the data, along with
the picture of the data. When the source is updated all the documents using
the data are updated as well.

Both the DDE and OLE techniques require the user to be aware of the
difference between data sources.DDE and OLE provide a substantial

32
 Client/Server Architecture

advantage any DDE or OLE-enabled application can use any software that
supports these data interchange API’s.
Not all Windows Application support OLE, to facilitate this the Microsoft
has release its OLE 2.0 software development kit (SDK).This toolkit
greatly simplifies OLE integration into third party, developed applications.

3.11 GUI Clients

GUI Clients: These are applications, where occasional requests

to the server result from a human interacting with a GUI
(Example: Windows 3.x, NT 3.5)

3.12 Non-GUI Clients

Non-GUI Client: These are applications, generate server requests

with a minimal amount of human interaction.

3.13 OOUI (Object Oriented User Interface) Clients

OOUI clients: These are applications, which are highly-iconic,

Object-oriented user interface that provides seamless access to
Information is in visual formats. (Example: MAC OS,
Windows 95, NT 4.0)

33
 Client/Server Architecture

UNIT 4
Server Side Services

4.1 Server Functionality

4.1.1 Role of the Server
4.2 Request Processing
4.3 Print Services
4.4 Database Services
4.5 Security Services
4.6 File Services
4.7 Communication Services

4.1 Server Functionality

4.1.1 The Role of the Server

Servers provide application, file, database, print, fax, image, communications,

security, systems, and network management services.

It is important to understand that a server is an architectural concept, not a

physical implementation description. The same physical device can provide client
and server functions. Application servers provide business functionality to support
the operation of the client workstation. In the client/server model these services
can be provided for an entire or partial business function invoked through an
InterProcess Communication (IPC) request for service. Either message-based
requests i.e. OLTP or RPCs can be used.

A collection of application servers may work in concert to provide an entire

business function. For example, in a payroll system the employee information may
be managed by one application server, earnings calculated by another application
server, and deductions calculated by a third application server. These servers may
run different operating systems on various hardware platforms and may use
different database servers.
The client application invokes these services without consideration of the
technology or geographic location of the various servers.

Different Types of Servers are:

• A database engine such as Sybase, IBM, Ingres, Informix, or Oracle

manages database servers.

34
 Client/Server Architecture

• The file server provides the initial space, and the database engine allocates
space for tables within the space provided by the file server.

• Print servers provide support to receive client documents, queue them for
printing, prioritize them, and execute the specific print driver logic required
for the selected printer.

• Fax servers provide support similar to that provided by print servers.

• Communications servers provide support for wide area network (WAN)
communications.

• UNIX servers provide a range of product add-ons from various vendors to

support the entire range of communications requirements.

• VMS servers support DECnet, TCP/IP, and SNA as well as various

asynchronous and serial communications protocols.

• MVS servers provide support for SNA, TCP/IP, and some support for other
asynchronous communications.

• Security at the server restricts access to software and data accessed from the
server.

• Communications access is controlled from the communications server.

• A LAN administrator manages systems and network management services

for the local LAN, but WAN services must be provided from some central
location.

4.2 Request Processing

Steps in Request Processing are:

1. A client issues requests to the NOS services software resident on the client
machine.
2. These services format the request into an appropriate RPC and issue the
request to the application layer of the client protocol stack.
3. The application layer of the protocol stack on the server receives this
request.

35
 Client/Server Architecture

4.3 Print Services

• High-quality printers, workstation-generated faxes, and plotters are natural

candidates for support from a shared server.
• The server can accept input from many clients, queue it according to the
priority of the request and handle it when the device is available.
• Many organizations realize substantial savings by enabling users to
generate fax output from their workstations and queue it at a fax server for
transmission when the communication costs are lower.
• Incoming faxes can be queued at the server and transmitted to the
appropriate client either on receipt or on request.

• In concert with workflow management techniques, images can be captured

and distributed to the appropriate client workstation from the image server.

• In the client/server model, work queues are maintained at the server by a

supervisor in concert with default algorithms that determine how to
distribute the queued work.

• Well-defined standards for electronic document management will allow this

technology to become fully integrated into the desktop work environment.
There are dramatic opportunities for cost savings and improvements in
efficiency if this technology is properly implemented and used.

4.4. Database Services

Early database servers were actually file servers with a different interface.

Products such as dBASE, Clipper, FoxPro, and Paradox execute the database
engine primarily on the client machine and use the file services provided by the
file server for record access and free space management.
These are new and more powerful implementations of the original flat-file models
with extracted indexes for direct record access.

The application program, which issues lock requests and lock checks, manages
currency control and by the database server, which creates a lock table that is
interrogated whenever a record access lock check is generated.

Because access is at the record level, all records satisfying the primary key must
be returned to the client workstation for filtering.
There are no facilities to execute procedural code at the server, to execute joins, or
to filter rows prior to returning them to the workstation. This lack of capability

36
 Client/Server Architecture

dramatically increases the likelihood of records being locked when several clients
are accessing the same database and increases network traffic when many
unnecessary rows are returned to the workstation only to be rejected.

The lack of server execution logic prevents these products from providing
automatic partial update backout and recovery after an application, system, or
hardware failure. For this reason, systems that operate in this environment require
an experienced system support programmer to assist in the recovery after a failure.

Client/server database engines such as Sybase, IBM's Database Manager, Ingres,

Oracle, and Informix provide support at the server to execute SQL requests issued
from the client workstation.
The file services are still used for space allocation and basic directory services, but
all other services are provided directly by the database server.
Relational database management systems are the current technology for data
management.

Relational database technology provides the current data management solution to

many of the problems inherent in the flat-file and hierarchical technologies.

The primary design objective (of E.F Codd) behind SQL was to provide a data
access language that could be shown mathematically to manipulate the desired
data correctly.

Use of SQL

- The secondary objective was to remove any sense of the physical storage of data
from the view of the user. SQL is another flat-file implementation; there are no
embedded pointers. SQL uses extracted indexes to provide direct access to the
rows (records) of the tables (files) of interest. Each column (field) may be used as
part of the search criteria.

- SQL provides (especially with SQL2 extensions) a very powerful data access
language. Its algebra provides all the necessary syntax to define, secure, and
access information in an SQL database.

- The elegance of the language intrigued the user and vendor community to the
extent that standards committees picked up the language and defined a set of
standards around the language syntax.

37
 Client/Server Architecture

- SQL1 and SQL2 define an exact syntax and a set of results for each operation.
As a consequence, many software vendors have developed products that
implement SQL.

- Dr. Codd has published a list of 13 rules that every SQL database engine should
adhere to in order to be truly compliant.

No products today can meet all of these criteria. The criteria, however, provide
a useful objective set for the standards committees and vendors to strive for. We
have defined another set of product standards that we are using to evaluate SQL
database engines for the development of client/server applications. In particular,
products should be implemented with support for the following products and
standards:

• ANSI SQL and IBM DB2 standards

• A variety of front-end query products

• C and COBOL SQL precompilers

• Support for and compatibility with server NOS: NetWare, OS/2 (LAN
Manager, LAN Server), Windows NT, Mac System 7, and/or UNIX
(VINES, SCO, Sun, HP/UX USL, SVR4_), and MVS

• Support for client Operating Systems: DOS, Windows, OS/2, Windows NT,
Mac System 7, or UNIX (Solaris, USL, SCO, HP/UX, SVR4_)

Production-capable client/server database engines must be able to provide a

similar operational environment to that found in the database engines present in
minicomputer and mainframe computers today.
Capabilities for comparison include performance, auditability, and recovery
techniques. In particular, the following DBMS features must be included in the
database engine:

• Performance optimization tools

• Dynamic transaction backout

• Roll back from, roll forward to last backup

• Audit file recovery

• Automatic error detection and recovery

• File reclamation and repair tools

38
 Client/Server Architecture

• Support for mirrored databases

• Capability to split database between physical disk drives

• Remote distributed database management features

• Maintenance of accurate and duplicate audit files on any LAN node

In the client/server implementation, you should offload database processing to the

server. Therefore, the database engine should accept SQL requests from the client
and execute them totally on the server, returning only the answer set to the client
requestor. The database engine should provide support for stored procedures or
triggers that run on the server.

The client/server model implies that there will be multiple concurrent user access.
The database engine must be able to manage this access without requiring every
developer to write well-behaved applications. The following features must be part
of the database engine:

• Locking mechanisms to guarantee data integrity

• Deadlock detection and prevention

• Multithreaded application processing

• User access to multiple databases on multiple servers

4.5 Security Services

• Client/server applications require similar security services to those provided
by host environments. Every user should be required to log in with a user
ID and password.
• If passwords might become visible to unauthorized users, the security
server should insist that passwords be changed regularly.

• The enterprise on the desk implies that a single logon ID and logon
sequence is used to gain the authority once to access all information and
process for the user has a need and right of access. Because data may be
stored in a less physically secure area, the option should exist to store data
in an encrypted form. A combination of the user ID and password should be
required to decrypt the data.

• New options, such as floppy less workstations with integrated data

encryption standard (DES) coprocessors, are available from vendors such
as Beaver Computer Company. These products automatically encrypt or

39
 Client/Server Architecture

decrypt data written or read to disk or a communication line. The

encryption and decryption are done using the DES algorithm and the user
password. This ensures that no unauthorized user can access stored data or
communications data.

• This type of security is particularly useful for laptop computers

participating in client/server applications, because laptops do not operate in
surroundings with the same physical security of an office.

4.6 File Services

File services handle access to the virtual directories and files located on the client
workstation and to the server's permanent storage. These services are provided
through the redirection software implemented as part of the client workstation
operating environment.

The file services provide this support at the remote server processor. In the typical
implementation, software, shared data, databases, and backups are stored on disk,
tape, and optical storage devices that are managed by the file server.

To minimize the effort and effect of installation and maintenance of software,

software should be loaded from the server for execution on the client.

New versions can be updated on the server and made immediately available to all
users.

In addition, installation in a central location reduces the effort required for each
workstation user to handle the installation process. Because each client
workstation user uses the same installation of the software, optional parameters are
consistent, and remote help desk operators are aware of them.

Backups of the server can be scheduled and monitored by a trained support person.
Backups of client workstations can be scheduled from the server, and data can be
stored at the server to facilitate recovery. Tape or optical backup units are typically
used for backup; these devices can readily provide support for many users

A support person who ensures that the backup functions are completed readily
monitors a central location. With more organizations looking at multimedia and
image technology, large optical storage devices are most appropriately
implemented as shared servers.

40
 Client/Server Architecture

4.7Communications Services

• Client/server applications require LAN and WAN communication services.

• Basic LAN services are integral to the NOS.
• Various communications server products provide WAN services.

41
 Client/Server Architecture

UNIT 5
Network and Protocol Basics

5.0 Communication Network

5.1 Local Area Network
5.2 Metropolitan Area Network
5.3 Wide Area Network
5.4 Network Structure
5.5 OSI Model
5.6 TCP/IP Architecture
5.7 TCP/IP Protocols

5.0 Communication Network

5.0.1 Introduction
In the world of computers, networking is the practice of linking two or more
computing devices together for the purpose of sharing data. Networks are built
with a combination of computer hardware and computer software.
Networks can be categorized in several different ways.
One method defines the type of a network according to the geographic area it
spans.
Alternatively, networks can also be classified based on topology or on the types of
protocols they support.

5.0.2 Introduction to Network Type

One way to categorize the different types of computer network designs is by their
scope or scale. For historical reasons, the networking industry refers to nearly
every type of design as some kind of area network. Types of networks are: LAN -
Local Area Network

• WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network LAN - Wide Area Network

• MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
• SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or
sometimes Small Area Network
• CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster
Area Network
• PAN - Personal Area Network
• DAN –Desk Area Network
•

42
 Client/Server Architecture

LAN and WAN were the original categories of area networks.

5.1 LAN - Local Area Network

A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked

office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes
one building will contain a few small LANs, and occasionally a LAN will span a
group of nearby buildings.
In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always implemented as a single IP
subnet. A LAN in turn often connects to other LANs, and to the Internet or other
WAN.

Most local area networks are built with relatively inexpensive hardware such as
Ethernet cables, network adapters, and hubs. Wireless LAN and other more
advanced LAN hardware options also exist.

The most common type of local area network is an Ethernet LAN. The smallest
home LAN can have exactly two computers; a large LAN can accommodate many
thousands of computers.

5.2 Metropolitan Area Network

MAN is a network spanning a physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a
WAN, such as a city. A MAN is typically owned an operated by a single entity
such as a government body or large corporation.

5.3 WAN - Wide Area Network

WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning
the Earth.

A WAN is a geographically dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called

a router connects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the router maintains both a
LAN address and a WAN address.

A WAN differs from a LAN in several important ways. Most WANs (like the
Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or
distributed ownership and management.

43
 Client/Server Architecture

WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity
over the longer distances.

Other Types of Area Networks

While LAN and WAN are by far the most popular network types mentioned, you
may also commonly see references to these others:

• Wireless Local Area Network - a LAN based on WiFi wireless

network technology
• Campus Area Network - a network spanning multiple LANs but
smaller than a MAN, such as on a university or local business campus.
• Storage Area Network - connects servers to data storage devices
through a technology like Fiber Channel.
• System Area Network - links high-performance computers with high-
speed connections in a cluster configuration. Also known as Cluster
Area Network

5.4 Network structure

The Network Structure describes the method of how data on a network is

organized and viewed.

Networks are usually classified using three properties:

i. Topology

ii. Protocol

iii. Architecture

5.4.1 Topology

Topology specifies the geometric arrangement of the network. Common

topologies are a bus, ring, and star.

Bus Topology:

44
 Client/Server Architecture

A bus topology means that each computer on the network is attached to a common
central cable, called a bus or backbone. This is a rather simple network to set up.

Ethernets use this topology.

Ring Topology:

A ring topology means that each computer is connected to two others, and they
arranged in a ring shape. These are difficult to set up, but offer high bandwidth.

Star Topology:

A star topology means all computers on the network are connected to a central
hub. These are easy to set up, but bottlenecks can occur because all data must pass
through the hub. The Figure 5.4.a below depicts these three topologies:

Fig5.4.a

5.4.2 Protocols

Protocol specifies a common set of rules and signals the computers on the network
use to communicate. There are many protocols, each having advantages over
others. The most popular ones are:

• TCP/IP :

45
 Client/Server Architecture

o Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. This was

originally developed by the Defense Department of the US to allow
dissimilar computers to talk.
o Today, as many of us know, this protocol is used as the basis for the
internet. Because it must span such large distances and cross
multiple, smaller networks, TCP/IP is a routable protocol, meaning it
can send data through a router on its way to its destination. In the
long run, this slows things down a little, but this ability makes it very
flexible for large networks.

• IPX/SPX:
o Developed by Novell for use with its NetWare NOS, but Microsoft
built compatibility into both NT and Windows 9x. IPX is like an
optimized TCP/IP.
o It, too, is a routable protocol, making it handy for large networks,
but it allows quicker access over the network than TCP/IP. The
downfall is that it doesn’t work well over analog phone lines.
o IPX continually checks the status of transmission to be sure all the
data arrives. This requires extra bandwidth, where analog phone
lines don’t have much to begin with. This results in slow access. Of
course, the data is more reliable with IPX.

• NetBEUI :

o Designed for small LANs, this protocol developed by Microsoft is

quite fast.
o It lacks the addressing overhead of TCP/IP and IPX, which means it
can only be used on LANs.
o You cannot access networks via a router.

5.4.3 Architecture

Architecture refers to one of the two major types of network architecture: Peer-to-
peer or client/server.

46
 Client/Server Architecture

In a Peer-to-Peer networking configuration, there is no server, and computers

simply connect with each other in a workgroup to share files, printers, and Internet
access.

This is most commonly found in home configurations, and is only practical for
workgroups of a dozen or less computers.

In a client/server network, there is usually an NT Domain Controller, which all of

the computers log on to. This server can provide various services, including
centrally routed Internet Access, mail (including e-mail), file sharing, and printer
access, as well as ensuring security across the network.

This is most commonly found in corporate configurations, where network security

is essential.

5.5 OSI Model ( Open Systems Interconnect)

The OSI reference model shown in Figure 5.5 provides an industry standard
framework for network and system interoperability.

The existence of heterogeneous LAN environments in large organizations makes

interoperability a practical reality. Organizations need and expect to view their
various workgroup LANs as an integrated corporate-wide network.

Citicorp, for example, is working to integrate its 100 independent networks into a
single global net.

1 .The OSI model provides the framework definition for developers attempting to
create interoperable products.

2 .Because many products are not yet OSI-compliant, there often is no direct
correspondence between the OSI model and reality.

The OSI model defines seven protocol layers and specifies that each layer be
insulated from the other by a well-defined interface.

47
 Client/Server Architecture

Fig 5.5 OSI Model

1. Physical Layer

• The physical layer is the lowest level of the OSI model and defines the
physical and electrical characteristics of the connections that make up the
network.
• It includes such things as interface specifications as well as detailed
specifications for the use of twisted-pair, fiber-optic, and coaxial cables.
• Standards of interest at this layer for client/server applications are IEEE
802.3 (Ethernet), and IEEE 802.5 (Token Ring) that define the requirements
for the network interface card (NIC) and the software requirements for the
media access control (MAC) layer.
• Other standards here include the serial interfaces EIA232 and X.21.

2.Data Link Layer

• The data link layer defines the basic packets of data expected to enter or
leave the physical network. Bit patterns, encoding methods, and tokens are
known to this layer.
• The data link layer detects errors and corrects them by requesting
retransmission of corrupted packets or messages.
• This layer is actually divided into two sublayers:

48
 Client/Server Architecture

 The media access control (MAC)

• The MAC sublayer has network access responsibility
for token passing, collision sensing, and network
control. The LLC sublayer operates above the MAC
and sends and receives data packets and messages.
 The logical link control (LLC).
• Ethernet, Token Ring, and FDDI define the record format of the packets
(frames) being communicated between the MAC layer and Network layer.
The internal formats are different and without conversion workstations
cannot interoperate with workstations that operate with another definition.

3.Network Layer

• The network layer is responsible for switching and routing messages to

their proper destinations. It coordinates the means for addressing and
delivering messages.
• It provides for each system a unique network address, determines a route to
transmit data to its destination, segments large blocks of data into smaller
packets of data, and performs flow control.

4.Transport Layer

• When a message contains more than one packet, the transport layer
sequences the message packets and regulates inbound traffic flow. The
transport layer is responsible for ensuring end-to-end error-free
transmission of data.
• The transport layer maintains its own addresses that get mapped onto
network addresses. Because the transport layer services process on systems,
multiple transport addresses (origins or destination) can share a single
network address.

5.Session Layer

• The session layer provides the services that enable applications running at
two processors to coordinate their communication into a single session.
• A session is an exchange of messages—a dialog between two processors.
• This layer helps create the session, inform one workstation if the other
drops out of the session, and terminate the session on request.

49
 Client/Server Architecture

6.Presentation Layer

• The presentation layer is responsible for translating data from the internal
machine form of one processor in the session to that of the other.

7.Application Layer

• The application layer is the layer to which the application on the processor
directly talks. The programmer codes to an API defined at this layer.
• Messages enter the OSI protocol stack at this level, travel through the layers
to the physical layer, across the network to the physical layer of the other
processor, and up through the layers into the other processor application
layer and program

5.6TCP/IP Architecture

History

Many organizations were unable to wait for the completion of the OSI middle-
layer protocols during the 1980s. Vendors and users adopted the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which was developed for the United
States military Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ARPANET
network. ARPANET was one of the first layered communications networks and
established the precedent for successful implementation of technology isolation
between functional components.

Today, the Internet is a worldwide interconnected network of universities,

research, and commercial establishments; it supports thirty million US users and
fifty million worldwide users. Additional networks are connected to the Internet
every hour of the day. In fact growth is now estimated at 15 percent per month.
The momentum behind the Internet is tremendous.

The TCP/IP protocol suite is now being used in many commercial applications. It
is particularly evident in internetworking between different LAN environments.

The TCP/IP

TCP/IP is specifically designed to handle communications through "networks of

interconnected networks."

50
 Client/Server Architecture

In fact, it has now become the de facto protocol for LAN-based Client/Server
connectivity and is supported on virtually every computing platform.

More importantly, most interprocess communications and development tools

embed support for TCP/IP where multiplatform interoperability is required.

It is worth noting that IBM has followed this growth and not only provides support
for TCP/IP on all its platforms, but now enables the transport of its own
interoperability interfaces (such as CPIC, APPC) on TCP/IP.

TCP/IP's Architecture

The TCP/IP protocol suite is composed of the following components: a network

protocol (IP) and its routing logic, three transport protocols (TCP, UDP, and
ICMP), and a series of session, presentation and application services. The
following sections highlight those of interest.

5.7 TCP/IP Protocols

1.Internet Protocol

IP represents the network layer and is equivalent to OSI's IP or X.25. A unique

network address is assigned to every system, whether the system is connected to a
LAN or a WAN. The system comes with its associated routing protocols and lower
level functions such as network-to-physical address resolution protocols (ARP).
Commonly used routing protocols include RIP, OSPF, IGRP, and Cisco's
proprietary protocol. OSPF has been adopted by the community to be the
standards-based preferred protocol for large networks.

2. Transport Protocols

TCP provides Transport services over IP. It is connection-oriented, meaning it

requires a session to be set up between two parties to provide its services. It
ensures end-to-end data transmission, error recovery, ordering of data, and flow
control. TCP provides the kind of communications that users and programs expect
to have in locally connected sessions.

UDP provides connectionless transport services, and is used in very specific

applications that do not require end-to-end reliability such as that provided by
TCP.

51
 Client/Server Architecture

3.Telnet

Telnet is an application service that uses TCP. It provides terminal emulation

services and supports terminal-to-host connections over an internetwork. It is
composed of two different portions: a client entity that provides services to access
hosts and a server portion that provides services to be accessed by clients. Even
workstation operating systems such as OS/2 and Windows can provide telnet
server support, thus enabling a remote user to log onto the workstation using this
method.

4. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP uses TCP services to provide file transfer services to applications. FTP
includes a client and server portion. Server FTP listens for a session initiation
request from client FTP. Files may be transferred in either direction, or ASCII and
binary file transfer is supported. FTP provides a simple means to perform software
distribution to hosts, servers, and workstations.

5. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

SNMP provides intelligence and services to effectively manage an internetwork. It

has been widely adopted by hub, bridge, and router manufacturers as the preferred
technology to monitor and manage their devices.

SNMP uses UDP to support communications between agents—intelligent software

that runs in the devices—and the manager, which runs in the management
workstation. Two basic forms of communications can occur: SNMP polling (in
which the manager periodically asks the agent to provide status and performance
data) and trap generation (in which the agent proactively notifies the manager that
a change of status or an anomaly is occurring).

6.Network File System (NFS)

The NFS protocol enables the use of IP by servers to share disk space and files the
same way a Novell or LAN Manager network server does. It is useful in
environments in which servers are running different operating systems. However,
it does not offer support for the same administration facilities that a NetWare
environment typically provides.

7.Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

SMTP uses TCP connections to transfer text-oriented electronic mail among users
on the same host or among hosts over the network. Developments are under way

52
 Client/Server Architecture

to adopt a standard to add multimedia capabilities (MIME) to SMTP. Its use is

widespread on the Internet, where it enables any user to reach millions of users in
universities, vendor organizations, standards bodies, and so on. Most electronic
mail systems today provide some form of SMTP gateway to let users benefit from
this overall connectivity.

TCP/IP and Internetworks

Interestingly, the interconnected LAN environment exhibits many of the same

characteristics found in the environment for which TCP/IP was designed. In
particular

• Routing: Internetworks need support for routing; routing is very efficient in

TCP/IP environments with efficient protocols such as OSPF.

• Connections versus Connectionless: LAN activity includes both; the

TCP/IP protocol suite efficiently supports both within an integrated
framework.

• Administrative Load Sensitivity: A LAN administrative support is usually

limited; contrary to IBM's SNA, TCP/IP environments contain a
tremendous amount of dynamic capabilities, in which devices and networks
are dynamically discovered, and routing tables are automatically
maintained and synchronized.

• Networks of Networks: TCP/IP provides extreme flexibility as the

administrative approach to the management of federations of networks.
Taking advantage of its dynamic nature, it enables very independent
management of parts of a network (if appropriate).

53
 Client/Server Architecture

UNIT 6
CORBA

6.1 Common Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)

6.1.1 OMG (Object Management Group)
6.1.2 CORBA ……… what is it?
6.1.3 who is using CORBA already?
6.1.4 what is CORBA good for?
6.1.5 ORB and CORBA Architecture
6.1.6 Technical Details of CORBA
6.2 CORBA Object Services
6.3 CORBA Common Facilities
6.4 CORBA 3.0: Next Generation
6.5 CORBA Style Interfaces
6.6 DCOM Objects
6.7 COM Servers

6.1 Common Request Broker Architecture

6.1.1 OMG (Object Management Group)

OMG was created in 1989. The OMG solicited input from all segments of the
industry and eventually defined the CORBA standards. OMG has been an
international, open membership, not-for-profit computer industry consortium since
1989. Any organization may join OMG and participate in standards-setting
process.

OMG’s modeling standards enable powerful visual design, execution and

maintenance of software and other processes. OMG’s middleware standards and
profiles are based on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture
(CORBA®) and support a wide variety of industries.

6.1.2 CORBA ……… what is it?

Distributed Object Systems

Distributed object systems are distributed systems in which all entities are
modeled as objects. Distributed object systems are a popular paradigm for object-
oriented distributed applications. Since the application is modeled as a set of
cooperating objects, it maps very naturally to the services of the distributed
system.

54
 Client/Server Architecture

CORBA, or Common Object Request Broker Architecture, is a standard

architecture for distributed object systems. It allows a distributed, heterogeneous
collection of objects to interoperate.

OR

CORBA is the acronym for Common Object Request Broker Architecture, OMG's
open, vendor-independent architecture and infrastructure that computer
applications use to work together over networks.

• It uses the standard protocol IIOP. A CORBA-based program from any

vendor, on almost any computer, operating system, programming language,
and network, can interoperate with a CORBA-based program from the
same or another vendor, on almost any other computer, operating system,
programming language, and network.
• The CORBA specification is supported by more than 700 hardware and
software manufacturers, government organizations and user groups,
creating a rich and robust framework that successfully operates across
heterogeneous computing platforms.
• CORBA is proving to be one of the most important innovations in the
recent history of information systems. It addresses the two most prominent
problems faced in the software industry today:
• The difficulty of developing client server applications.
• By rapidly integrating legacy systems, off-the-shelf applications and the
new development.
• CORBA is the specification for an emerging technology known as
distributed object management (DOM), where DOM provides a higher-
level, object-oriented interface on top of the basic distributed computing
services.
• Microsoft’s Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) is the only
competitor for CORBA among the DOM solutions.
• At the basic level, CORBA defines a standard framework from which an
information system implementer of software developer can easily and
quickly integrate network-software modules and applications to create new
and more powerful applications.
• The term CORBA is often used to refer to ORB (Object Request Broker )
itself , as well as to the entire OMG architecture.

55
 Client/Server Architecture

6.1.3 Who is using CORBA already?

Thousands of sites rely on CORBA for enterprise, internet, and other computing.
The Object Management Group maintains an entire website devoted to user design
wins and success stories.

6.1.4 What is CORBA good for?

CORBA is useful in many situations. Because of the easy way that CORBA
integrates machines from so many vendors, with sizes ranging from mainframes
through minis and desktops to hand-helds and embedded systems, it is the
middleware of choice for large (and even not-so-large) enterprises.

One of its most important, as well most frequent, uses is in servers that must
handle large number of clients, at high hit rates, with high reliability.

CORBA works behind the scenes in the computer rooms of many of the world's
largest websites; ones that you probably use every day.

Specializations for scalability and fault-tolerance support these systems. But it's
not used just for large applications; specialized versions of CORBA run real-time
systems, and small embedded systems.

6.1.5 ORB and CORBA Architecture

The ORB

• The ORB is the distributed service that implements the request to the
remote object. It locates the remote object on the network, communicates
the request to the object, waits for the results and when available
communicates those results back to the client.
• The ORB implements location transparency. Exactly the same request
mechanism is used by the client and the CORBA object regardless of where
the object is located. It might be in the same process with the client, down
the hall or across the planet. The client cannot tell the difference.
• The ORB implements programming language independence for the request.
The client issuing the request can be written in a different programming
language from the implementation of the CORBA object.
• The ORB does the necessary translation between programming languages.
Language bindings are defined for all popular programming languages.

CORBA Architecture

56
 Client/Server Architecture

• CORBA defines architecture for distributed objects. The basic CORBA

paradigm is that of a request for services of a distributed object. Everything
else defined by the OMG is in terms of this basic paradigm.
• The services that an object provides are given by its interface. Interfaces are
defined in OMG's Interface Definition Language (IDL). Distributed objects
are identified by object references, which are typed by IDL interfaces.
• The figure 6.1.5 below graphically depicts a request. A client holds an
object reference to a distributed object. The object reference is typed by an
interface. In the figure below the object reference is typed by the Rabbit
interface. The Object Request Broker, or ORB, delivers the request to the
object and returns any results to the client. In the figure, a jump request
returns an object reference typed by the AnotherObject interface.

Fig 6.1.5

OMG Reference Model

OMG Reference Model Architecture

57
 Client/Server Architecture

• Object Services -- These are domain-independent interfaces that are used

by many distributed object programs.
o For example, a service providing for the discovery of other available
services is almost always necessary regardless of the application
domain. Two examples of Object Services that fulfill this role are:

• The Naming Service -- which allows clients to find objects

based on names;
• The Trading Service -- which allows clients to find objects
based on their properties.

There are also Object Service specifications for lifecycle management,

security, transactions, and event notification, as well as many others

• Common Facilities -- Like Object Service interfaces, these interfaces are

also horizontally-oriented, but unlike Object Services they are oriented
towards end-user applications.
o An example of such a facility is the Distributed Document
Component Facility (DDCF), a compound document Common
Facility based on OpenDoc. DDCF allows for the presentation and
interchange of objects based on a document model, for example,
facilitating the linking of a spreadsheet object into a report
document.
• Domain Interfaces -- These interfaces fill roles similar to Object Services
and Common Facilities but are oriented towards specific application
domains.
o For example, one of the first OMG RFPs issued for Domain
Interfaces is for Product Data Management (PDM) Enablers for the
manufacturing domain.
• Application Interfaces - These are interfaces developed specifically for a
given application. Because they are application-specific, and because the
OMG does not develop applications (only specifications), these interfaces
are not standardized. However, if over time it appears that certain broadly
useful services emerge out of a particular application domain, they might
become candidates for future OMG standardization.

6.1.6 Technical Details of CORBA

CORBA applications are composed of objects, individual units of running

software that combine functionality and data, and that represent something in the
real world.

58
 Client/Server Architecture

Typically, there are many instances of an object of a single type - for example, an
e-commerce website would have many shopping cart object instances, all identical
in functionality but differing in that each is assigned to a different customer, and
contains data representing the merchandise that its particular customer has
selected.

For other types, there may be only one instance. When a legacy application, such
as an accounting system, is wrapped in code with CORBA interfaces and opened
up to clients on the network, there is usually only one instance.

For each object type, such as the shopping cart that we just mentioned, you define
an interface in OMG IDL.

The interface is the syntax part of the contract that the server object offers to the
clients that invoke it. Any client that wants to invoke an operation on the object
must use this IDL interface to specify the operation it wants to perform, and to
marshal the arguments that it sends. When the invocation reaches the target object,
the same interface definition is used there to unmarshal the arguments so that the
object can perform the requested operation with them. The interface definition is
then used to marshal the results for their trip back, and to unmarshal them when
they reach their destination.

The IDL interface definition is independent of programming language, but maps to

all of the popular programming languages via OMG standards: OMG has
standardized mappings from IDL to C, C++, Java, COBOL, Smalltalk, Ada, Lisp,
Python, and IDLscript

This separation of interface from implementation, enabled by OMG IDL, is the

essence of CORBA. The interface to each object is defined very strictly.

In contrast, the implementation of an object - its running code, and its data - is
hidden from the rest of the system (that is, encapsulated) behind a boundary that
the client may not cross.

Clients’ access objects only through their advertised interface, invoking only
those operations that that the object exposes through its IDL interface, with only
those parameters (input and output) that are included in the invocation.

6.2 CORBA Object Services

Another important part of the CORBA standard is the definition of a set of

distributed services to support the integration and interoperation of distributed
objects.

59
 Client/Server Architecture

There are several CORBA services.

Service Description
Object life cycle Defines how CORBA objects are created, removed,
moved, and copied
Naming Defines how CORBA objects can have friendly symbolic
names
Events Decouples the communication between distributed objects
Relationships Provides arbitrary typed n-ary relationships between
CORBA objects
Externalization Coordinates the transformation of CORBA objects to and
from external media
Transactions Coordinates atomic access to CORBA objects
Concurrency Control Provides a locking service for CORBA objects in order to
ensure serializable access
Property Supports the association of name-value pairs with
CORBA objects
Trader Supports the finding of CORBA objects based on
properties describing the service offered by the object
Query Supports queries on objects

6.3 CORBA Common Facilities

It is a collection of services that many applications may share, but which are not as
fundamental as the Object Services. For instance, a system management or
electronic mail facility could be classified as a common facility.

Common Facilities are divided into two major categories:

1. Horizontal Common Facilities - which are used by most systems,

2. Vertical Market Facilities - which are domain-specific.

Horizontal Common Facilities

Involves in userinterface, information management, system management, and task

management. The Horizontal Common Facilities are those facilities that are used
by most systems.

60
 Client/Server Architecture

Vertical Market Facilities

Are those facilities that are specific to particular domains or industries, rather than
widely applicable.

6.4 CORBA 3.0: Next Generation

Formally, CORBA 2 and CORBA 3 refer to complete releases of the entire

CORBA specification.
However, because OMG increments the major release number only when they
make a significant addition to the architecture, these phrases become a sort of
shorthand for just the significant addition.

So, "CORBA 2" sometimes refers to CORBA interoperability and the IIOP
protocol, and "CORBA 3" sometimes refers to the CORBA Component Model
CCM (even though the term CORBA 3 really refers to a suite of ten
specifications!).

6.6 DCOM Objects (Distributed Component Object Model)

This is a different flavor of COM.DCOM allows your component to run on a

computer other than the one that is using your DCOM component; whereas a
standard COM component runs on the same machine and in the same process
space as the software that uses it.
To master DCOM is to understand the details of how they affect the software you
are building.ab

Why use DCOM?

It is your ticket to the distributed part of your application; it provides you with
ability to talk to services on a machine other than the client computer. In the past,
all the functionality was on the host machine and perhaps the database on the
server.
But with DCOM, you can now place actual functionality on the server and access
it almost as if they were local.

Benefits of DCOM

a. Write components once and allow many programmers to use it.

61
 Client/Server Architecture

b. You can design and implement only the components’ interface and other
programmers can code to that interface.
c. When component s change, you can replace them once on a server
instead of on every client machine.
d. All clients get the update when the server-side component is in place.

What is not good in DCOM?

o As a programmer, you need to change and focus from being

property-oriented to service-oriented. For this you need thinking in
different perspective that takes some time.

o Installation of DCOM components is more involved than traditional

application installation. You must be sure that the client knows about
the client-side components and where they are located.

o Components located on a network can be slower than components

located on a server due to the network traffic turn-around time.

The DCOM has some basic concept associated with it .They are

1.DCOM Component Locations

The COM components are created as an ActiveX DLL, which has the Classes your
program can access through the COM components.

The components are registered on the client system in the Windows Registry. The
Registry entries also give the picture on where exactly the DLL file is located on
the machine, so that it is loaded an executed.

The DCOM components still have to be registered as they reside on different

machine. This tells the information about the real location on the remote computer
, the component is running , thus now the client knows where the component is
.When a component is called, from the programmer’s view an instance of the
DCOM component is created.

The runtime system looks for the Registry entry of the component which we are
trying to create, if found it connects to the machine across the network an makes
the request.

62
 Client/Server Architecture

2. In-Process and Out-of-Process Components

In-process - components are running in the same process space as its applications,
they are built as DLL’s.

Out-of-process – components are running in a different address space from the

application .They do not share the same process space, and they are built as
EXE’s.

3. The Surrogate

There is an exception point between ActiveX EXE’s and DLL’s. We know that
EXE’s are out-of-process components and DLL’s are in-process ones. But when
writing components for Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) or COM+, you need
to create DLL’s. This makes it difficult to create a multipurpose components that
can run in MTS or as stand-alone server-side , out-of-process components.

In order to address this problem Microsoft created a concept called Surrogate

Process. This process wraps a DLL component in an EXE so that it can run as
an out-of-process DCOM component.
This exception will allow you to use components that were built as ActiveX
DLL’s on a server as DCOM components.

4. Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

DCOM is entirely dependent on Microsoft RPC to provide the distributed

capabilities. RPC only turns COM into DCOM. Microsoft infact extends RPC to
accommodate DCOM via a mechanism known as the Object RPC (ORPC).
ORPC extended RPC is how the calls are made on remote objects, as well as how
references are transmitted and referenced.
It has 3 concepts in it as listed below:
RPC as Middleware
RPC Functions
RPC Steps

5.Marshaling

It is an important concept when dealing with DCOM. We know that when you
pass data from your application to a regular in-process COM component, the
component’s stack is used to store the parameters ; similar to the function call in
the application. But the same is not possible for the out-of-process DCOM

63
 Client/Server Architecture

components; here we need different machines to move the data across the process
boundary. This mechanism is called as Marshaling.

The Marshaling works through a mechanism that user objects known as proxies
and stubs.

The proxy function is built into the client and a stub function is built into the
component. The proxy portion marshals the data and prepares it for shipment
across the process boundary to the component.

The stub function in the component unmarshals the data for use by the component.

64