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Servers: .NET Enterprise Servers
Most of Microsoft's server products now support Web services, one way or another. At the Visual Studio launch, Bill Gates stressed this is a phased approach.
"In the same way that you've seen with customer applications, we start with having a rich XML layer on top of our software, and then, as we go to the new generation, [they are] built from the bottom up around XML," Gates said. "You've seen this with products like SQL; we put a very rich XML layer on top. If you look down inside, it's still relational tables, but the next major version will actually be XML as a very central data type."
The following servers are now .NET enabled:
- BizTalk Server 2000: Through a tool kit, developers can now use BizTalk Server components in the Visual Studio .NET to turn BizTalk Server business processes into XML Web services.
- SQL Server: Through a tool kit, developers can make existing stored procedures or server-side XML templates available as XML Web services.
- Commerce Server 2002: Supports Web services and allows ASP.NET applications to benefit from the Commerce Server line of services and systems.
- Exchange 2000: Through a tool kit, developers can integrate collaborative Web services with the Exchange server.
Clients: Office XP
Developers can create rich user experiences by integrating Web services into client applications, such as Office XP. The newly released Office XP Web services tool kit and smart tag enterprise resource tool kit enable developers to put XML Web services data into Office XP. This allows users to, for instance, view dynamically served data in their local spreadsheets.
Tools: Visual Studio .NET
With distribution of beta versions to 3.5 million developers, Visual Studio .NET is the most widely distributed prerelease software in Microsoft's history. Bill Gates calls it "The most comprehensive development tool of all time."
Now available commercially - hype aside - Visual Studio .NET is a powerful tool to create Web services. It leverages behind-the-scene tasks in the .NET Framework, such as debugging, and the power of .NET Enterprise Servers, by supporting components of Microsoft servers and third-party vendors.
Services: My Services
Microsoft is not only in the business of developing technology for creating Web services, it also developed its own Web services under the heading "My Services" (formerly code-named Hailstorm). My Services include Passport, an online ID system, calendar, profile, e-wallet, notifications, and contact management package. These services will also be accessible from mobile devices.
Microsoft recently changed its plan on how to offer My Services. Instead of offering them as subscription services to endusers, the company now plans to license them to enterprises.
Hans Hartman wrote this article for HostingTech, a web hosting magazine, and can be contacted at hhartman@hostingtech.com
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