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Every quarter we will post information to help you better understand some of the terminology, concepts, platforms and/or applications used in the IT sector.
FAQ:
- What are Web Services?
- What is Microsoft .NET?
- What is IMS?
- What is IMSConnect?
- What is Microsoft IIS?
- What is the difference between N-Tier Architecture and Service-Oriented Architecture?
- What are the benefits of upgrading to Microsoft SQL Server 2005?
1. What are Web Services?
Web services are reusable pieces of applications that can be shared over a network or the Internet. Web services can be called individually or combined with others, depending on the level of complexity required. Internal or external applications can “subscribe” to use the “exposed” web service and the functionality that it provides. This integration allows applications to escape their usual boundaries and the restrictions of technology or platforms. Now applications running on Unix, Windows and Mainframe platforms can share functionality through web services that are “exposed” for other applications to use.
Web services make integration more flexible and the possibilities for interacting with other organizations easier than ever before. Data and functionality can now be shared through secure web services and common standards like XML and SOAP. Web services can be created as parts of new applications or to extend the functionality of existing legacy business applications. Tools like .NET and JAVA, along with other technologies, make the building, exposing and subscribing to web services the way of the future and the way to integrate businesses at new levels.
2. What is Microsoft .NET?
Microsoft .NET is a development environment with growing popularity within the public sector. Microsoft .NET is defined as a set of software technologies for connecting information, people, systems, and devices. This new generation of technology is based on web services, which are small building-block applications that can connect to each other as well as to other larger applications over the Internet.
Microsoft .NET is infused into the products that make up the Microsoft platform, providing an ability to quickly and reliably build, host, deploy, and utilize connected solutions using web services — all with the protection of industry-standard security technologies.
TP Systems has a roster of employees who are certified and extremely knowledgeable about Microsoft .NET. Please contact us directly with your questions.
3. What is IMS?
IMS (Information Management System) is a database and transaction management system that was first introduced by IBM in 1968. Since then, IMS has gone through many changes to adapt to new programming tools and environments. IMS is one of two major legacy database and transaction management subsystems from IBM that run on Mainframe MVS (now z/OS) systems. The other is CICS. It is claimed that, historically, application programs that use either (or both) IMS or CICS services have handled and continue to handle most of the world’s banking, insurance and entry order transactions.
IMS consists of two major components, the IMS Database Management System (IMS DB) and the IMS Transaction Management System (IMS TM). In IMS DB, the data is organized into a hierarchy. The data in one level is dependent on the data in the next level. The data is arranged so that its integrity is ensured and the storage and retrieval process is optimized. IMS TM controls I/O (input/output) processing, provides formatting, logging and recovery of messages, maintains communications security and oversees the scheduling and execution of programs.
4. What is IMSConnect?
IMSConnect is a component of IMS and allows external applications to interact directly with IMS and place messages directly on the IMS queue. Thus, any application, whether it be on a PC, server or other MVS system, can, via TCP/IP socket calls, send a string of data to IMSConnect and have it execute as an IMS transaction. Certain information is passed in the header such as RACF id, userid and syncpoint controls. IMSConnect uses the IMS Open Transaction Manager Access component (OTMA) to interact directly with IMS. IMSConnect, MQ Series, IMS Bridge and many other products are referred to as “OTMA clients”, as they send information directly to IMS via the OTMA layer. IMSConnect is provided free as part of IMS and is available in all of the IMS regions.
5. What is Microsoft IIS?
Microsoft IIS is Microsoft’s software that hosts websites and web applications. It manages website content and information for web servers and web application servers. Microsoft IIS provides web servers and web application servers the basic capabilities for hosting websites and providing web services. An example of IIS’s web service capability is delivering an HTML document for viewing or an ASP (active server page) that allows internet users to interact with a website or a web-based application; for example, a form a user can fill out and submit. When a web page request is made via an internet browser, the browser connects to the server which hosts the information. IIS sends the information to the browser as an HTML document or an ASP. HTML is the markup language that preserves a web page’s layout and structure on the internet user’s screen.
6. What is the difference between N-Tier Architecture and Service-Oriented Architecture?
N-Tier Architecture is an electronic system designed in such a way that the system’s processing and data storage occur in separate physical tiers. For example, a Web application in which the Web browser represents one tier, the Web server hosting the Web application represents another tier and the database storing the data represents the final tier. Within an N-Tier Architecture, the logical components are often broken into layers. For example, Web applications often have three layers: User Interface, Business Access and Data Access. These layers are loosely coupled to ensure easy maintenance, consistent design and reusable code. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) architecture differs from N-Tier’s layered design as it is web-like. With the advent of new standard common languages and protocols for packaging and sending service invocation requests, such as XML and SOAP, components can communicate to share data and functionality despite using different technologies. SOA effectively eliminates the physical boundaries established in an N-Tier Architecture. Despite the differences in design, the two technologies can co-exist. A Web service built using the N-Tiered approach (e.g. Web service application on a Web server and database on a database server) can simply call one or more Web services for other systems to use.
7. What are the benefits of upgrading to Microsoft SQL Server 2005?
No matter the size, all enterprises can benefit from an upgrade to Microsoft SQL Server 2005. Features once only available and affordable by large enterprises are now standard features in Microsoft’s newest version. Designed to work more efficiently with Microsoft’s Visual Studio .Net, SQL Server 2005 allows enterprises greater functionality, efficiency, and effectiveness throughout the application development and implementation process. The new, broader toolset, designed to work more efficiently with SQL Server 2005, empowers users to easily meet their business intelligence and reporting needs. New high availability features on both the standard and enterprise versions, such as database mirroring, ensures better protection of company data. SQL Server 2005’s increased security, flexibility, scalability and reliability means that small- to mid-sized enterprises can experience the same benefits once only enjoyed by large organizations.
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