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NET Framework Troubleshooting and Support

2008-01-07T06:48:00.001-08:00

NET Framework Troubleshooting and Support

.NET Framework Troubleshooting and Support
Search MSDN Online, the Microsoft Knowledge Base, and MSDN Blogs to locate resources to assist you with troubleshooting.
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Learn .NET Framework 3.0

2008-01-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

Learn .NET Framework 3.0

Microsoft’s .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly codenamed “WinFX”), is the new managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with four new technologies: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), and Windows CardSpace™. Use the .NET Framework 3.0 to build applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, the ability to support a wide range of business processes, and an easier way to manage your personal information online.
Figure 1. The .NET Framework 3.0.
.NET Framework 3.0 Versioning and Deployment Q&ACheck out some of the frequently asked questions about the recently renamed .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX).
Windows Communication Foundation
Discover the new breed of communications infrastructure built around the Web services. This suite of .NET technologies for building and running connected systems unifies a broad array of distributed systems capabilities in a composable and extensible architecture to provide secure, reliable, and transacted messaging along with interoperability.
Windows Presentation Foundation
Find information to help you learn about the Windows Presentation Foundation, Microsoft's technology for building applications and high fidelity experiences in Windows Vista, blending together application UI, documents, and media content, while exploiting the full power of your computer. Get hands-on labs, samples, and more.
Windows Workflow Foundation
Learn all about Microsoft's new programming model, engine and tools for quickly building workflow-enabled applications on Windows. Windows Workflow Foundation includes support for both system workflow and human workflow across a wide range of scenarios.
Windows CardSpace
Find out how to build applications with Windows Cardspace (formerly "InfoCard"), Microsoft's technology for managing digital identities.
BooksSee highlights of some of the first books available to help you understand different topics related to Windows Vista application development.

Application and Technology Architecture

2008-01-07T06:45:00.001-08:00

Application and Technology Architecture

The functional requirements of a software system describe the business value that the software delivers. For a weather service, a functional requirement might be stated as "given a well-formed message A as input, the service will return a message B correct for the time span and geographic location represented in message A."
An application architecture is the architecture of any automated services that support and implement such functional requirements, including the interfaces to the business and other applications. It describes the structure of an application and how that structure implements the functional requirements of the organization. Whilst there should ideally be one application architecture in an organization, in practice there are typically many different application architectures.
The operational requirements of a software system define the reliability, manageability, performance, security, and interoperability requirements of the software (to list just a few). Common examples might be that the service is only available to authorized subscribers, and that the service be functioning properly 99.999 percent of the time.
A technology architecture is the architecture of the hardware and software infrastructure that supports the organization and implements the operational (or non functional) requirements, particularly the application and information architectures of the organization. It describes the structure and inter-relationships of the technologies used, and how those technologies support the operational requirements of the organization.
A good technology architecture can provide security, availability, and reliability, and can support a variety of other operational requirements, but if the application is not designed to take advantage of the characteristics of the technology architecture, it can still perform poorly or be difficult to deploy and operate. Similarly, a well-designed application structure that matches business process requirements precisely—and has been constructed from reusable software components using the latest technology—may map poorly to an actual technology configuration, with servers inappropriately configured to support the application components and network hardware settings unable to support information flow. This shows that there is a relationship between the application architecture and the technology architecture: a good technology architecture is built to support the specific applications vital to the organization; a good application architecture leverages the technology architecture to deliver consistent performance across operational requirements.
Figure 1. Relationships between architectures
Conceptual, Logical, and Physical Views
For all architectural perspectives there are various views of the architecture that are often classified as conceptual, logical, and physical views. Conceptual views are the most abstract and tend to be described in terms that are most familiar to the (non-IT professional) users of the system. The conceptual view is used to define the functional requirements and the business users' view of the application to generate a business model. Logical views show the main functional components and their relationships within a system independently of the technical details of how the functionality is implemented. Architects create application models, which are logical views of the business model, as they determine how to meet business objectives and requirements. The application models represent the logical view of the architecture for an application. Physical views are the least abstract and illustrate the specific implementation components and their relationships. Each of the elements in the physical view is implemented, normally by a design and development process, as a software or hardware system. This implementation view is normally owned by the development or operations organizations within an organization and so is outside the scope of this document.
Figure 2. Architectural views
There can be (and indeed, normally are) multiple views at each architectural level; for example, there is normally a logical application architecture view per application.
These views are driven by sets of requirements and in turn generate input into design, development, setup, and operational processes and systems.
Figure 3. Architectural views and patterns
The remainder of this guide will focus on application and technology architectures, their concepts and key patterns for construction of service-based applications that exploit the emerging technology of Web services. The implementation area, including design, development, setup, deployment, and administration, while of vital importance in the overall system generation, is outside the scope of this document.
Application Architecture
As previously discussed, the application architecture provides three views: the conceptual, the logical, and the physical. These views are used by architects to generate models within organizations that support and meet their business requirements. Ideally there is just one model per view, but in reality there may be multiple models per view—the result of growth and change in organizations and technologies. However, the rationalization of these models to a minimum set is the key to the provision of both efficient and flexible organizations.
Conceptual view
The conceptual view is used to define the business requirements and the business users' view of the application to generate a business model. Conceptual modeling techniques, such as use case analysis, activity diagrams, process design, and business entity modeling, help to build a description of the key business processes and the data they use, in way that emphasizes business objectives and requirements, and is free of implementation technology.
Logical view
Architects create application models that are logical views of the business model as they determine how to meet business objectives and requirements. The application models represent the logical view of the architecture for an application.
Architects here are concerned with the overall structure of the application. They decide on the mapping of data management and process steps, they design the interactions between parts of the model in terms of logical messages and sequences, and they determine what data and state should be held by the model.
Physical view
Each of the elements in the application model requires mapping to elements of real technologies. In this way application models are realized as implementation models. Part of this task is undertaken during conventional development when programmers write detailed business logic as code, but much of the implementation activities are properly classed as framework completion—a technique for development where much of the infrastructure of distributed applications and data management is handled by sophisticated frameworks that are extended by custom application logic and declarative control structures. Framework completion shields developers from the intricacies of, for instance, asynchronous message handling, and allows developers with modest skills to make effective contributions to the project.
Architecting and building these models for an organization at each of the different levels is clearly a considerable amount of work and effort. Additionally, the correct definition of these models is critical for an organization. An incorrect architectural model almost always results in serious design or operational issues such as scalability or reliability problems or, in the worst cases, project non-completion and business impact. Architects are looking for frameworks and roadmaps to assist them in creation and implementation of these models and to minimize the risks associated with the use of incorrect models.
There are two main types of architectural guidance and assistance that can be provided to architects to speed up model generation and minimize risk.
The first of these is a set of architectural concepts that provide:
A common understanding and communication.
Guidance as to how and when specific concepts should be used, and information about their attributes.
An indication as to when these concepts will be realized and available, either in terms of guidance or real technology.
The second is a set of patterns, based on real-world experience harvested from a large number of successful distributed applications, which are composed from these fundamental concepts. These patterns encapsulate important best practices for distributed application design and minimize the risk of project failure by providing known good, tested architectural models.
Figure 4. Views of application architecture
These two sets of guidance; concepts and patterns, are relevant at the conceptual level (where they are business model concepts and patterns), the logical level (where there are application concepts and patterns), and at the technology level. The provision of these concepts and patterns is key to the successful, rapid, and cost-effective implementation of systems and the adoption of technology by organizations.
Application Architecture: Conceptual View
In the past, applications have been built by integrating local system services such as file systems and device drivers. This model was very flexible in providing access to a rich set of development resources and precise control over how the application behaved; however, this was very error-prone, costly, and time-consuming.
Today, complex distributed applications are being constructed that integrate existing applications and services from all over their networks and then add unique value on top by using elements such as business entities, data entities, and façades. This enables developers to focus on delivering unique business value. The result is reduced time-to-market, higher developer productivity, and ultimately, higher-quality software. This has been a powerful architectural model for a number of years; however, it creates "application stovepipes" or "islands of information" that cause significant problems in architectural reuse.
We are entering the next phase of computing—a phase enabled by the Internet together with the concept of Web services, which enables the creation of powerful applications that can be used by anyone, anywhere. It increases the reach of applications and enables the continual delivery of software. In this context, software is a service—to subscribe to and use through a communication network.
.NET facilitates this idea by joining the tightly coupled, highly productive aspects of n-tier computing with the loosely coupled, message-oriented concepts of the Web. This style of computing is called XML Web services. It represents the next evolution of application development and is the basis for conceptual application architecture.
Web services are discrete units of application logic that expose message-based interfaces suitable for access across a network. Typically, services provide both the business logic and the state management relevant to the problem they are designed to solve. When designing services, your goal is to effectively encapsulate the logic and data associated with real-world processes, making intelligent choices about what to include and what to implement as separate services.
State manipulation is governed by business rules. Business rules are relatively stable algorithms, such as the method in which an invoice is totaled from an item list, and are typically implemented as application logic.
Services are governed by policy. Policies are less static than business rules and may be regional or customer-specific. Policies are typically driven from lookup tables at run time.
So a more complete definition of services might be, "Services are network-capable units of software that implement logic, manage state, communicate via messages, and are governed by policy."
This conceptual view of applications is covered in more detail in Application Architecture: Conceptual View.

The application perspective

2008-01-07T06:44:00.001-08:00

The application perspective

The application perspective defines the enterprise's application portfolio and is application-centered. This view will typically include:
Descriptions of automated services that support the business processes.
Descriptions of the interaction and interdependencies (interfaces) of the organization's application systems.
Plans for developing new applications and revising old applications based on the enterprises objectives, goals, and evolving technology platforms.
The application perspective may represent cross-organization services, information, and functionality, linking users of different skills and job functions in order to achieve common business objectives

Enterprise Architecture

2008-01-07T06:43:00.001-08:00

Enterprise Architecture

The definition of an architecture used in ANSI/IEEE Std 1471-2000is: "the fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its components, their relationships to each other and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution."
An enterprise architecture (EA) is a conceptual tool that assists organizations with the understanding of their own structure and the way they work. It provides a map of the enterprise and is a route planner for business and technology change.
Normally an enterprise architecture takes the form of a comprehensive set of cohesive models that describe the structure and the functions of an enterprise. Important uses of it are in systematic IT planning and architecting, and in enhanced decision making.
The individual models in an EA are arranged in a logical manner, and this provides an ever-increasing level of detail about the enterprise, including:
Its objectives and goals.
Its processes and organization.
Its systems and data.
The technology used.
Microsoft Architectural Perspective
The information in the enterprise architecture can be viewed from many perspectives and it can satisfy many needs. Architectural users include business managers and analysts, system architects and designers, workflow and procedures analysts, logistics specialists, organizational analysts, and so on. These people require high-level summary information, detailed data, and all levels in between. These demands are met through the creation of conceptual views, logical analyses, and physical implementations.
At Microsoft, we find that four general perspectives are important and are commonly used. These are the business, application, information, and technology perspectives.
The business perspective
The business perspective describes how a business works. It includes broad business strategies along with plans for moving the organization from its current state to an envisaged future state. It will typically include the following:
The enterprise's high-level objectives and goals.
The business processes carried out by the entire enterprise, or a significant portion of the enterprise.
The business functions performed.
Major organizational structures.
The relationships between these elements.

.NET Framework Class Library

2008-01-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

.NET Framework Class Library

The .NET Framework class library is a library of classes, interfaces, and value types that are included in the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). This library provides access to system functionality and is designed to be the foundation on which .NET Framework applications, components, and controls are built.
Namespaces

The .NET Framework class library provides the following namespaces, which are documented in detail in this reference.
Accessibility
Contains types that are part of a managed wrapper for the Component Object Model (COM) accessibility interface.
Microsoft.Aspnet.Snapin
Contains classes that are necessary for the ASP.NET management console application to interact with the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
Microsoft.Build.BuildEngine
Contains the classes that represent the MSBuild engine.
Microsoft.Build.Conversion
Contains types that Visual Studio uses to convert project files.
Microsoft.Build.Framework
Contains classes that make up the tasks, loggers, and events of MSBuild.
Microsoft.Build.Tasks
Contains the implementation of all tasks shipping with MSBuild.
Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Deployment.Bootstrapper
Contains classes used internally by MSBuild.
Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Deployment.ManifestUtilities
Contains classes used internally by MSBuild.
Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Hosting
Contains classes used internally by MSBuild.
Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Windows
Contains classes used internally by MSBuild.
Microsoft.Build.Utilities
Provides helper classes that you can use to create your own MSBuild loggers and tasks.
Microsoft.CSharp
Contains classes that support compilation and code generation using the C# language.
Microsoft.Ink
Contains types that implement digital ink on the Tablet PC.
Microsoft.JScript
Contains classes that support compilation and code generation using the JScript language.
Microsoft.ServiceModel.Channels.Mail
Contains classes that support programming applications on the .NET Compact Framework and on the desktop using the Exchange Server mail transport based on Windows Communication Foundation (WCF).
Microsoft.ServiceModel.Channels.Mail.ExchangeWebService
Contains classes that provide the implementation of the Microsoft Exchange Server mail transport on the desktop by using the .NET Framework.
Microsoft.ServiceModel.Channels.Mail.WindowsMobile
Contains classes that provide the implementation of the Microsoft Exchange Server mail transport on Windows Mobile devices that use the .NET Compact Framework.
Microsoft.SqlServer.Server
Contains classes that are specific to the integration of the.NET Framework common language runtime (CLR) component into Microsoft SQL Server, and the SQL Server database engine process execution environment.
Microsoft.StylusInput
Contains types that handle the stylus packet data from a digitizer in real time.
Microsoft.StylusInput.PluginData
Contains types that represent the data passed to RealTimeStylus plug-ins.
Microsoft.VisualBasic
Contains classes that support compilation and code generation using the Visual Basic language.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.ApplicationServices
Contains types that support the Visual Basic Application Model and provide access to application information.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Compatibility.VB6
Contains types used by tools for upgrading from Visual Basic 6.0 to Visual Basic .NET.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices
Contains internal-use only types that support the Visual Basic compiler.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Devices
Contains types that support the My objects related to devices in Visual Basic.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO
Contains types that support the My file system object in Visual Basic.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Logging
Contains types that support the My logging objects in Visual Basic and provides a simple log listener that directs logging output to file.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.MyServices
Contains types that support My in Visual Basic.
Microsoft.VisualBasic.MyServices.Internal
Contains internal-use only types that support My in Visual Basic.
Microsoft.VisualC
Contains types that support the Visual C++ compiler.
Microsoft.VisualC.StlClr
Contains types that implement the STL/CLR Library.
Microsoft.VisualC.StlClr.Generic
Contains types that implement the generic interface to the STL/CLR Library.
Microsoft.Vsa
Contains interfaces that enable you to integrate script for the .NET Framework script engines into applications, and to compile and execute code at run time.
Microsoft.Web.Administration
Contains classes for administering Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Client
Contains classes for developing tools that are displayed in IIS Manager.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Client.Extensions
Contains classes to extend features in IIS Manager.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Client.Win32
Contains user interface classes for creating Windows Forms for tools that are displayed in IIS Manager.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Features.Administrators
Contains a class that identifies an administrator module.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Features.Delegation
Contains a class that identifies a delegation module.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Features.Service
Contains a class that identifies a management service module.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Host
Contains an interface that identifies the host of a management unit.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Host.Shell
Contains classes that start IIS Manager and pass information to it.
Microsoft.Web.Management.Server
Contains types that implement the server portion of a management feature in IIS Manager.
Microsoft.Win32
Provides two types of classes: those that handle events raised by the operating system and those that manipulate the system registry.
Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles
Contains classes that are abstract derivations of safe handle classes that provide common functionality supporting file and operating system handles.
Microsoft.Windows.Themes
Provides exposure to the set of themes defined by Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
Microsoft.WindowsCE.Forms
Contains classes for developing Pocket PC and Smartphone Windows Forms applications using the .NET Compact Framework.
Microsoft.WindowsMobile.DirectX
Contains classes for developing DirectX applications on devices with the .NET Compact Framework.
Microsoft.WindowsMobile.DirectX.Direct3D
Contains classes for developing Direct3D applications on devices with the .NET Compact Framework.
System
Contains fundamental classes and base classes that define commonly used value and reference data types, events and event handlers, interfaces, attributes, and processing exceptions. Other classes provide services supporting data type conversion, method parameter manipulation, mathematics, remote and local program invocation, application environment management, and supervision of managed and unmanaged applications.
System.AddIn
Contains an attribute for identifying add-ins.
System.AddIn.Contract
Contains types that provide the basis for communication between components that are updated independently.
System.AddIn.Contract.Automation
Contains types that components use to access type information and invoke type members.
System.AddIn.Contract.Collections
Contains types used to implement collection classes for add-in development.
System.AddIn.Hosting
Provides types for discovering, registering, activating, and controlling add-ins.
System.AddIn.Pipeline
Provides classes for constructing the communication pipeline between a host application and an add-in.
System.CodeDom
Contains classes that can be used to represent the elements and structure of a source code document. These elements can be used to model the structure of a source code document that can be output as source code in a supported language using the functionality provided by the System.CodeDom.Compiler namespace.
System.CodeDom.Compiler
Contains types for managing the generation and compilation of source code in supported programming languages. Code generators can each produce source code in a particular programming language based on the structure of Code Document Object Model (CodeDOM) source code models consisting of elements provided by the System.CodeDom namespace.
System.Collections
Contains interfaces and classes that define various collections of objects, such as lists, queues, bit arrays, hashtables and dictionaries.
System.Collections.Generic
Contains interfaces and classes that define generic collections, which enable users to create strongly typed collections that provide better type safety and performance than non-generic strongly typed collections.
System.Collections.ObjectModel
Contains classes that can be used as collections in the object model of a reusable library. Use these classes when properties or methods return collections.
System.Collections.Specialized
Contains specialized and strongly typed collections; for example, a linked list dictionary, a bit vector, and collections that contain only strings.
System.ComponentModel
Provides classes that are used to implement the run-time and design-time behavior of components and controls. This namespace includes the base classes and interfaces for implementing attributes and type converters, binding to data sources, and licensing components.
System.ComponentModel.Design
Contains classes that developers can use to build custom design-time behavior for components and user interfaces for configuring components at design time. The design time environment provides systems that enable developers to arrange components and configure their properties.
System.ComponentModel.Design.Data
Contains classes for implementing design-time behavior of data-related components.
System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization
Provides types that support customization and control of serialization at design time.
System.Configuration
Contains the types that provide the programming model for handling configuration data.
System.Configuration.Assemblies
Contains classes that are used to configure an assembly.
System.Configuration.Install
Provides classes that enable you to write custom installers for your own components. The Installer class is the base class for all custom installers in the .NET Framework.
System.Configuration.Provider
Contains the base classes shared by both server and client applications to support a pluggable model to easily add or remove functionality.
System.Data
Contains classes that constitute most of the ADO.NET architecture. The ADO.NET architecture enables you to build components that efficiently manage data from multiple data sources.
System.Data.Common
Contains classes shared by the .NET Framework data providers. A .NET Framework data provider describes a collection of classes used to access a data source, such as a database, in the managed space.
System.Data.Design
Contains classes that can be used to generate a custom typed dataset.
System.Data.Linq
Contains classes that support interaction with relational databases in LINQ to SQL applications.
System.Data.Linq.Mapping
Contains classes that are used to generate a LINQ to SQL object model that represents the structure and content of a relational database.
System.Data.Odbc
Contains classes that encapsulate the .NET Framework Data Provider for ODBC. The .NET Framework Data Provider for ODBC describes a collection of classes used to access an ODBC data source in the managed space.
System.Data.OleDb
Contains classes that encapsulate the .NET Framework Data Provider for OLE DB. The .NET Framework Data Provider for OLE DB describes a collection of classes used to access an OLE DB data source in the managed space.
System.Data.OracleClient
Contains classes that encapsulate the .NET Framework Data Provider for Oracle. The .NET Framework Data Provider for Oracle describes a collection of classes used to access an Oracle data source in the managed space.
System.Data.Sql
Contains classes that support SQL Server-specific functionality. The API extensions in this class add to the .NET Framework Data Provider for SQL Server (System.Data.SqlClient).
System.Data.SqlClient
Contains classes that encapsulate the .NET Framework Data Provider for SQL Server. The .NET Framework Data Provider for SQL Server describes a collection of classes used to access a SQL Server database in the managed space.
System.Data.SqlServerCe
Describes a collection of classes that can be used to access a database in SQL Server CE from Windows CE-based devices in the managed environment. With this namespace you can create SQL Server CE databases on a device and also establish connections to SQL Server databases that are on a device or on a remote server.
System.Data.SqlTypes
Contains classes for native data types within SQL Server. These classes provide a faster alternative to other data types. Using the classes in this namespace helps prevent type conversion errors caused in situations where loss of precision could occur. Because other data types are converted to and from SqlTypes behind the scenes, explicitly creating and using objects within this namespace results in faster code as well.
System.Deployment.Application
Provides types to create custom upgrade behavior in ClickOnce applications.
System.Diagnostics
Provides classes that enable you to interact with system processes, event logs, and performance counters. This namespace also provides classes that let you debug your application and trace the execution of your code.
System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis
Contains classes for interaction with code analysis tools. Code analysis tools are used to analyze code for conformance to coding conventions such as naming or security rules.
System.Diagnostics.Design
Contains classes that can be used to extend design-time support for application monitoring and instrumentation.
System.Diagnostics.Eventing
Contains types to support implementation of an application on Windows Vista. The instrumentation, when enabled, logs event data to the Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) tracing subsystem.
System.Diagnostics.Eventing.Reader
Contains types to support reading from and managing event logs.
System.Diagnostics.PerformanceData
Contains classes that are used to provide counter data, which expose performance metrics to consumers.
System.Diagnostics.SymbolStore
Provides classes that enable you to read and write debug symbol information, such as source line to Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) maps. Compilers targeting the .NET Framework can store the debug symbol information into programmer's database (PDB) files. Debuggers and code profiler tools can read the debug symbol information at run time.
System.DirectoryServices
Provides easy access to Active Directory from managed code. The namespace contains two component classes, DirectoryEntry and DirectorySearcher, which use the Active Directory Services Interfaces (ADSI) technology. ADSI is the set of interfaces that Microsoft provides as a flexible tool for working with a variety of network providers. ADSI gives the administrator the ability to locate and manage resources on a network with relative ease, regardless of the network's size.
System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement
Provides uniform access and manipulation of user, computer, and group security principals across multiple principal stores.
System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory
Provides a high-level abstraction object model that builds around Active Directory directory service tasks. The Active Directory directory service concepts such as forest, domain, site, subnet, partition, and schema are part of the object model.
System.DirectoryServices.Protocols
Provides the methods defined in the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) version 3 and Directory Services Markup Language (DSML) version 2.0 standards.
System.Drawing
Provides access to GDI+ basic graphics functionality. More advanced functionality is provided in the System.Drawing.Drawing2D, System.Drawing.Imaging, and System.Drawing.Text namespaces.
System.Drawing.Design
Contains classes that extend design-time user interface (UI) logic and drawing. You can further extend this design-time functionality to create custom toolbox items, type-specific value editors that can edit and graphically represent values of their supported types, or type converters that can convert values between certain types. This namespace provides the basic frameworks for developing extensions to the design-time UI.
System.Drawing.Drawing2D
Provides advanced two-dimensional and vector graphics functionality. This namespace includes the gradient brushes, the Matrix class (used to define geometric transforms), and the GraphicsPath class.
System.Drawing.Imaging
Provides advanced GDI+ imaging functionality. Basic graphics functionality is provided by the System.Drawing namespace.
System.Drawing.Printing
Provides print-related services. Typically, you create a new instance of the PrintDocument class, set the properties that describe what to print, and call the Print method to actually print the document.
System.Drawing.Text
Provides advanced GDI+ typography functionality. Basic graphics functionality is provided by the System.Drawing namespace. The classes in this namespace enable users to create and use collections of fonts.

Introduction to Microsoft .NET

2008-01-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

Introduction to Microsoft .NET

A collection of technologies poised to revolutionize computer networking An Article by your Guide Bradley Mitchell
Over the past several years, Microsoft has invested much time and money in an initiative called ".NET" (hereafter, dot-NET). Though it evolved differently, Sun Microsystems has created a similiar technology base through their "J2EE" initative. Both efforts relate to a new area of computer networking known as Web services.
Join the Discussion
"If there is one thing that Microsoft is, it is user friendly, to the point of dumbing down a lot of security issues."I am a firm believer in the best tools for the job, and I can not see Microsoft IIS as a useable and worthwhile Web product. Certainly for a behind-the-firewall Web server with no public access it's a nifty product, but for day-in and day-out need-a-really-secure rock-solid Web server, it's not there."-ANONPROXY
Related Resources
• Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)• Network Programming Resources
Elsewhere on the Web
• Microsoft .NET
The future of Web services, dot-NET and J2EE is unclear, but the subject has already generated intense debate and controversy. Issues range from privacy concerns to debates on standards for conducting international business over the Internet. Business considerations aside, Microsoft dot-NET contains some cool networking technology that is worthy of a closer look.
Dot-Net Defined
Dot-NET consists of a number of technologies that allow software developers to build Internet-based distributed systems. Individual pieces of these systems, called software components, can be built using several different programming languages and by several different organizations. Through a common set of core functionality, Dot-NET allows these components to work reliably with each other.
Microsoft's core implementation of Dot-NET includes:
C# (a new programming language)
the Common Language Runtime (for support of other programming languages)
a collection of components that provide support for networking, security, and other "base" services commonly needed in distributed applications
Windows Forms (WinForms) and Web Forms, rich Windows user interface components
ASP.NET, a new version of Active Server Pages
ADO.NET, new data access objects in the tradition of the original Active Data Objects
A new version of Microsoft's system development environment, Visual Studio .NET, is the primary tool used to build dot-NET software.
Dot-NET in Practice
Underlying all of dot-NET are two key technologies, HTTP and XML. Dot-NET builds higher-level tools on top of this foundation to make development of distributed systems for the Internet easier.
Microsoft envisions dot-NET will be used extensively in the area of ecommerce. Businesses can implement the content of their online services in XML and deliver these services to customers and business partners through XML-based messaging standards like the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).
Dot-NET and Ecommerce
Today, many businesses implement ecommerce solutions such as selling books, music, and computer hardware. Dot-NET doesn't necessarily change the nature of these existing businesses. However, dot-NET can make it is easier to start new small businesses and allow customers to more easily find these businesses online. Microsoft is an active participant in efforts to develop the Universal Discovery, Description, and Integration (UDDI) system, that could turn out to be a worldwide registry service for dot-NET applications.
In addition to a standard discovery mechanism for services, dot-NET also may further the development of automatic usage tracking and micropayment systems. A key element of the dot-NET initiative is the establishment of a computational "nervous system" through which all network traffic passes in a managed way. Microsoft hopes to achieve this through the development of standard Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and also through their ownership of managed Web server farms.
Dot-NET and P2P
Using its services "toolkit" that includes built-in networking, security, and scalability support, innovative Internet applications can be developed more rapidly than has been the case with peer-to-peer (P2P) systems in the past. The ability to authenticate and track users should help alleviate concerns over theft of intellectual property that has plagued P2P systems in the past.
Dot-NET and DCOM
Those familiar with Microsoft's Common Object Model (COM) technology may wonder whether dot-NET is simply a new version of distributed COM (DCOM). This is not the case. While dot-NET software can utilize COM components, and COM components can tie into many features of the Dot-NET environment, the two technologies are internally separate. In particular, Dot-NET has been designed to work across the Internet, with firewalls and wide-area networks, whereas DCOM was designed primarily for use on local-area networks.
Dot-NET and J2EE
The Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) system created by Sun Microsystems shares many features in common with dot-NET. Instead of WinForms for rich user interface development, Java offers its Swing component library. Java Server Pages and Java servlets offer an alternative to ASP and WebForms. Standard "base" services in J2EE are provided through Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs).
J2EE has existed for several years before dot-NET came along, and thus it has a substantial development community already in place. However, Microsoft too boasts a very large community of developers familiar with some of the technologies behind dot-NET including ASP and Visual Studio. Microsoft also hopes to attract new audiences through the dot-NET support for alternative languages like Perl and Python.
Conclusion
Dot-NET is a new and complex set of technologies for network software development. It will take several more years for the full potential of dot-NET to be realized.
Some critics of Microsoft and Web services have characterized dot-NET as a solution looking for a problem. Others have questioned Microsoft's ability to build Internet software that is reliable and secure. It seems premature to judge dot-NET on both counts, but the year 2002 should see some interesting new developments in the Web services space.

HPC, the Message Passing Interface, and Microsoft: What You Need to Know to Control, Manage, and Communicate Over a High-Performance Computing Cluster

2008-01-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

HPC, the Message Passing Interface, and Microsoft: What You Need to Know to Control, Manage, and Communicate Over a High-Performance Computing Cluster with the Microsoft Platform
With clustering on the rise and products like the Windows® Compute Cluster Server making HPC more accessible, understanding the message passing interface (MPI) in your high-performance cluster is critical for getting the most out of it. We detail what you need to know about MPI in general and the Microsoft version (MS MPI) in particular.
by Ty Anderson
December 19, 2007
Microsoft® is betting big with Windows Compute Cluster Server as they believe tight integration with the Microsoft stack not only simplifies deployment of a High-Performance Computing (HPC) solution, but provides for better developer tools as well. Given that the HPC market is typically linked with UNIX and Linux any growth Microsoft can achieve in the HPC market can be called a success. A major feature in Microsoft's HPC strategy is the Microsoft Message Passing Interface (MS-MPI). This article explains what MPI is and how you can effectively use Microsoft's MPI tools in a Microsoft WCCS environment.
Understanding the Message Passing InterfaceMPI is the backbone of a HPC implementation as it defines the frameworks that support computations and communications across a HPC cluster. Properly implemented, an MPI-solution creates a cluster of servers that work together to share their CPU power and memory capabilities. The result is a highly-scalable, efficient, and fast "single" server.
MPI is actually comprised of two standards: MPI-1 and MPI-2. MPI-1 is the original standard created by the Center for Research on Parallel Computing and defines the basic features needed for message passing in an HPC environment. MPI-2 extended MPI-1 by defining standards for dynamic process management, remote memory access, and parallel I/O.
MPI defines an object called a Communicator that groups processes and manages communication within the group. Communicators work like a telephone party line. All nodes contained in the Communicator can send messages back and forth within the group. The nodes respond only to the messages intended for them while ignoring the rest.
Each compute node in the Communicator receives a ranking (in the form of an integer ID). This rank can be used to identify a compute node as well as to segregate portions of a program across multiple nodes.
The Communicator also enables Collective Operations. This feature provides a way to collect data across all processes in a single Communicator group. If you are a developer, it works like a collection object. You can use a Communicator to quickly collect data and retrieve processing statistics.
Microsoft MPI Extends the MPI Spec to Take Advantage of Windows FeaturesMicrosoft's MPI implementation, MS-MPI, implements all specifications defined in the MPI-1 and MPI-2 standards. This fact means Microsoft's HPC technology will integrate well with other implementations of the MPI standard. Microsoft has also included extensions that tightly integrate MS-MPI with Windows Server and the Microsoft technology stack.
The MPI Job SchedulerWindows Compute Cluster Server provides a job scheduler to manage the cluster's resources while executing jobs. You use the scheduler to submit jobs for processing in the cluster. The jobs typically execute in the order submitted however this is not always the case. The job scheduler manages server resources like nodes and memory. If a job requires more resources than are currently available, the scheduler will move down the queue until it finds a job that can run using currently available resources. (mpiexec) gives you very detailed control of a job's parameter including:
Number of processors required
The names of nodes to utilize
Run time duration
Location of working directory
Names and values of global and environment variables
Active Directory IntegrationAll jobs in a Windows Compute Cluster Server deployment utilize the credentials of the user that created the job. The Windows Compute Cluster Server cluster does require Active Directory (AD) for account and authentication management. This tight integration with AD is what provides the features necessary to manage security across all nodes. The job of managing credentials for jobs is simplified thanks to the familiar features of AD and the fact that security management is centrally controlled. When a user submits a job, the credentials reside with the job and exist for as long as the job runs. Once the job completes execution, the credentials are destroyed.
Visual Studio Parallel DebuggerBuilding with the MS-MPI API looks intimidating given the number of methods included in the API. The reality of working with the API is that you will only need to work with approximately one dozen of the methods to accomplish the main tasks of MPI (i.e. creating and scheduling jobs for execution in the cluster). Microsoft® Visual Studio® supports parallel debugging across a Windows Compute Cluster Server cluster. Using the parallel debugger you can execute your application in debug mode while also specifying which nodes to execute against. Visual Studio gives you the ability to pause code execution on a node and examine variables in the node's memory. The debugger provides typical features you already use like attaching to processes, process level stepping, breakpoints, and expression evaluation.
SummaryMicrosoft's Windows Compute Cluster Server brings the power of HPC to your development efforts. Microsoft has removed much of the pain involved when developing HPC solutions by providing a fully-featured MPI API and MPI job scheduler and management console. Active Directory integration adds increased power with its centralized user authentication management. These tools provide the required access you need to properly monitor MPI jobs in your HPC solutions.
More Resources
http://windowshpc.net
www.microsoft.com/hpc
* This article was commissioned by and prepared for Microsoft Corporation. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Understanding and Using .NET Partial Classes

2008-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

ne of the language enhancements in .NET 2.0—available in both VB.NET 2005 and C# 2.0—is support for partial classes. In a nutshell, partial classes mean that your class definition can be split into multiple physical files. Logically, partial classes do not make any difference to the compiler. During compile time, it simply groups all the various partial classes and treats them as a single entity. One of the greatest benefits of partial classes is that it allows a clean separation of business logic and the user interface (in particular the code that is generated by the visual designer). Using partial classes, the UI code can be hidden from the developer, who usually has no need to access it anyway. Partial classes will also make debugging easier, as the code is partitioned into separate files. In this article, I will examine the use of partial classes in more detail and discuss how Visual Studio 2005 makes use of partial classes. Using Partial ClassesListing 1 contains two class definitions written in VB.NET, with the second class definition starting with the partial keyword. Both class definitions may reside in two different physical files. Functionally, Listing 1 is equivalent to Listing 2. Listing 1'---File1.vb---
Public Class Class1
Public Sub method1()
End Sub
End Class
File2.vb
Partial Public Class Class1
Public Sub method2()
End Sub
End ClassListing 2'---File1.vb---
Public Class Class1
Public Sub method1()
End Sub
Public Sub method2()
End Sub
End ClassSo, what are the uses for partial classes? Here are some good reasons to use partial classes:
They allow programmers on your team to work on different parts of a class without needing to share the same physical file. While this is useful for projects that involve big class files, be wary: If you find your class file getting too large, it may well signal a design fault and refactoring may be required.
The most compelling reason for using partial class is to separate your application business logic from the designer-generated code. For example, the code generated by Visual Studio 2005 for a Windows Form is kept separate from your business logic (we will discuss this in a later section). This will prevent developers from messing with the code that is used for the UI. At the same time, it will prevent you from losing your changes to the designer-generated code when you change the UI.
Author's Note: The "partial" keyword in VB.NET used to be called "expands" in pre-beta versions of Visual Studio 2005. Examining Partial ClassesThe following code sample shows the class definition of MyClass1. I declared all my properties in this file. To avoid confusion, I named my class file MyClass1.Properties.vb, in order to make it obvious that this file contains a properties definition. '---MyClass1.Properties.vb
'---one of the classes need not have the Partial keyword
Public Class MyClass1
Private pX As Integer
Private py As Integer
Property x() As Integer
Get
Return pX
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Integer)
pX = value
End Set
End Property
Property y() As Integer
Get
Return py
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Integer)
py = value
End Set
End Property
End Class In another file, named MyClass1.Methods.vb, I provide the methods implementation of MyClass1. I used the Partial keyword to indicate that this definition should be combined with the original MyClass1 definition. '---MyClass1.Methods.vb
'---must have the Partial keyword
Partial Public Class MyClass1
Private py As Integer
Public Sub method1()
' implementation here
End Sub
Public Sub method3(ByVal x As Integer, ByVal y As Integer)
' implementation here
End Sub
Public Sub method2()
' implementation here
End Sub
End Class In reality, you can mix and match properties and method definitions in any of the files, but for clarity it is a good idea to group properties definitions in one file and methods definitions in another. The usual rules of OO apply: If there is a method1 in both files, then both method1s must have unique signatures. The syntax of partial classes in VB.NET and C# differs slightly. The following shows the implementation of partial classes in C#: // In C#, the partial keyword must
// appear in all class definitions
public partial class MyClass1
{
public MyClass1()
{
//implementation here
}
}
public partial class MyClass1
{
//implementation here
} Besides the order in which the "partial" keyword is placed, the most significant difference is the strict enforcement of the use of the "partial" keyword in all partial classes in C#. It is mandatory, whereas in VB.NET, not all of the partial classes have to have the "partial" keyword. This has caused a significant amount of newsgroup discussion about the rationale for the difference. My advice is that you should always prefix partial classes with the "partial" keyword. At least this will give you a visual clue that part of the implementation of the class lies somewhere else, and it is definitely useful when it comes to debugging. While partial classes allow you to split the definition of a class into multiple files, you cannot mix languages. That is, all partial classes must be written in the same language. Besides using the "partial" keyword for classes, you can also use it for structures and interfaces. If your class implements multiple interfaces, it is a good idea to use partial classes to contain the implementation for each interface.