• Search for:
    16Jan, 2012
    Server Application Development

    Server Application Development

    Server-side applications in the managed world are implemented through runtime hosts. Unmanaged applications host the common language runtime which allows your custom managed code to control the behavior of the server. This model provides you with all the features of the common language runtime and class library while gaining the performance and scalability of the host server.
    The following illustration shows a basic network schema with managed code running in different server environments. Servers such as the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and the Microsoft SQL Server (MS-SQL) can perform standard operations while your application logic executes through the managed code.

    Server-side managed code

    ASP.NET is the hosting environment that enables developers to use the .NET Framework to target Web-based applications. However, ASP.NET is more than just a runtime host; it is a complete architecture for developing Web sites and Internet-distributed objects using managed code. Both Web Forms and XML Web services use IIS and ASP.NET as the publishing mechanism for applications, and both have a collection of supporting classes in the .NET Framework.
    XML Web services, an important evolution in Web-based technology, are distributed, server-side application components similar to common Web sites. However, unlike Web-based applications, XML Web services components have no UI and are not targeted for browsers such as Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Instead, XML Web services consist of reusable software components designed to be consumed by other applications, such as traditional client applications, Web-based applications, or even other XML Web services. As a result, XML Web services technology is rapidly moving application development and deployment into the highly distributed environment of the Internet.
    If you have used earlier versions of the ASP technology, you will immediately notice the improvements that ASP.NET and Web Forms offer. For example, you can develop Web Forms pages in any language that supports the .NET Framework. In addition, your code no longer needs to share the same file with your HTTP text (although it can continue to do so if you prefer).
    Web Forms pages execute in native machine language because, like any other managed application, they take full advantage of the runtime. In contrast, unmanaged ASP pages are always scripted and interpreted.
    ASP.NET pages are faster, more functional, and easier to develop than unmanaged ASP pages because they interact with the runtime like any managed application. The .NET Framework also provides a collection of classes and tools to aid in development and consumption of XML Web services applications. XML Web services are built on standards such as SOAP (a remote procedure-call protocol), XML (an extensible data format), and WSDL ( the Web Services Description Language). The .NET Framework is built on these standards to promote interoperability with non-Microsoft solutions.
    For example: the Web Services Description Language tool included with the .NET Framework SDK can query an XML Web service published on the Web, parse its WSDL description, and produce C# or Visual Basic source code that your application can use to become a client of the XML Web service. The source code can create classes derived from classes in the class library that handle all the underlying communication using SOAP and XML parsing. Although you can use the class library to consume XML Web services directly, the Web Services Description Language tool and the other tools contained in the SDK facilitate your development efforts with the .NET Framework.
    If you develop and publish your own XML Web service, the .NET Framework provides a set of classes that conform to all the underlying communication standards, such as SOAP, WSDL, and XML. Using those classes enables you to focus on the logic of your service, without concerning yourself with the communications infrastructure required by distributed software development.
    Finally, like Web Forms pages in the managed environment, your XML Web service will run with the speed of native machine language using the scalable communication of the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS).

    16Jan, 2012
    Client Application Development

    Client Application Development

    Client applications are the closest to a traditional style of application in Windows-based programming. These are the types of applications that display windows or forms on the desktop, enabling a user to perform a task. Client applications include applications such as word processors and spreadsheets, as well as custom business applications such as data-entry tools, reporting tools, and so on. Client applications usually employ windows, menus, buttons, and other GUI elements, and they likely access local resources such as the file system and peripherals such as printers.
    Another kind of client application is the traditional ActiveX control (now replaced by the managed Windows Forms control) deployed over the Internet as a Web page. This application is much like other client applications: it is executed natively, has access to local resources, and includes graphical elements.
    In the past, developers created such applications using C/C++ in conjunction with the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) or with a rapid application development (RAD) environment such as Microsoft® Visual Basic®. The .NET Framework incorporates aspects of these existing products into a single, consistent development environment that drastically simplifies the development of client applications.
    The Windows Forms classes contained in the .NET Framework are designed to be used for GUI development. You can easily create command windows, buttons, menus, toolbars, and other screen elements with the flexibility necessary to accommodate shifting business needs.
    For example, the .NET Framework provides simple properties to adjust visual attributes associated with forms. In some cases the underlying operating system does not support changing these attributes directly, and in these cases the .NET Framework automatically recreates the forms. This is one of many ways in which the .NET Framework integrates the developer interface, making coding simpler and more consistent.
    Unlike ActiveX controls, Windows Forms controls have semi-trusted access to a user’s computer. This means that binary or natively executing code can access some of the resources on the user’s system (such as GUI elements and limited file access) without being able to access or compromise other resources. Because of code access security, many applications that once needed to be installed on a user’s system can now be deployed through the Web. Your applications can implement the features of a local application while being deployed like a Web page.

    15Nov, 2011
    How to Use a RAM Drive to Troubleshoot Memory

    Windows 95 and Windows 98 use memory differently than earlier versions of Windows. If you encounter unusual random problems in Windows 95 that you did not experience in an earlier version of Windows, your computer may have faulty memory.

    This article describes how to use a RAM drive to test the memory in your computer and what to do if this does not solve the problems you are experiencing.

    Microsoft RAMDrive is a memory-resident program that lets you use part of your computer&qt;&qt;s RAM as if it were a disk drive. By creating a RAM drive that uses most of your computer&qt;&qt;s physical RAM, you may be able to isolate the memory problem to a particular memory chip. To create a RAM drive using Windows 95, perform the following steps:

    1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

    2. Use any text editor, such as Edit.com, to add the following line to the Config.sys file

    device=
    amdrive.sys /E

    where specifies the location for Ramdrive.sys and is equal to the total amount of RAM (converted from megabytes to kilobytes) minus 4096 (4 megabytes are required for Windows 95 to start). For example, if you installed Windows 95 on drive C in a folder called Windows and your computer has 16 megabytes (MB) of RAM, add the following line:

    device=c:windows
    amdrive.sys 12288 /E

    The value 12288 is derived from the following formula using the example above:
    (16 * 1024) – 4096 = 12288 bytes

    NOTE: The Ramdrive.sys line must follow the Himem.sys line, or the RAM drive may not function.

    3. Save the Config.sys file and then restart your computer normally.

    4. If the problems no longer occur, halve the value for in the Config.sys file and restart your computer. Repeat these steps until the problem returns. Once it returns, the faulty RAM is in the area that you most recently removed from the RAM drive. Contact your hardware manufacturer about replacing this memory.

    5. If the problems persist, there may be a problem in the memory above the high memory area (HMA) that Ramdrive.sys is not using. To test the memory above the HMA (starting at 1088K), remove Ramdrive.sys from the Config.sys file and add the following line to the Config.sys file

    device=himem.sys /int15=

    where specifies the location for Himem.sys and is equal to the total amount of RAM you want to exclude from Windows 95&qt;&qt;s use. For example, the line "device=c:windowshimem.sys /int15=4096" prevents Windows 95 from using the section of memory from 1088K to 5184K (or roughly the first 4 MB of RAM above conventional memory + the UMA + the HMA). If the problems no longer occur, this memory needs to be replaced.

    If you continue to have problems, one of the following situations may exist:

    • The problems may be caused by memory within the 1088K of RAM that the RAMdrive and HIMEM statements cannot reserve for Windows 95. To test this, try new memory modules or switch the order of the RAM modules in your computer. If you are unfamiliar with this process, Microsoft recommends that you contact your hardware manufacturer for assistance.

    • The problems may be caused by CPU cache RAM. Many new processors implement a method of optimization that uses motherboard and internal CPU cache RAM to increase performance and optimize data and code execution. This cache is used to offset the number of direct reads that are performed against main memory for frequently used data and code.

    To test this, disable the internal and external CPU cache. For information on how to do this, please read your hardware documentation or contact your hardware manufacturer.