Expert Service-Oriented Architecture in C# 2005, Second Edition

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Expert Service-Oriented Architecture in C# 2005, SecondEdition

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is the latest hype oftechnologies marketed toward large enterprises seeking to manage and monitorcompany-wide business transactions. The attempt has been made in the past undervarious incarnations and marketing promises that faltered due to lack ofstandards, network latency, the complexity of the solution, and problems withkeeping the entire platform in sync. While time and technology improvementshave helped rectify some of these issues, SOA promises to fix the standardsstumbling block. Unfortunately, it is still a complex concept to implement dueto the numerous moving parts and the various Web service standard schemas tounderstand. Recognizing this, Apress has published a primer to this vastsubject targeted at the .NET developer seeking to comprehend the acronym soupassociated with SOA, as well as how to codify this stuff into C# syntax.

The book is organized into nine chapters. It begins with abrief introduction to the topic and its six related Web Services (WS)Specifications, known as the WS-* family by SOA practitioners. The heart of thebook is Chapter 5, introducing Microsoft s Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0for .NET along with the WS-Specifications in detail. The remaining chaptersdrill down into each of these specs, covering WS Addressing, Messaging, Policy,Reliable Messaging, Security, and Secure Conversation, with the security topicsbeing given special attention. The book concludes with the revelation that,while WSE can help developers today, patient .NET software engineers willbenefit from the not yet ready for prime-time Windows Communication Foundation(WCF).

While the book certainly delivers its advertised promise ofeducating its readers on SOA within a .NET context, it suffers from severalproblems. First, there are no case studies that illustrate the theory behindSOA and, consequently, no real-world big picture working scenarios on howWS-* lives within a .NET world. Of course, the authors could successfully arguethat such an inclusion is outside the scope of the book, since any readerinterested in the book has already been sold on the SOA concept and is strictlyseeking .NET code examples to bridge to what is currently a Java-dominatedsoftware architecture.

Second, its cost per pages ratio is high; yes, the pagesare packed with good information, but interested buyers should know up frontthat they are paying a privileged surcharge for .NET information which isn t asextensively covered (if at all) in other .NET programming texts. (Incidentally,the author incorrectly lists a Web URL in his introduction; book updates andsample code can be found at http://www.bluestonepartners.com/soa.htm,not soa.aspx as printed.)

Third, and most notable, is the fact that Microsoft isconstructing an abstraction of the various pieces of the SOA puzzle into aneasier, more coherent, and, yes, proprietary, construct called WindowsCommunications Foundation (WCF). I was glad to see the inclusion of thistechnology discussion in the final chapter of the book, but it begs thequestion of building for WSE now or waiting for WCF in the future. The authorsadmit that WSE construction today is for the early adopter who is eithercurious about or forced into supporting SOA within their active enterprises. Forthose developers continuing to align themselves with Microsoft solutions,holding out for WCF will undoubtedly make their lives easier. So even thoughthis book is in its second edition, I would have been less critical of thispoint had the cover included a graphic burst or dog ear stating ideal forearly adopters . While info about the WSE is healthy background knowledge, real-worldenterprise developers who have to support real-world applications often wellbeyond their originally projected lifespan will take a much more conservativeapproach toward SOA in general.

In summary, this book is geared to those developers seekinga better, albeit brief, understanding of the current WSE integration within a.NET context. Those seeking the ideal framework to construct an SOA enterpriseplatform in .NET will want to wait until Apress publishes a follow-up to thisbook that will deeply dive into all things WCF.

Mike Riley

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Title: Expert Service-Oriented Architecture in C#2005, Second Edition

Authors: JeffreyHasan, with Mauricio Duran

Publisher: Apress

ISBN: 1-59059-701-X

Web Site: http://www.apress.com/book/bookDisplay.html?bID=10153

Price: US$39.99

Page Count: 272