Developer .NET UPDATE, May 6, 2003

Visual Studio .NET and Windows 2003 Features, Part 5

Time Is Running Out to Join Our Storage Solutions Road Show!

Are You Getting the Best SQL Server Resource Available?

Create Installations for .NET Framework

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VISUAL STUDIO .NET AND WINDOWS 2003 FEATURES, PART 5

Over the past few weeks, I've been going through many of the new features in Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Windows Server 2003. This week, I want to think outside the box and look at some material that Microsoft released in conjunction with, rather than within, these products: the Microsoft Enterprise Instrumentation Framework (EIF) and the most recent updates to the Microsoft .NET Architecture Center Web site.

The EIF is a set of materials that functions as an add-on to your production and Visual Studio .NET 2003 servers. When I first got a look at an early version of the EIF last October, the package clearly promised some real power for monitoring custom applications. Basically, the EIF is tracing on steroids. The add-on lets your .NET application create an enhanced trace-logging interface and raise Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) events that your systems administrator can monitor through a custom script or Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM). The EIF lets your systems administrator literally turn on and turn off monitoring of your custom application in the production environment. Because EIF is designed to help with application management in production, you need to install the add-on on your production servers as well as on your development machine.

The EIF became available for Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Universal subscribers on Monday, April 28. The self-extracting package is smaller than 1MB and contains the installation executable and an HTML page that you need to read and understand before installing the EIF. Several potential conflicts exist, depending on the current and future configuration of your servers; familiarize yourself with these potential challenges before you install the EIF.

After you install the package, you'll find a Help file in the installation directory's docs subfolder. EIF requires coordination between the systems administration and development teams; for example, instrumented applications require special registration at installation. The Help file will help you (the developer) get up to speed on adding instrumentation to your .NET applications and will help your systems administrator configure and use the add-on instrumentation in your production environment.

Another set of materials that can enhance your use of Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Windows 2003 is available on Microsoft's newly upgraded .NET Architecture Center site (http://msdn.microsoft.com/architecture), which I originally discussed in the March 4, 2003, issue of Developer .NET UPDATE (http://www.winnetmag.comarticlesindex.cfm?articleid=38257). The site now includes sections devoted to both Enterprise Architecture and the Architecture Community; the Architecture Community section leverages the GotDotNet Web site. And the related Microsoft Patterns, Enterprise Solution Patterns Using Microsoft .NET page (http://msdn.microsoft.com/architecture/patterns/default.aspx) helps introduce the Pattern Frame, which you might have heard about if you attended the Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Windows 2003 launch event's Architecture Track.

The .NET Architecture Center site's "Patterns and Practices" section links to Microsoft's new Patterns & Practices page (http://msdn.microsoft.com/practices/type/patterns/default.asp), which is an excellent resource for working with patterns to develop solutions. For example, the page's Web Presentation Patterns section links to information about the Page Controller pattern. The core of this pattern is that applications should separate presentation logic and business logic. The following link ("Implementing Page Controller in ASP.NET") leads to information explaining that by default, .NET automatically implements the Page Controller pattern as well as other patterns, such as Caching. This default implementation is one way in which .NET makes you more productive as a developer: You're using a suite of tools that automatically manages much of enterprise applications' design complexity. Another advantage of being a .NET developer is that you can leverage not only Microsoft tools but also the implementation of enterprise design patterns in your Rapid Application Development (RAD) applications.

Not everything new comes in the box with Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Windows 2003. A host of resources are becoming available as Microsoft continues to concentrate on the .NET migration. Next week, I'll head back inside the box to look at some more new built-in capabilities and features.

DEVCONNECTIONS--FALL 2003 DATES ANNOUNCED

DevConnections = Microsoft ASP.NET Connections + Visual Studio Connections + SQL Server Magazine Connections.

This week, DevConnections Spring kicks off in New Orleans with three information-packed keynotes by Microsoft's Group Product Manager for .NET Tools and Services, David Lazar; ASP.NET Product Unit Manager Scott Guthrie (co-founder of the ASP.NET Team); and Director of SQL Server Product Management, Stan Sorenson.

Jump-start your fall 2003 training plans and secure your seat for DevConnections Fall, held Oct 13 - 15 in Palm Springs, CA. Register now to receive the lowest possible registration fee plus access to all three conferences for one low price. Call 800-438-6720 or 203-268-3204 for more information.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO JOIN OUR STORAGE SOLUTIONS ROAD SHOW!

Attend the HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show, and learn how existing and future storage solutions can save your company money--and make your job easier! Attendees have lots of chances to win incredible prizes. There is absolutely no fee for this event, but space is limited. We've just added Minneapolis to our list of cities, so register now!

ARE YOU GETTING THE BEST SQL SERVER RESOURCE AVAILABLE?

Subscribe right now to SQL Server Magazine and receive 12 information-packed issues delivered to your doorstep or your desktop, and you'll get free access to the entire SQL Server Magazine article archive on the Web during your subscription term! You have nothing to lose, and there's absolutely no risk.

CREATE INSTALLATIONS FOR .NET FRAMEWORK

Wise Solutions released Wise for Visual Studio .NET 5, which automates the creation of installation files used to deploy server-based, mobile, and Web services applications that use the Windows .NET Framework. This automation can remove more than 80 percent of the manual coding typically required for database-driven Web applications. You can add and manage users on a server without writing documentation or code, configure Microsoft SQL Server databases, create installations that support mobile devices, and set up rules for automatic component builds. Contact Wise Solutions at 734-456-2100, 800-554-8565, or [email protected].

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