E-commerce and application server
Guo Yibin, North China Computing Center, 2000/8
There have been no attention to the technical field, achieving this level of e-commerce achieved today. The integration of the global economy and the rapid development of Internet technology are the main reasons for e-commerce, and the information technology of support e-commerce, especially the construction of its infrastructure, is also one of the current technical hotspots. Today, no matter what you go to the IT class's technical publication, or to the topics related to major companies, e-commerce, and related topics can be said to be almost all. Not only almost all the independent software manufacturers of the old cards are involved in it, but the companies that have been admitted after the 1990s have also been unstoppable and become the leader in the field. A lot of new technologies and new products around e-commerce are of course a good thing. But in the face of too many techniques and choices, it is natural to ask what is the core of the problem. The purpose of this article is to explore the status and role of application servers in e-commerce. The application server market is divided into 1998, and the transaction intermediate vendor BEA system has acquired WebLogic, one of the big events in the web application server market. Three months ago, Sun Microsystems acquired WebLogic's competitors NetDynamics. In November 1997, Netscape Communications merged another well-known application server manufacturer KIVA software company. In recent years, companies that are active in a large number of market shares in the entire web application server market. The competitors have independent software manufacturers such as IBM, Oracle, Sybase and other old names, as well as a large number of outsourcing, such as Silverstream Software, Novera Software, Gemstone System, Bluestone Software, HAHT Software, Iona Technology, Persistence software company, Inprise et al. Among them, Silverstream software companies are generally seen as a very advantageous and very representative. The delioven frequency of the application server market is still, from one side reflects the unlimited business opportunities included here. Although the web application server has just stepped into the market, it is still a potent huge return like Netscape, Sun, and BEA, this investment has potential rewards. Because the user now moves their business to the web now to implement e-commerce. The role of application servers in e-commerce infrastructure is just like the analyst of consulting company PATRICIA SEYBOLD Group: "Applying Server is critical, this is the same as the 15-year database server in the IT infrastructure." The function of the application server's function application server is an inevitable product of the enterprise application architecture from the traditional two-level client / server to multi-level, especially to three-level transfer. This transfer is a key step in enterprises entering e-commerce. The application server software is located on the corporate server, and the "thin" client and backend database are connected to the browser. Applying Server Running Enterprise Applications, these enterprise applications are running by a very bloated so-called "fat client". The role of applicable servers cannot be completely cut with the classic two-level client / server, and it is not possible to understand more and more simplified. Although from the most conformive level, the application server is only such a software, which is responsible for processing business logic in the application and treats business logic as a organic part of the entire distributed system. But in fact, the application server is not only a critical position in e-commerce infrastructure, but it also contains rich technical content. One of the most concerned about the application system is the application system integrator, which in principle from the application server when helping customers build, configure, and run a variety of e-commerce applications. Comprehensively, the application server should have three service features: GUI service, application service, and database and transaction service. From another perspective, the application server should also have the ability to provide full support for e-commerce solutions.
In summary, such capacity is also reflected in three aspects: (1) Accelerate the development process to ensure the quality of development, and promote the development capability of the application quickly enter the market. (2) Promoting the application to operate in flexible and efficient manner. (3) Integration capabilities integrating with various backend systems. These three aspects are almost important, and these three types of capabilities are still unable. Application system integrators are all required to help customers establish, configure, and run various e-commerce applications, from all of the flexibility and functions they need to use a variety of combinations and applications of various capabilities of the application server. Application Server Selective Scalability is the key to this, the application server is so important, it can be unfairly, and its choice determines the success or failure of e-commerce. It is widely believed that the scarability is the key in the many factors considered when choosing the application server platform. Scalability is not only the most concerned about system integrators, but also things that end users are concerned. It is two major elements that have the requirements and directly affect the scalability. First, it is the grade of the computer that supports the application software operation; second, it is the size of the database that supports the application software. Today, the truly successful e-commerce is inseparable from the support of a very reliable data center. In order to establish such a data center, the ability to use the balanced load available to the cluster server is required. Another important factor is the integration of the application server, which must have the ability to integrate with various databases and host systems. Integration is a prerequisite for protecting existing investments in e-commerce applications. Those who have spent huge human talents and material resources in the past are often completed and accumulated, not only the foundation of the company and is also the basis of e-commerce applications. At least in the early stage of e-commerce applications, at least a new application must be "used" or can "connect to" the original information and applications. Then, along with the in-depth of the application and more mature, it is possible to excavate more valuable things from the original information and applications. Supporting open standards to support distributed applications is another important requirement for application servers. At present, the specific embodiment of this standard is J2EE (Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition). J2EE is a new platform for development, configuration, and managing distributed applications that supports the establishment of a server-centric multi-level application structure. The Java 2 platform is the foundation of J2EE. Developing multi-level distributed applications with J2EE, with a range of obvious advantages: 1. J2EE is an open and unified platform that supports the whole process of enterprise-class application system development, configuration and management. Users do not have to be constrained by the specific soft and hard architecture. 2. Enterprise-level application truly realize "development once, can run everywhere". 3. All services required to develop enterprise applications not only do this platform but also they are available. 4. Provide simple and easy to use programming models. 5, fully utilize and accommodate the IT resources of the company to ensure that enterprise applications can run on multiple platforms. J2EE includes the following main technologies: 1, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) 1.12, JavaServer Pages (JSP) 1.13, Servlet 2.24, JNDI (Java Named Directory Interface) 5, JDBC 2.0 (Java Relationship Database Access API) 6, Transactions (JTS / JTA) (Java Transaction API) 7, Java Message Service (JMS) 8, CORBA is not only the case, but also between J2EE and other related technologies, there is also a strong complementary, synergy and enhancement relationship, such as J2EE and Enterprise JavaBeans. EJB) EJB technology is the basis of J2EE.
The former provides a scalable architecture for executing business logic in a distributed computing environment, while J2EE makes EJB's component architecture into combination with other related technologies on the Java platform, realizing seamless development with servers. Configuration. J2EE and XML XML are one of the components of the J2EE platform. J2EE has planned to provide a B To B Data Exchange Framework using XML. Before this goals are implemented, JavaServer Pages (JSP) can be utilized to generate and use XML between servers or servers and clients. In addition, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) utilizes XML to describe the configuration properties of the components, thus making EJBs not only generate portable code but also the portable data. J2EE and ISV Internet Service Provider (ISV) and business applicants need J2EE. Because J2EE provides ISV to complete the full blueprint of enterprise applications on the Java platform. J2EE platforms make companies applicants only need to focus their business logic, without having to care about other non-own technical details (such as how various business objects are distributed, how messages are delivered, how to naming and organizing directorys, etc.) In the case, it is still possible to efficiently generate distributed business applications. It is not difficult to understand from the above, why is J2EE in fact a standard status when establishing a multi-level enterprise application. Therefore, the application server supporting the standard is one of the infrastructure that guarantees its client application to truly cross the platform. Enterprise data connection e-commerce is a more urgent need and higher technical requirements for the utilization and communication of internal and external data sources. Carrying such required system components, which is also mainly the application server. In all data sources, mainstream and basic are various relational databases that follow the SQL standards. Due to the extreme importance of the Java platform for e-commerce, today's most important and most popular enterprise data connection interface is JDBC, a group of public Java APIs. Almost all database manufacturers provide their own JDBC driver software, and there are also some tool software manufacturers to provide third-party JDBC driver software. The application server is always a technical confirmation on the supported JDBC driver software. Another important connection interface is ODBC, providing connection capabilities for all desktop systems of Microsoft. This type of interface is basically the same as the JDBC on the drive software. On the other hand, in a non-relational data source, an application system, including Excellent software such as SAP R / 3 and PEOPLESOFT, has an important location, and excellent application servers should have connection capabilities with such data sources. For example, Silversteam's application servers can not only connect the various data sources described above, but also solve the connection of enterprise data with a unified method. The method it use is its unique "Data Source Object) method. Here, the differences in different data source connections are fully encapsulated in their respective data source objects. Application Server and Website Construction Website Structure When you create a web application on your website, you usually need to consider three main factors: techniques (such as Java, ActiveX, CGI, NSAPI or ISAPI), the structure corresponding to the technology used, and This structure creates a web tool needed to apply. As with any distributed application, it is also necessary to hierarchical considerations when considering the construction of a Web site. The simplest web site is usually composed of two layers of web browsers and web servers. Slightly complex websites include three layers: web browser, web server, and database server. The traditional query engine is the best example of a three-layer web site. The most complicated situation is that the Web site is composed of four layers, namely web browsers, web servers, database servers, and application servers located between database servers and web servers. The TP monitor hands the transaction service and communication between the server-side process and communication between the database server, and then the server-side process will feed back the results in HTML to the web client. The four-story Web website structure is not very common, but with the development of critical commercial applications on the website, it will also be increasingly concerned with attention and attention.
Today, the basic technology such as the E-commerce is increasingly concerned, the basic technology such as the transaction monitor (TP monitor), distributed objects, and application servers is considered to be a matter of course. Website Customized TP Monitor adds another layer of technology for commercial application processing between web servers and databases and provides some advanced application processing capabilities. This structure allows the web client to access the TP monitor service from a CGI, NSAPI or ISAPI application that uses server-side scripts and traditional programming languages such as CGI, NSAPI or ISAPI. The TP monitor then handles the transaction service and communication between the server process (ie, CGI, NSAPI or ISAPI application process), and then returns the information to this process, and the process will feed back the results in HTML. Web client. The MTS of the BEA SYSTEM's Tuxedo and Microsoft is a typical example of the TP monitors that work together with the web server. Further, in the distribution environment, the server-side process needs to be able to communicate with the intermediate layer of the standard distributed object. Distributed objects are remote programs that provide standard interfaces and middleware for distributed applications. Regulating this communication is a distributed object standard. Public Object Request Agent Structure (CORBA) and Distributed Components Models (DCOM) are today's most common distributed object standards. In recent years, IT circles have made some progress in combining Java and Corba into a separate distributed object, thereby providing capacity to meet Java standards (such as server-side and enterprise JavaBeans). Therefore, both application servers will integrate Java as one of the targets of priority. In website customization, TP monitoring, distributed object standards, and Java platforms are generally important technological elements, and the application server is organically combined with Organizer. Load balancing will apply the website to business applications (which is the "webization" that we often say "," the role of the application server serve is extremely obvious. Application servers are not a new thing, we have used it in the classic two-storey client / server application structure and distributed computing domain as early as possible. But it is newly recently applied to a web website. In the main environment of website construction, the application server separates the application from the web server and database, providing a more structured and more structured solution to handling a large number of users and transactions. We can use the application server in the web or non-Web structure, which is stored on the application server, and use the application server as a specialized agency that handles the application server. Importantly, the application server can provide advanced feature such as balanced load, thread pool, and recovery services. These features and the transaction power of the application server allow for use in the application to web applications and recover from failure faster. In most cases, as a standard website that only provides content, there is no need to apply the server. However, if the Web Server handles the load is heavy, the application server is the key to solving the problem. The basic operation principle of applying e-commerce in application servers and other companies is customer-centered. Therefore, customer relationship management (CRM) has an important location in e-commerce. In many large companies (especially manufacturing), traditional applications like ERP are still very basic and very applicable. However, e-commerce requires the necessary reforming of enterprise applications. In this process, CRM applies a very important role. In a reorganized enterprise application, CRM applications are also at a very central location. Because, here is the only contact channel for the company and the customer, and it also contains important information needed by other enterprise applications and leadership decisions. In this sense, there is no modern enterprise without CRM. However, CRM applications are architectures over fully heterogeneous, dynamic, and distributed environments. To build such an environment, you need to rely on a new platform like J2EE, and the application server is the core of this platform. The information portal is the most concerned aspect of the company's application.
