Network Application Frameworks: Design & Architecture

This is an ambitious piece of technical writing that deserves a place on every network manager's shelf. Network Application Frameworks covers all of the key connectivity technologies of today and tomorrow from a practical and informative angle. Author Eric Greenberg does a fine job of presenting complex software technologies with an ever-present focus on real-world deployment.

The book begins with foundational knowledge of distributed object technology, directory, security, and transaction services. Next, it dives into the details of CORBA, X.500, LDAPv3, and the complete TCP/IP protocol suite. The author discusses Internet Protocol (IP) routing protocols (a key topic for internal networks and gateway connectivity) and IPv6 (potentially the next generation of IP that may have significant impact on today's networks).

The author next presents the often murky world of Microsoft's Windows Open System Architecture (WOSA) strategy, discussing all the related networking transport standards, application-programming interfaces, and component specifications. The book provides good coverage of Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) and also offers chapters on Windows NT 4 Directory Services and the upcoming NT 5 Active Directory Services.

This text wraps up with important chapters on Novell NetWare and the past, present, and future of IBM's various networking technologies. It finishes with a lengthy table of all of the technologies, listed with the author's observation of their benefits, impact, and future. While Network Application Frameworks requires good technical knowledge of the challenges of networking, it is itself a fountain of knowledge for anyone trying to make sense of the perplexing landscape of networking technologies. --Stephen W. Plain