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Microsoft Content Management Server 2002: A Complete Guide - page 16

Summary

In this chapter, we have highlighted how to install CMS 2002. We have seen that installation is not difficult, but if there are misconfigurations on your server, setup will notice this and inform you of the problem before continuing the routine. Installing CMS server, in the larger scheme of things, is probably the least of your problems. Understanding the architecture of CMS and knowing how to plan for a CMS implementation is crucial if you are going to be successful in your implementation.

In the next chapter, we'll discuss the architecture of CMS. Then, in Chapter 4, we'll discuss the planning issues surrounding a CMS implementation. Both chapters are crucial, so it's time we go on to learning about and understanding the architecture of CMS 2002.

Chapter 3. CMS Architecture

When Microsoft Content Management Server (CMS) was envisioned , it was designed to do something that was not popular. At that time, most people felt that dynamically assembling Web pages was not a good strategy— especially on a public- facing Web site. The main reason for this was the potential performance implication . Sites that consisted of static pages did not have to spend server resources generating HTML. But this is precisely what CMS was designed to do. Today it is clear that this practice has become extremely popular. Many sites are moving toward serving up pages of dynamic content. People expect personalized sites that offer them real-time information. They expect dynamic Web sites. Technologies such as CMS make this possible.

Furthermore, the design of CMS exposes traditionally static concepts as programmable objects. For example, CMS developers can programmatically access properties of a CMS page. This enables them to build content-centric applications on top of CMS.

In this chapter, we will discuss the architecture of CMS. Although the discussion might be a bit "low level," knowing how a program is put together will help you take full advantage of its potential.

The History of CMS

Content Management Server was originally developed in Canada at NCompass Labs Inc. as ActiveEnterprise. The prefix "Active" was a reference to NCompass's work in the creation of the ActiveX technology. The software was later renamed Resolution. Some components within CMS continue to use the naming conventions of "AE" and "RE".

Microsoft Corporation acquired NCompass Labs in 2001 and renamed the software Microsoft Content Management Server. Shortly after the acquisition, Microsoft released CMS 2001. CMS 2001 was essentially a point release of NCompass Resolution 4.0.

CMS Architecture—Overview

Figure 3-1 shows a high-level representation of the CMS architecture. It is clear that there are a number of components and technologies involved. These components work together to create the functionality present in CMS. There are four basic elements involved in the CMS architecture:

A database for storing information
A Web server for presenting pages
The CMS software
Connectors to integrate functionality from other sources

Figure 3-1. CMS architecture

graphics/03fig01.gif

It is not surprising that CMS uses SQL Server 2000 as its data store. CMS pages are presented using the Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server. In addition, CMS integrates with IIS to produce other functionality. Examples of this are described later in this chapter. The CMS server software is installed on a system running Windows 2000 Server and IIS 5.0. CMS 2002 SP1 will support Windows 2003 Server and IIS 6.0. The CMS server software also enables connectors that allow users to populate CMS template pages with content generated by other applications—for example, Microsoft SharePoint or custom Web services applications.

It is important to bear in mind that each component has an important role that is enmeshed with the roles of the other components. Some components may be used more often than others, but few could be removed altogether. In the following sections, we will take a granular look at each component. We will learn about the component's functionality, the services it performs , and how it integrates into the overall CMS picture. There is much to learn, so let's get going.

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English B., Londer O., Bleeker T.

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