Chapter 2. .NET Components

These days everyone knows what an object is and why these reusable units of logic are so critical for modern software programming. However, understanding the role components play in a distributed application isn't always as clear. In this chapter, we'll dissect these basic building blocks and start to plan a standard database component.

Along the way, we'll examine the difference between a simple class and a component and consider two essential class types for distributed applications. We'll also explore configuration files, the disposable pattern, and encapsulation. The chapter wraps up with an overview of assembly versioning and deployment. Here we'll consider how the common language runtime (CLR) resolves assembly references, and we'll examine the real advantages and sacrifices associated with shared assemblies. These basics form the groundwork for the advanced deployment techniques explored in Chapter 15.