9.3. Microsoft Location Server ArchitectureMicrosoft Location Server consists of three core components :
In this section, I will go through each one in detail. 9.3.1. Microsoft Location Server Web ServiceMicrosoft Location Server Web Service is a programmable web service that developers can use to build real-time location client applications for a variety of platforms, including Microsoft Windows, the Web, and mobile devices. This web service exposes an API for finding the real-time locations of users and their contacts, finding points of interest, and managing contacts. Unlike MapPoint Web Service, which is hosted by Microsoft, Microsoft Location Server Web Service is hosted within your enterprise. In order to host this web service, you need Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0 or higher, along with Secure Socket Layers (SSL). It is important to note that Microsoft Location Server Web Service is always hosted with Secure Socket Layers (SSL) enabled to mitigate privacy-related issues while communicating the real-time location over the wire. Due to this precaution, to communicate with Microsoft Location Server Web Service, your client (Pocket PC, Pocket PC emulator, or development computer) must be able to establish a trusted connection via SSL. A client can establish a trusted connection when MapPoint Location Web Service is deployed with a root certificate issued by authorities such as Verisign, Cybertrust, Thawte, or Entrust. However, during development, if Microsoft Location Server Web Service is deployed using a certificate generated by your enterprise, you must install the certificate on the client manually.
9.3.2. Microsoft Location Server DatabaseThe Microsoft Location Server database is a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database used for storing information about provisioned users, contacts, and mobile operators, along with data related to points of interest (Find Nearby) categories. Microsoft Location Server exposes a set of management APIs for performing tasks such as provisioning users, managing contacts, and managing Find Nearby categories. You'll need SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later to install the Microsoft Location Server database. 9.3.3. Microsoft Location Server ProvidersMicrosoft Location Server providers are software plug-ins required for communication with mobile operators. Usually, there is a location provider and a notification provider for each mobile operator. Because the implementation of location and notification providers is unique to each mobile operator, Microsoft Location Server does not currently expose APIs for developing location or notification providers. The Microsoft Location Server includes a demonstration location provider for testing purposes. This demo provider simulates real-time location scenarios against a configurable file with phone numbers and associated latitude and longitude pairs.
Figure 9-2 shows how all the core components work together to obtain the real-time location of a mobile device. Figure 9-2. Location Server architectureNow that you know the core components of the Location Server and how they work together, let's look at how to install the Location Server within your enterprise. |