A Web server is part of a multitier application, sometimes referred to as an n-tier application. Multitier applications divide functionality into separate tiers (i.e., logical groupings of functionality). Tiers can be located on the same computer or on separate computers. Figure 19.2 presents the basic structure of a three-tier application.
Figure 19.2. Three-tier application model.
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The bottom tier (also called the information tier or the data tier) maintains data for the application. This tier typically stores data in a relational database management system (RDBMS). For example, a retail store might have a database of product information, such as descriptions, prices and quantities of items in stock. The same database also might contain customer information, such as user names for logging into the online store, billing addresses and credit card numbers.
The middle tier (also called the business logic tier) implements business logic to control interactions between application clients and application data. It acts as an intermediary between data in the information tier and the application clients. The middle-tier business logic receives client requests from the top tier (e.g., a request to view a product catalog), retrieves and processes data from the information tier, and sends the result back to the client.
Business logic in the middle tier enforces business rules and ensures that data is reliable before updating the database or sending data to a user. Business rules dictate how clients can and cannot access application data and how applications process data. For example, a business rule can specify how to convert numeric grades to letter grades.
The top tier (also called the client tier) is the application's user interface. Users interact directly with the application through the user interface. The client tier interacts with the middle tier to make requests and to retrieve data from the information tier. The client tier then displays to the user the data retrieved from the middle tier.
Introduction to Computers, the Internet and World Wide Web
Introduction to C++ Programming
Introduction to Classes and Objects
Control Statements: Part 1
Control Statements: Part 2
Functions and an Introduction to Recursion
Arrays and Vectors
Pointers and Pointer-Based Strings
Classes: A Deeper Look, Part 1
Classes: A Deeper Look, Part 2
Operator Overloading; String and Array Objects
Object-Oriented Programming: Inheritance
Object-Oriented Programming: Polymorphism
Templates
Stream Input/Output
Exception Handling
File Processing
Class string and String Stream Processing
Web Programming
Searching and Sorting
Data Structures
Bits, Characters, C-Strings and structs
Standard Template Library (STL)
Other Topics
Appendix A. Operator Precedence and Associativity Chart
Appendix B. ASCII Character Set
Appendix C. Fundamental Types
Appendix D. Number Systems
Appendix E. C Legacy Code Topics
Appendix F. Preprocessor
Appendix G. ATM Case Study Code
Appendix H. UML 2: Additional Diagram Types
Appendix I. C++ Internet and Web Resources
Appendix J. Introduction to XHTML
Appendix K. XHTML Special Characters
Appendix L. Using the Visual Studio .NET Debugger
Appendix M. Using the GNU C++ Debugger
Bibliography