Near Links vs. Far Links


Another way to think about distributed systems is to consider each system as a collection of processing nodes connected by links. The nodes represent actual server machines while the links represent the network that connects these machines together. The links within the system fall within two classifications: near links or far links.

Near links are those that reside in the same enterprise, are connected reliably and do not require interoperability. Far links include all other links and include any link that spans the Internet.

If your distributed system spans near links only, then instance-based collaboration may be optimal. Using instance-based collaboration, you can expand the power of object-oriented development across machine boundaries while taking advantage of your platform infrastructure to optimize speed, navigate type systems, and handle marshalling details for you. Technology choices here would include .NET remoting and Enterprise Services within the Microsoft .NET Framework.

On the other hand, if your distributed system spans far links, then service-based collaboration is usually a better choice. Interacting with a service that offers up a “coordinator-like” interface allows the service to be responsible for implementation and shields the user of the service from implementation details. Service interfaces often return messages, which offer less coupling than remote procedure calls. The best messages are those that contain both a header and a body, which allow the receiver to act upon the message autonomously. Technology choices here would include capabilities such as Web services.

The balance of this chapter will describe patterns usually associated with instance-based collaboration and near links. Patterns usually associated with service-based collaborations and far links are further described in Chapter 6, “Services Patterns.”




Enterprise Solution Patterns Using Microsoft. NET 2003
Enterprise Solution Patterns Using Microsoft. NET 2003
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 107

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