How to Use This Book

This book consists of nine chapters. The eight other chapters are:

• Chapter 2: “Understanding Enterprise Platforms”

• Chapter 3: “Interoperability Fundamentals”

• Chapter 4: “Interoperability Technologies: Point to Point”

• Chapter 5: “Interoperability Technologies: Data Tier”

• Chapter 6: “Implementing Interoperability Design Elements”

• Chapter 7: “Integrating .NET in the Presentation Tier”

• Chapter 8: “Integrating .NET in the Business Tier”

• Chapter 9: “Implementing Asynchronous Interoperability”

The following sections describe the contents of each chapter.

Chapter 2: “Understanding Enterprise Platforms”

Chapter 2 consists of two parts. The first part looks at .NET from the perspective of an experienced J2EE developer. It links .NET concepts to principles that you already understand, showing where the two platforms differ and where they are similar. The second part of this chapter is the mirror image, providing equivalent information but for the experienced .NET developer. It introduces you to the enterprise features of J2EE and explains how Java applications work in distributed environments.

Chapter 3: “Interoperability Fundamentals”

Chapter 3 looks at the fundamentals of connecting .NET and Java-based applications, concentrating on the exchange of data between the two technologies. The main focus is on ensuring that both platforms agree on data types, particularly with complex data types.

Chapter 4: “Interoperability Technologies: Point to Point”

Chapter 4 concentrates on the point to point communication methods of XML Web services and .NET Remoting. Topics include binary communication and routing, together with the use of third-party runtime bridges for integrating Java and .NET.

Chapter 5: “Interoperability Technologies: Data Tier”

This chapter continues on from Chapter 4 to concentrate on techniques that apply to the Data or Resource tier. Techniques covered include shared databases and asynchronous message queuing. Finally, this chapter briefly covers other asynchronous techniques such as using the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in Microsoft Host Integration Server.

Chapter 6: “Implementing Interoperability Design Elements”

Chapter 6 takes the concepts from Chapters 4 and 5 and describes how you can implement these ideas in an enterprise-class application. It looks at best practices in both J2EE and .NET programming, emphasizing the role of abstraction layers in applications. The chapter moves on to show how you would implement abstraction layers such as service interfaces and interoperability adapters in your design. Finally, it details how the sample application implements interoperability using these elements.

Chapter 7: “Integrating .NET in the Presentation Tier”

Chapter 7 uses the XBikes example to illustrate the scenario where you want to integrate ASP.NET Presentation tier components while keeping the existing J2EE Business tier. This allows an organization to preserve its existing investment in J2EE and take advantage of the enriched client experience that ASP.NET provides.

Chapter 8: “Integrating .NET in the Business Tier”

Chapter 8 shows how the XBikes example can integrate new .NET Business tier components, while preserving the same JavaServer Pages (JSP)-based front end. This solution is appropriate for companies that want to maintain the same client experience but modify the Business tier. Adding .NET components allows for rapid development of business logic components or allows the use of third-party .NET Framework applications.

Chapter 9: “Implementing Asynchronous Interoperability”

The final chapter looks at interoperability using messaging components in the Data tier. Using the XBikes sample code, it shows how you can use Messaging components such as Microsoft Message Queuing or Java Messaging Service implementations to connect to message queues, providing asynchronous operation and support for transactions and long running operations.