Adventures in home working

Not a particularly challenging book on this subject.  It starts with the basics and never really gets to the guts of developing SOA applications.  However it does a good job of explaining the basics of the standards and key concepts, although it does over use very simple diagrams.  I know a picture tells a thousand words, but in this case some of the pictures could be explained in 10 words without too much difficulty. 

That said I found it very useful and particularly liked the concept maps, that showed how all of the various standards/services related to each other.

If you want a more ambitious book then Enterprise Service Bus by David Chappel, looks promising:

Much more detail, from Amazon follows:

Synopsis
Web services is the integration technology preferred by organizations implementing service-oriented architectures. I would recommend that anybody involved in application development obtain a working knowledge of these technologies, and I’m pleased to recommend Erl’s book as a great place to begin. – Tom Glover, Senior Program Manager, Web Services Standards, IBM Software Group, and Chairman of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I).An excellent guide to building and integrating XML and Web services, providing pragmatic recommendations for applying these technologies effectively. The author tackles numerous integration challenges, identifying common mistakes and providing guidance needed to get it right the first time. A valuable resource for understanding and realizing the benefits of service-oriented architecture in the enterprise. – David Keogh, Program Manager, Visual Studio Enterprise Tools, Microsoft.Leading-edge IT organizations are currently exploring second generation web service technologies, but introductory material beyond technical specifications is sparse. Erl explains many of these emerging technologies in simple terms, elucidating the difficult concepts with appropriate examples, and demonstrates how they contribute to service-oriented architectures. I highly recommend this book to enterprise architects for their shelves. – Kevin P. Davis, Ph. D., Software Architect.Building service-oriented architecture…with less risk, cost, and complexityThe emergence of key second-generation Web services standards has positioned service-oriented architecture (SOA) as the foremost platform for contemporary business automation solutions. The integration of SOA principles and technology is empowering organizations to build applications with unprecedented levels of flexibility, agility, and sophistication (while also allowing them to leverage existing legacy environments).This guide will help you dramatically reduce the risk, complexity, and cost of integrating the many new concepts and technologies introduced by the SOA platform. It brings together the first comprehensive collection of field-proven strategies, guidelines, and best practices for making the transition toward the service-oriented enterprise.Writing for architects, analysts, managers Erl addresses a broad spectrum of integration challenges, covering technical and design issues, as well as strategic planning.Covers crucial second-generation (WS-*) Web services standards: BPEL4WS, WS-Security, WS-Coordination, WS-Transaction, WS-Policy, WS-ReliableMessaging, and WS-AttachmentsIncludes hundreds of individual integration strategies and more than 60 best practices for both XML and Web services technologiesIncludes a complete tutorial on service-oriented design principles for business and technical modelingExplores design issues related to a wide variety of service-oriented integration architectures that integrate XML and Web services into legacy and EAI environmentsProvides a clear roadmap for planning a long-term migration toward a standardized service-oriented enterpriseService-oriented architecture is no longer an exclusive discipline practiced only by expensive consultants. With this book’s help, you can plan, architect, and implement your own service-oriented environments-efficiently and cost-effectively.About the Web Sitewww serviceoriented.ws supplements this book with a variety of resources, including a complete glossary, examples, articles, and current indu

From the Back Cover
Web services is the integration technology preferred by organizations implementing service-oriented architectures. I would recommend that anybody involved in application development obtain a working knowledge of these technologies, and I’m pleased to recommend Erl’s book as a great place to begin.—Tom Glover, Senior Program Manager, Web Services Standards, IBM Software Group, and Chairman of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I).An excellent guide to building and integrating XML and Web services, providing pragmatic recommendations for applying these technologies effectively. The author tackles numerous integration challenges, identifying common mistakes and providing guidance needed to get it right the first time. A valuable resource for understanding and realizing the benefits of service-oriented architecture in the enterprise.—David Keogh, Program Manager, Visual Studio Enterprise Tools, Microsoft.Leading-edge IT organizations are currently exploring second generation web service technologies, but introductory material beyond technical specifications is sparse. Erl explains many of these emerging technologies in simple terms, elucidating the difficult concepts with appropriate examples, and demonstrates how they contribute to service-oriented architectures. I highly recommend this book to enterprise architects for their shelves.—Kevin P. Davis, Ph. D., Software Architect.Building service-oriented architecture…with less risk, cost, and complexityThe emergence of key second-generation Web services standards has positioned service-oriented architecture (SOA) as the foremost platform for contemporary business automation solutions. The integration of SOA principles and technology is empowering organizations to build applications with unprecedented levels of flexibility, agility, and sophistication (while also allowing them to leverage existing legacy environments).This guide will help you dramatically reduce the risk, complexity, and cost of integrating the many new concepts and technologies introduced by the SOA platform. It brings together the first comprehensive collection of field-proven strategies, guidelines, and best practices for making the transition toward the service-oriented enterprise.Writing for architects, analysts, managers, and developers, Thomas Erl offers expert advice for making strategic decisions about both immediate and long-term integration issues. Erl addresses a broad spectrum of integration challenges, covering technical and design issues, as well as strategic planning.Covers crucial second-generation (WS-*) Web services standards- BPEL4WS, WS-Security, WS-Coordination, WS-Transaction, WS-Policy, WS-ReliableMessaging, and WS-AttachmentsIncludes hundreds of individual integration strategies and more than 60 best practices for both XML and Web services technologiesIncludes a complete tutorial on service-oriented design principles for business and technical modelingExplores design issues related to a wide variety of service-oriented integration architectures that integrate XML and Web services into legacy and EAI environmentsProvides a clear roadmap for planning a long-term migration toward a standardized service-oriented enterpriseService-oriented architecture is no longer an exclusive discipline practiced only by expensive consultants. With this book’s help, you can plan, architect, and implement your own service-oriented environments-efficiently and cost-effectively.

Jon shows off the amazing possibilities enabled by google maps, combined with GPS and provides a great example of multi-format screencasting as well.  Screencasting is going to be big news!  This link shows how he made it work.

Tarantella has always lagged behind Citrix, but with the advent of “Secure Global Desktop”, reviewed here, and at $60/concurrent user it offers incredible value for money and near key feature parity, especially for enterprises with a very low concurrent to potential user ratio.

I have mentioned before how much I like VMWare and how I have been using it not only to support my Labs requirements for years, but also as a secure client to my company network, ala VMWare ACE.  I have also been looking at other application Virtualiszation technologies and Server Based Computing approaches, so it was nice to see a couple of the ideas nicely presented in this article on using VMware ACE combinted with SoftGrid, here is an extract:

What is perhaps less well known is that VMware can also provide an important service for desktop hardware. This is partly because its desktop capability is still evolving. The VMware desktop capability, VMware ACE, is currently in beta release. It provides a standard virtual hardware configuration for the desktop, including the OS, web browser and all the applications – all of which are distributed from a central point. VMware ACE solves a major desktop support problem by enforcing standardization and thus making local software installation of any kind unnecessary. It is not the resource utilization that is the issue here, but manageability.

However, on its own VMware ACE does not solve all the support issues. This is where Softricity’s SoftGrid plays a complementary role. In fact the role it plays is complementary enough for VMware and Softricity to be jointly marketing the capability.

SoftGrid is also a virtualization capability, but of a different kind. SoftGrid virtualizes each application, ensuring that there can be no conflicts between one application and another. Let me emphasize this, it is important: No application conflicts. As with VMware ACE, a single image is defined centrally and distributed to the desktop, so there is no need to install software locally. Each application is installed in a “virtual partition” which runs on the desktop for those users that are registered for the application. Each is configured and managed centrally and deployed “on demand” to authorized users.

Now because everything, the VMware ACE virtual machine and the SoftGrid application partitions, runs locally, none of the local services of the Windows desktop are lost. Everything from attached devices to “cut and paste” capability is still available, and the desktop functionality is much the same as if neither VMware nor SoftGrid were operating.

In lots of cases Windows Terminal Servers will be a better option, but for its niche its a nice technical combination.  read the full article here.

Yet again Jonathan Scwartz continues his policy of openly and very clearly describing Sun’s strategy for all to see.  I have never seen the like of it before, although I can only commend him for it.   As always I strongly recommend that you read his blog regularly, but here are a few snipits from his latest post which I liked:

On his positioning of the role of Linux today:

But let’s be clear. Do I expect an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs to pick up the Java Desktop System? No. No way. He’s not our target demographic, not a route to make 120 million into 1.2 billion. A call center in Bangalore, a factory in Tennessee, a generation of kids that care more about ringtones than Win32 legacy? Dedicated internet terminals in shopping malls, touch screens in phone booths, the world’s academic environments? There’s a market calling.

Which I found interesting because many of these applications are best served by embedded or thin client approaches rather than a full Linux distro.

Why is music download on phones measured in the billions of dollars (vs. the paltry music download business on PCs, even with iTunes)? Because phones are authenticated (with a JavaCard SIM, I’d add). Authentication and convenience fuel commerce.

I liked this because the idea is simillar to a key issue for enterprises, how to turn the debate from cost to value, in my view you do this by making it very easy to provision services when you need them and only pay for them when you use them.  Either that or make provisioning so low cost that the volume rises to the point where convenience makes it worthwhile having continuous access.

the growth of a cross platform Java, Firefox and OpenOffice are a leveling force, driving the affordability, security and portability of internet access.

Driving up the common denominator that people can assume to be on everyones desk.  Jonathan describes it as a levelling force, but the key thing is the the level is rising!

Of course at the end of the day he needs to make money:

Monetize the resulting demand for infrastucture software, service and hardware. What’s making the net work behind all those connected cell phones, set top boxes, automobiles, airplanes, medical devices, PCs and game machines (I could go on)? The very secure network infrastructure at the core of Sun’s business. Who demands infrastructure of that scale? The network operators (the world’s communications companies – satellite, wireline, mobile, you name it), and the leading services run through those networks (financial services being the most obvious, along with entertainment, media, and every other web service the world’s contemplating for internet deployment, in-house or otherwise).

How big is that infrastructure market? Huge. And it isn’t shrinking. We do billions of dollars in business with those companies, serving the very consumers described above – and our bet is they’ll continue to grow. If you’re going to bet on the value of the network, who better to partner with – rather than compete against – than the network operators and service providers.

Microsoft watch reported today that Microsoft are dropping the “anywhere access” functionality scheduled to ship in Windows 2003 Server R2.  Which is a real disappointment, tempered slightly by the fact that Citrix continue to innovate around their platform.

In May, Microsoft officials said to expect R2 to include bug fixes for Windows Server 2003, as well as some of the 12 to 15 Windows Server “feature packs” that the company has rolled out since Windows Server 2003 shipped in April 2003. These feature packs include Active Directory Application Mode, SharePoint Services, Windows Update Services. Officials also said at that time that R2 would include full Network Access Protection and “Anywhere Access” capabilities, the latter of which was expected to draw on Microsoft’s next-generation Terminal Server features.

But now Microsoft has decided to push the Network Access Protection security capabilities it into Windows Server “Longhorn,” the Windows Server release due in 2007.

“Delivering Network Access Protection in R2 would have forced too many changes at a low level,” said Samm DiStasio, a group product manager with Microsoft’s Windows Server division, in explaining the company’s decision to postpone the feature until Longhorn Server.

At the same time, the Redmond software vendor has decided to cut any new Terminal Server updates from R2 and push them into the 2007 timeframe, executives confirmed. There was talk earlier this year that Microsoft had opted to axe Terminal Server “Bear Paw” features from R2, but the company would not confirm this decision publicly until now.

As usual Brian Madden has all of the latest information on Citrix, this time it’s the main features in Metraframe Presentation Server 4.  Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me.

Citrix’s future technologies include:

• Smart Access
• ActiveSync via ICA
• TWAIN imaging device ICA redirection (scanners, cameras, etc.)
• Performance management technology licensed from Aurema and RTO
• Audio enhancements in preparation for VoIP
• EMF-based Printing
• Windows 64-bit support
• Application Isolation Environments
• Virtual IP addresses
• GoToWebinar
• ICA Session Recording, Archiving, and Surveilling
• Hardware Appliances

For a more detailed list of each feature check bout Brian’s web site

VMware have just announced ACE, this is how they describe it:

VMware ACE is an enterprise solution for IT desktop managers who want to rapidly provision standardized and secure PC environments throughout the extended enterprise. VMware ACE installs easily, improving the manageability, security and cost-effectiveness of any industry standard PC. VMware ACE enables IT desktop managers to apply enterprise IT policies to a virtual machine containing an operating system, enterprise applications, and data to create an isolated PC environment known as an “assured computing environment”. VMware assured computing environments are self-policing, protect enterprise data, and enable safe access to enterprise resources.

I like the idea, I have been using VMWare myself for exactly this requirement.  On one of my home servers that sits on my home network I have a Windows XP VM, configured with corporate firewall, AV products, locked down configuration and VPN client.  I use this VM to connect to the company network. 

This has two advantages, The company network is pretty well isolated from my home network and I am well isolated from it, (since its pretty big and represents a fairly large threat).  I would prefer to be able to just fire up a Windows Terminal Server session over the internet when I need to get into work, but until that’s possible this solution works fine.

VMWare are taking the same concept, making it slicker and putting some controls in place that in my implementation depend on my self discipline

For years, Citrix has been the only choice for software to power server-based computing environments. Sure, Microsoft’s Terminal Server products were out there, but their features paled in comparison to those of Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server.

However, as Terminal Server continues to gain ground as a standalone solution, many people wonder whether they need to spend money on Citrix or if Terminal Server is enough on its own. Additionally, people often wonder whether any of the smaller, third-party vendors’ products are worth looking into.

This article will help you answer these questions. In it, we’re going to look at the features of Microsoft’s newest Terminal Server offering and Citrix’s newest MetaFrame Presentation Server offering. We’ll also look at several smaller vendors—Jetro Platforms’ CockpIT and BoostIT products, Tarantella’s Secure Global Desktop Terminal Server Edition, DAT Panther, PowerTerm WebConnect, and HOBLink JWT.

For the complete article go here: