Microsoft® .NET Distributed Applications: Integrating XML Web Services and .NET Remoting

Distributed Architecture

Distributed architecture rose to prominence as a way to respond to the scalability challenges inherent in the client/server model. The basic concept behind distributed applications is that at least some of the functionality runs remotely, in the process of another computer. The client-side application communicates with this remote component, sending instructions or retrieving information. Figure 1-3 shows a common design pattern, which uses a remote data access component. Notice that it incorporates three computers—the client and two other computers called servers, although the distinction between client and server here is really only skin-deep. In some distributed systems, these other computers might be ordinary workstations, ...