Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Special Edition

Chapter 15. Extending the Provider Model

The last chapter introduced the new provider model found in ASP.NET 2.0 and explained how it is used with the new membership and role management systems.

As stated in the previous chapter, these new systems in ASP.NET 2.0 require that some type of user state be maintained for long periods of time. Their time-interval and security requirements for state storage are greater than those for earlier systems that simply used the Session object. Out of the box, ASP.NET 2.0 gives you a series of providers to use as the underlying connectors for any data storage needs that arise from state management for these new systems.

The providers that come with the default install of the .NET Framework 2.0 include the most common means of state management data storage needed to work with any of the new systems. But like most things in .NET, you can customize and extend the providers that are supplied.

This chapter looks at some of the ways to extend the provider model found in ASP.NET 2.0. This chapter also reviews a couple of sample extensions to the provider model. First, however, you look at some of the simpler ways to modify and extend the providers already present in the default install of .NET 2.0.

Providers Are One Tier in a Larger Architecture

Remember from the previous chapter that providers are simply the data-access tier for many of the new systems in ASP.NET 2.0. They enable you to use the new controls and APIs that compose these systems in a uniform ...