Java
Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet.
The major characteristics of Java are that the code is robust, efficient, and the programs are portable (i.e. not platform specific).
n-Tier Architecture
n-Tier design architecture is where application programs and data are distributed among three or more separate computers in a distributed network, to increase scalability and resilience. NetDespatch uses this approach to house web pages, business logic, discrete applications and needed data on separate servers. The NetDespatch n-tier architecture allows us to apply a 60% utilisation rule, and quickly and easily add the appropriate hardware to ensure that performance is never compromised.
n-Tier application structure is where there are more than three distribution levels or tiers involved. In addition to the advantages of distributing programming and data throughout a network, n-tier applications mean that any one tier can run on an appropriate processor or operating system platform and can be updated independently of the other tiers.
Web Services Technology
A Web service is any piece of software that makes itself available over the Internet and uses a standardized XML messaging system. XML is used to encode all communications to a web service. For example, a client invokes a web service by sending an XML message, then waits for a corresponding XML response. Because all communication is in XML, web services are not tied to any one organisation, operating system or programming language--Java can talk with Perl; Windows applications can talk with UNIX applications. Web services will be increasingly need to be used by SOS to perform seamless integration with major customers and suppliers, such as Chevron Texaco Relaystar and Ariba Marketplace systems. |
