Client/Server Survival Guide

This book is for client/server novices and those with experience in client/server development. For novices, this book is an excellent source for knowing the client/server architecture, 2-tier and above. As a person experienced in client/server development this book gave an understanding of basics of application layer from a theoritical perspective. This book has to be read many times and the readers will feel the need to refer to certain topics as the need arises. I have to caution the readers that this book is not meant to be read once. A client/server system consists of a) presentation layer b) application layer c) database layer. This books touches on topics on all the three layers In presentation layer, it deals with GUI/OOUI/non-GUI clients. In application layer, transaction processing (transaction management) is described in great detail. In the database layer, major database vendors are discussed (I feel this may not be useful for those of us already familiar with database management systems).Messaging components (I tend to include TP monitors in this category too) are discussed that form the core part of application layer component. The book discusses numerous other topics such as datawarehousing (OLAP, EIS, DSS), CORBA (excellent material to understand from a high-level perspective), object databases (I really liked this part because of my experience in RDBMS) and distributed objects and management. I would highly recommend this book for those of you out there waiting to know more about client/server architecture.

Having worked in the IT industry for over 16 years, I've seen the insides of many large and small companies. But even with professional programming experience (on mainframes and PCs), as well in setting up LANs and WANs, exposure to the breadth of technology hasn't happened for me. And with technology now changing at hyper speed, it seemed impossible. I needed help to see the big picture.A well-respected guru recommended this book. I worried that I should complete my Java 2 certification preparations before I invested the time to read it, but these were misplaced worries. The knowledge this book gave me about the world of objects, ORBs, and Internet technologies definitely prepares me for the future. By the way - when I read that one of the authors worked for BEA Systems, another for IBM, I was a little worried that author biases might creep in. Again, misplaced worries. Frankly, this is the best technology book I've ever read. The editing is superb, the illustrations illuminating, the insights terrific

Technology explained in plain English. Good for salespeople, managers, business analysts, and geeks who need a quick overview of technologies outside their focus area. Thorough but readable - wow!

I have been doing nothing but client/server for the last five years. In spite of that I cannot keep up with all the latest developments. I am a computer consultant -- in my field it is imperative that I have a very broad overview -- I never know what my clients might ask and must have something worthwhile to answer. This book is an excellent book for understanding the entire client/server space. The level of detail is excellent for such a broad overview. It is not too deep. It is not shallow.Use this book as a jump-start to understand the client/server landscape. When you find areas interesting to you, deep-dive into them.

The book which covers every imaginable facet of Client/Server computing. The topics include operating systems, databases, middleware, data warehoues, transaction processing, groupware, distributed objects, CORBA, COM, and the Web. The authors keep this usually dry topic interesting and light-hearted. They present an excellent overview of each subject so it is a great first book to get your feet wet in client/server. Also, the book is incredibly up to date so if your knowledge is a little old, it will bring you up to speed on the latest developments.The only negative I can state is that at times when the authors try to dig into technical details, they make some inaccurate statements. However, if you use this book for general concepts and overview, this will not be a problem.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is working in the client/server arena. It is extremely useful to get a wide breadth of knowledge in this area.