Middleware: How to Build Enterprise Distributed Computing Architecture

by Max Dolgicer

Washington, DC, July 29-31, 1997
Toronto, ON, September 8-10, 1997
Dallas, September 16-18, 1997

Seminar Highlights

After attending this seminar you will gain a pragmatic look at “middleware” technology. This seminar examines what features and functionality middleware should and should not provide and how this technology can assist you in building enterprise architectures or complex multi-tier applications. This course material moves quickly beyond the “magazine hype” by defining different types of middleware, its functionality and importance for development of enterprise distributed applications. Attendees will avoid some unpleasant surprises by finding out where there are gaps in vendor products, how “production ready” they are, and what effort will be required on your part to compensate the missing functionality.

The education you receive will save you research time on what middleware is, why you need it and which vendor products should be used or avoided in your particular situation. It will help you to plan for the future as well as offer investment protection by discussing issues such as standards, market dynamics, trends, directions and important industry development.

In The Industry

An overwhelming majority of the client/server applications developed have a number of attributes in common. First, they are mostly departmental applications. Second, they are mainly decision support applications. Third, most of today’s client/server applications have been developed with traditional 4GL development tools with GUI being a focus. As a result, an astonishing number of mission critical applications still reside on the mainframe, despite all the hype generated by distributed computing.

There are two objectives that will be covered in this seminar. First, is to define what exactly is required to develop and deploy enterprise applications. Second, is to present technologies and products that can be successfully applied in building enterprise-wide distributed computing architecture.

What You Will Learn

• Comparing DCE, message oriented middleware , distributed objects, OLE/COM/DCOM, database middleware and distributed TP monitors to see where they contrast each other and where they compliment each other

• Why current client/server applications do not scale

• Weaknesses and strengths for existing Middleware products

• How an ideal middleware solution should look

• The difference between E-Mail Messaging and Message Oriented Middleware

• What’s hot and what’s not in “middleware land”

• How application development tools relate to middleware

• Middleware types defined

• What functionality and services middleware must provide

• The Web as Middleware - How to integrate your middleware solution with existing web technologies

• Why middleware is an important and mandatory component for your ultimate distributed computing architecture and any serious business application

• Where middleware can help to integrate legacy and new distributed applications

• How application development tools relate to middleware

• How a number of companies already benefit from their successful middleware implementations

Benefits of Attending

• Completely dispel the “fog” surrounding middleware

• Define middleware requirements and goals when building enterprise distributed applications

• Learn how to navigate and differentiate through different middleware products

• Dramatically shorten learning curve about different middleware offerings

• Substantially increase your architectural skills and productivity

• Reduce cost, time and resources when building and enterprise distributed architecture

• Decrease time to market critical business applications and software products

Who Should Attend

• IS Managers trying to understand what middleware is about and how it relates to Internet/Intranet

• IS Managers selecting new technologies for corporate infrastructure and evaluating strategies for the 21st century

• ISV’s selecting technologies for migrating their products to distributed computing and Internet/Intranet

• ISV's looking for new opportunities and attempting to enter new markets

• Software Architects or Engineers designing portable software and are facing complex integration and interoperability issues

• Application Programmers working heterogeneous communication protocols and databases

• Industry Analyst and Investors trying to differentiate and properly position a variety of middleware products and offerings

• Anyone who is faced with a daunting task of integrating different applications throughout the enterprise
  

Seminar Outline

1. Enterprise Distributed Applications Requirements

2. Introduction to Middleware

a. The growing need for Middleware
b. Considerations for two-tier vs. three-tier distributed applications
c. Middleware and applications partitioning
d. Delivering scalable enterprise systems for today and tomorrow
e. The Internet/Intranet as a new middleware enabler

3. Defining different Middleware types

a. RPC based middleware
b. Message oriented middleware
c. Database access middleware
d. CORBA and CORBA services
e. OLE/COM/DCOM & OLE/COM extensions
f. Distributed transaction processing monitors

4. Comparing and Contrasting Different Middleware Solutions

a. Messaging Oriented Middleware vs. Database Middleware
b. RPC vs. Messaging
c. Message passing vs. Message queuing
d. CORBA vs. OLE/COM/DCOM
e. Three-tier TP-lite vs. Three-tier TP-heavy
f. Message queuing vs. Distributed transaction processing

5. Comparing and Contrasting Database Middleware

a. RDBMS gateways vs. Open gateways
b. Database replication vs. distributed database
c. Database middleware and ODBC
d. OLE-DB vs. ODBC vs. JDBC

6. E-Mail Messaging vs. Messaging Oriented Middleware

7. Extending Lotus Notes to Mission Critical Applications

8. Middleware Technology Relationships

a. Message Oriented Middleware and CORBA
b. Message Oriented Middleware and DCE
c. Integrating OLE/COM and CORBA
d. Message oriented middleware and application workflow

9. An Ideal Middleware Architecture

a. Common middleware features
b. Advanced middleware features
c. Architecting for the Internet/Intranet - how to architect using today’s middleware for tomorrow’s Web-enabled enterprise

10. Best of Breed Products Examples

11. Integrating OLE/COM with CORBA

12. Emerging Middleware Standards

a. Database access: ODBC, OLE-DB, JDBC
b. Distributed computing: DCE
c. Distributed objects: CORBA, OLE/COM/DCOM
d. Message Oriented Middleware
e. Distributed transactions: X/Open DTP, Microsoft’s Viper
f. Naming directories: X.500, CDS, NDS, LDAP, LDSI
g. Security: Kerberos, public key and private key encryptions

13. OSF DCE, OMG COBRA, Microsoft OLE/COM/DCOM, IBM MQSeries, and Additional Middleware

14. Object Bridges

15. Major Vendors’ Middleware Strategy

a. IBM, HP, Digital, Sybase, Oracle

16. Microsoft’s Enterprise Computing Strategy

a. Viper, Falcon, OLE/COM/DCOM/, OLE-DB and others

17. Existing Products Primer: Strengths and Weaknesses

a. RPC Vendors

i. Microsoft/Netwise, OSF DCE Reference Model, Gradient Technologies, Noble Net

b. Messaging oriented middleware vendors

i. IBM, Digital, Microsoft/Falcon, Momentum Software
ii. ISIS, TIBCO and Sybase/Complex

c. Database middleware vendors

i. Sybase, Information Builders, Oracle, Neon Systems, Informix, Intersolv/Tech Gnosys

d. Distributed transaction monitor vendors

i. TP Monitors, X/Open and DPT Standard
ii. Microsoft's Viper, IBM, BEA, NCR, Unikix Technologies, Siemens-Nixdorf

e. Object request brokers vendors

i. IONA Expertsoft, Digital, IBM, Novell, Visigenics, Sun, HP

18. Middleware: The ISV’s Opportunity

a. System Management tools
b. 1st and 2nd generation client/server development tools
c. OO tools and 4GLs
d. Workflow tools and groupware

19. Integration of Legacy and Client/Server Systems via Middleware

20. Middleware for MVS: CICS, IMS, DB2

21. Middleware Evaluation Strategies

22. Buy or Build Middleware

23. Middleware and Application Development Strategies

a. Integrated development tools and middleware
b. “:Best of Breed” application development and middleware

24. Commercial Case Studies

a. Practical guide for implementing enterprise wide distributed applications

25. Middleware Meets the Web or the Web as Middleware

a. Working together to extend the enterprise

26. Current Limitation of Web-based Technology and How Current Middleware Vendors are Filling in the Gaps

27. Middleware - Future Trends and Directions - The Winners and the Losers

About Your Instructor

Max Dolgicer is one of the industry's leading authorities in distributed computing. Mr. Dolgicer's experience includes extensive work at Fortune 500 companies (First Boston, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Missiles and Space, Manulife Financial, Bell Atlantic), and major vendors (IBM, Digital Equipment, Microsoft, Legent, Sterling Software, and DCA). Currently, he is a director of International Systems Group, Inc., a consulting company that specializes in distributed and networking computing architectures, and market research. Mr. Dolgicer is also a contributing editor to Data Communications and Client/Server Today magazines, and is a frequent contributor to other major trade journals.

Meeting Site and Hotel Information

Washington, DC, July 29-31, 1997
Washington Hilton
(202)483-3000

Toronto, ON, September 8-10, 1997
Toronto Hilton
(416)869-3456

Dallas, TX, September 16-18, 1997
Hyatt Regency Dallas
(214)651-1234

Register Now!

Middleware: How to Build Enterprise Distributed Computing Architecture

$1195

ON-SITE SERVICES

Bring This Seminar to Your Facility!

How Does On-Site Training Benefit You?

1. Save on your travel budget
2. Focus on your specific needs
3. Customization
4. Train your team together
5. Convenience
6. Confidentiality
7. On-going consulting services

Call (508) 470-3870 today for more information and ask for the training project manager to keep your company ahead of your competitors.

DCI ON-SITE SERVICES

Education Developed EXCLUSIVELY for Your Organization

Stretching your training dollars is more important now than ever. Training for changing technology can be costly and time consuming . . . but with DCI it won't be.

DCI, the world leader in IT education, can bring our experts to your facility. DCI will meet your budget and reach your training goals.

Call (508) 470-3870 or Email mmullen@dciexpo.com today for your free quote.