A couple of weeks ago I already mentioned that DevPartner SecurityChecker went RTM. Today I'm happy to announce that DevPartner Fault Simulator has been released to manufacturing by the Compuware's DevPartner and DriverStudio Lab.
DevPartner Fault Simulator is a unique new developer tool using fault simulation to emulate real-world application errors. This allows developers to work in a predictable, repeatable environment to proactively analyze and debug application error-handling code—leading to a better end-user experience and eliminating the loss of revenue that comes with unplanned application downtime.
The DevPartner Fault Simulator fact sheet is available for download at http://www.compuware.com/dl/DevPartner_FaultSimulator_factsheet.pdf. This document provides you with a good overview on how this powerful new tool can help you to validate error-handling code. Just as all other DevPartner suite products, DevPartner Fault Simulator fully integrates with the Visual Studio .NET IDE.
DevPartner Fault Simulator makes it also possible to automate fault simulations on projects that do not require user intervention. To automate test applications—such as part of an overnight build or test automation system— scripts can be executed right from the command line. This supports any fault sets that have been previously configured in DevPartner Fault Simulator. I guess I'll have to add this feature to our buildserver in order to raise the quality and maintainability of our applications. Cool!
[Via Marc Monplaisir] Microsoft has released 3 new whitepapers on the Windows Server System site.
NET Framework: The Common Language Runtime and Framework Class Library
The Microsoft .NET Framework provides services to application developers that are necessary to quickly create scalable solutions that meet stringent requirements for security, manageability, and productivity. This white paper, part of the Microsoft Enterprise Application Development Strategy series, introduces the guiding principles and thoughts behind the .NET Framework, the core features of the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and its supporting Framework Base Class Libraries, and how it is evolving in the next major version.
Whether an enterprise is concerned with interoperability of Web services or COM applications, building solutions more quickly and with fewer bugs, or using a common programming model across application types and languages, the .NET Framework provides organizations the tools they need to meet their interoperability goals.
Microsoft Enterprise Services
When building enterprise applications, organizations must take into account the various technologies with which they must interoperate. However, it may seem a daunting task to create an underlying infrastructure that ensures data consistency across multiple databases or independently created business objects and allows for asynchronous messaging across disparate platforms.
Fortunately, the solution is already provided by the Microsoft platform as described in this white paper, part of the Microsoft Enterprise Application Development Strategy series. The underlying architecture exists, and thanks to the .NET Framework, developers have easy access to this infrastructure.
Service-oriented Architecture and the Paradigm Shift in Client Architecture
The advances in technology and industry standards that enable service-oriented architecture (SOA) are also driving a paradigm shift in client architecture. Web services and industry standards, such as XML, are promoting a new generation of smart clients. Understanding smart clients is essential to realizing the full benefit of SOA. For example, extending Microsoft Office 2003 applications to form part of an SOA solution can bring efficiencies to the developers that write the applications and to those that must deploy and manage them.
This paper discusses client applications in the context of SOA, compares the new smart client architecture with the traditional thin-client approach, and provides guidance on how to choose between them.