e-Business and Distributed Systems Handbook

From Strategies to Working Solutions

Amjad Umar, Ph.D.

May 2003 Edition (Several Modules Updated: August 2004, See Below)

Available Through Amazon.com and other Booksellers  as Paperbacks and e-Book  

This is an extensive handbook, consisting of the following Technology Briefing Modules, that systematically discuss how to translate e-business strategies to working solutions by using the latest distributed systems technologies:

  • MODULE (OVERVIEW) -- The Big Picture with Case Studies: An overall approach to translate strategies to working solutions for the modern e-Business environments using Third Generation (3G) Distributed Computing Infrastructure, aided by several (almost 100) case studies and examples.
  • MODULE (APPLICATIONS) -- e-Business Models and Applications: e-Business evolution into Next Generation Real-time Enterprises, strategic issues, the role of eMarkets, ERPs, CRMs, ASPs, eProcurement, supply chains, portals, mobile applications, data warehouses and data mining to address strategic issues, a planning methodology.
  • MODULE (ARCHITECTURES) -- Solution Architectures Through Components : The role of component-based web application architectures, architecture patterns, enterprise data architectures, implementation examples using XML Web Services, Sun's J2EE, and Microsoft's .NET. (UPDATED: AUGUST 2004)
  • MODULE (INTEGRATION) -- Integration and Migration Strategies and Technologies: Strategic issues in integration versus migration, Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), B2B integration, EAI/eAI platforms, data warehousing for integration, migration strategies and replacements with ERPs (UPDATED: AUGUST 2004)
  • MODULE (PLATFORMS) -- Mobile Computing and EC/EB Platforms: M-commerce, middleware platforms for mobility (WAP, I-Mode, Wireless Java, BREW), C2B Ecommerce Platforms, B2B Platforms, Rosettanet, ebXML, multimedia servers, Application Servers. (UPDATED: AUGUST 2004)
  • MODULE (MIDDLEWARE) -- Application Intreconnectivity Through Middleware: Basic middleware (RPCs, RDA, MOM), Semantic Web and XML, CORBA, SOAP, Web Services, Sun's J2EE, Microsoft's .NET, enterprise data and transaction managers. (UPDATED: AUGUST 2004)
  • MODULE (NETWORKS) -- Network Services and Architectures in the Internet World: Network architectures, network connectivity, IP-based networks, broadband networks, wireless networks, Next Generation Internet
  • MODULE (MANAGEMENT) --Management and Security Issues: Management of e-Business, IS planning, security management, basic cryptography, PKI, security architectures, security solutions for wireless and wireline networks, web and application security, system assurance methodology, network and systems management platforms
  • MODULE (TUTORIALS) -- Tutorials and Special Topics: Tutorials on networks, object orientation, Java, web engineering, XML processing, database technologies/SQL, and CORBA. . (UPDATED: AUGUST 2004)
  •  

Each module consists of 5 intensive chapters (50 pages each, approximately) and is written as a self-contained booklet (roughly 250 pages each) that can be used for independent study of the subject matter or combined with others for a broader view (see Book Outline).

The book is based on a very impressive framework, if I may say so myself. The framework represents the major building blocks (applications, architectures, integration, networks, middleware services, and management/support). The modules of this book, as discussed below,  cover the building blocks (five chapters per module).  .

Click here for a  Book Outline and  "Impressive Framework"
 

EBusiness Handbook Information

 

HIGHLIGHTS  OF AUGUST 2004 UPDATES   

 

 

As promised, I have revised and updated the Handbook content. Most of these revisions are based on the excellent suggestions and feedback I keep getting. The following major changes have been:

-         More emphasis on Web Services and the emerging role of Web Services in architectures and integration

-         Inclusion of recent developments in mobility and wireless communications 

-         Expansion of content on information security

 

Four modules have been updated heavily during this revision. The others will be updated later for an up-to-date second edition (targeted for the summer of 2005).

 

If you purchase any modules (paperback or ebook versions) after August 2, 2004, you will automatically get the updated versions.

 

MODULE (OVERVIEW): THE BIG PICTURE AND CASE STUDIES

  * This module is practically unchanged.   

 

 

MODULE (APPLICATIONS): E-BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND APPLICATIONS  

 * This module is practically unchanged.                       

 

MODULE (ARCHITECTURES): SOLUTION ARCHITECTURES THROUGH COMPONENTS     

 * This module has been revised considerably to highlight the role of Web Services in component-based architectures. In particular, the first chapter of this module has been practically re-written to emphasize Web Services and Service-Oriented architectures (SOAs). The second chapter also includes an examination of Web Services and SOAs for component-based systems.          

 

MODULE  (INTEGRATION): ENTERPRISE APPLICATION INTEGRATION AND MIGRATION

 * This Module has been revised considerably to emphasize and highlight the role of Web Services in Enterprise Application Integration. In particular, Chapter 1 shows how Web Services can be used in EAI and Chapter 2 has an extended discussion on using Web Services as EAI platforms with strengths/weaknesses of Web Services.   Chapter 4 has also been updated to reflect the use of  Web Services in migrations.

           

 

MODULE  (NETWORKS):  NETWORK SERVICES AND ARCHITECTURES IN THE INTERNET AGE

 * This module has stayed practically unchanged. However, a new book “Mobile Computing and Wireless Communications” has been recently completed that considerably expands the mobile computing and wireless aspects of this module. The first chapter of that book (free) gives a very up-to-date discussion of  wireless networks (see Mobile Computing and Wireless Book Information). .  

 

MODULE (MIDDLEWARE): APPLICATION INTERCONNECTIVITY THROUGH MIDDLEWARE

* This module has been revised considerably to highlight the role of Web Services, .NET, and J2EE in the modern middleware services. Chapter 3 has been practically re-written to include more details on Web services, .NET, and J2EE. In addition, the role of Web Services Transactions has been highlighted in Chapter 4 (Data and Transaction Management). 

 

MODULE (PLATFORMS): APPLICTION SERVERS FOR MOBILE AND EC/EB APPLICATIONS 

 * This chapter has been updated to include the emergence of new wireless networks and new mobile computing platforms such as Microsoft’s Mobile Internet Toolkit and Mobile Web Services. In addition, the emergence of business process modeling languages such as BPEL, BPML, and UML 2.0 in B2B trade is recognized in B2B trade. 

 

MODULE (MANAGEMENT): MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY  

  * This module is practically unchanged. However, a completely new book on “Information Security and Auditing in the Digital Age’ has been completed that considerably expands on the security discussion of this module (see Security Book Information   for details).                    

 

MODULE (TUTORIALS): TUTORIALS AND DETAILED DISCUSSIONS ON SPECIAL TOPICS 

 * This module has been modified to expand the description of web protocols (Chapter 3) and provide a complete tutorial on distributed object technologies (Chapter 5).  

 

 


Availability (How to Access the Material):

The material is available as e-book (PDF files) or paperbacks through Amazon.com (each module is listed separaetly). Other book retail stores such as Barnes and Knoble also have these modules listed as separate titles. Several other bookstores are also carrying this material -- I have no idea which ones and why!

For pricing and purchasing informations, go to Purchasing Instructions.

 A Few Notes:

  • This is not a lightweight handbook. The  more than 40 chapters have been arranged into numerous modules as you will see in the table of contents. Each chapter is about 50 pages long and contains a fairly detailed discussion of the subject matter. There are numerous case studies, examples,  web links and pointers to additional sources of information. Most modules are about 250 pages long.
  • Each module is written as a self-contained booklet and thus can be used for independent study of  the subject matter. You can buy individual modules or the whole handbook. Different modules can be assembled to offer different courses (several universities  have been teaching  3-4 courses from this material on a regular basis). You can offer a complete course exclusively from this material or can plug one or two modules into other courses to beef-up coverage of topics.
  • The handbook follows a  layered approach --  you can easily change the order you want to proceed (start from higher level business issues and then dig into the enabling technologies, or the other way around)
  • This material is currently only available as PDF files. Later on (early 2003) it will be available as printed booklets.