What is Active Server?
Active Server is part of Microsoft’s broader Active Platform, designed to help developers build dynamic, scalable, and robust web applications and services, especially for enterprise environments.
It’s built on the idea of component-based software development, meaning that different parts of the application are modular, reusable, and communicate with each other over the network seamlessly.
Key Components of Active Server-
- DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model):
DCOM is an extension of COM (Component Object Model) that supports communication among software components distributed across networked computers. It allows Active Server components to interact regardless of whether they are on the same machine or across a network. - Active Server Pages (ASP):
ASP is a technology for building dynamic web pages. Using scripting languages like VBScript or JScript, ASP pages can generate HTML dynamically, interact with databases, and deliver custom content based on user input or other data. - Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS):
MTS manages transactions and object pooling, helping ensure that multiple operations (like database updates) complete successfully or roll back together, preserving data integrity. It also manages scalability by pooling objects to serve multiple users efficiently. - Message Queues:
This component supports asynchronous communication between applications or components, allowing them to send and receive messages even if the other side is temporarily offline or busy. This helps with reliability and scalability in distributed systems.
Why is Active Server Important?
- Component-based Development: Developers create reusable, modular components, making it easier to maintain and scale large applications.
- Scalability: By managing object pooling and asynchronous messaging, it supports high-performance applications that can grow with demand.
- Language Independence: Developers can use various programming languages to build components, not being restricted to just one language.
- Simplified Network Programming: Developers focus on business logic without worrying about low-level network details like communication protocols or session management.
- Transaction Management: Ensures consistency and reliability in complex operations across multiple systems.
How Active Server fits in the ecosystem:
Active Server was a key part of the early 2000s Microsoft web application stack, often paired with Internet Information Services (IIS) as the web server. It laid the groundwork for later technologies like COM+, .NET Framework, and modern web development paradigms on Microsoft platforms.