Today I want to write about the .NET services new CTP which is part of the Azure Services Platform.
The new CTP will resemble the final release that will be commericially available after PDC 2009 (November).
The .NET services pillar of Azure provides higher-level libraries to make developers more productive. The purpose of the .NET Services is to extend the .NET framework into the cloud. .NET Services includes Access Control to help create secure connections between your applications and services, as well as an Internet Service Bus for communicating across network and organizational boundaries.
So what can we expect from the new .NET Services version?
Access Control REST Support Added - Today, developers of REST web services lack an easy, accessible means to secure their services. They lack consistency and common patterns for managing identity and access control in a way that is compatible with REST. The .NET Access Control Service will address this need and compliment other Microsoft technologies for security and identity management.
Access Control WS-* Supprort Removed - In addition, the WS-* will not be availble in the upcoming version. In future releases, we will reinstate full support for the WS-* protocols, web Single Sign On, and round out the .NET Access Control Service offering in a way that spans the REST/SOAP spectrum.
Internet Service Bus Capabilities Added:
- Services Naming System and Registry that enables opt-in service public discoverability.
- Messaging - Enable one way, request/response and peer-to-peer messaging through NAT and firewall.
- Message Buffer - Provide a FIFO data structure within .NET Services namespace and exist independent of any presence of active listeners.
Internet Services Bus Capabilities Updated - We are making core changes to Routers, Queues, WSHttpRelay Binding and External Endpoint Registration.