Question Application to run on Windows Server

[stanbuggy]

hi all,

I want to make run an application i developed in vb.net (developed with Visual studio 2008) to run on a windows server maybe (Win server 2003,2005,2008), my framework is .NET Framework 3.5.

i want my application to be accessed by different host computers but would be submitting into a single database that would have been installed on the server.

what do i need to do.

Thanks in advance

 

[jmcilhinney]

If the app is to run on a server then you most likely won't want something with a UI. You'll most likely want to create a Windows Service project. The server can use the TcpListener class to accept connections from either Socket or TcpClient objects in the client applications. The server will listen on a specific port and the clients will connect using that port and the server's IP address. Data will then flow over a NetworkStream between client and server and back again.

 

[jmcilhinney]

It's also worth noting that multiple clients can simply connect directly to a database on the server, e.g a SQL Server (Express) instance. You don't necessarily need a server application to broker the communication, unless it does some indispensable work.

 

[stanbuggy]

while i really appreciate ur help...u can see here that am a newbie in VB.net...so pls guys what would u advise me to do...cos what i want to achieve is develop an application where i don't need to install on every client machine..and even if i do..they all should be submitting,deleting,updating the same records from a central database...

Thanks a lot in advance ..really appreciate u guys

 

[jmcilhinney]

An application needs to be on every client regardless. If an app isn't on a client then you can't use the app on that client. Whether all the logic goes into that client app and each client accesses the database directly, or some of the logic goes into a server and each client accesses the server, is up to you. I will say that I wouldn't create a server application if I didn't have a specific need for one.

Another option for a server would be a web service, which is an architecture that I have used before. A web service requires a web server but also can be simpler to implement, because you don't have to build the communication protocol from scratch. It's also easier to secure if you do want to expose it to the wider internet.

 

[cjard]

one of the big problem you've got is that you've essentially showed up here saying "I've never used any kind of power tool or done any manual work in my life. I want to know how to build a house from start to finish"

Can you see how it's hard to advise you step by step to achieve your goal? JMc has made a great start in advising yu what to do at a suitably high level, and you should consider how much you can learn on your own. You'd be well advised to follow the advice that the database can sit centrally, and not need a server app to talk to the clients; just develop the clients to communciate with the db directly. A good set of tutorials for creating database aware applications can be found in my signature, pick the DW3 link, and start with the tutorial "Creating a Simple Data App"

 

[stanbuggy]

Thanks Guys ...i appreciate...but pls would be back soon with any problem...let me finish the tutorial on Cjard's link.

Thanks