Special Topic: Web Information Systems

It aims at giving introductory discussions on the current web-based technologies from the system architecting perspective. In other words, the course focuses on the state-of-the-art web-based technologies for design, development, and deployment of Internet-based applications. Introductory topics will be given on the following core areas: Internet Architecture, Design for Scalability, Reliability, and Maintainability, Thin Client, Data Source Connectivity, Server Technologies (e.g., presentation, application, and data source tier technologies), Infrastructures (e.g., protocols, components, middleware, and security), Performance Evaluation, and Deployment. Both enabling technologies from Microsoft and Sun Microsystems will be used as references; similarities and differences between them will be compared and analyzed across all the class sessions.

Textbook:

· “Developing Java Enterprise Applications” by Stephen Asbury and Scott Weiner, 2nd Edition, 2001.

· A lot whitepapers and articles will be used as supplementary materials.

Tentative Course Topics and Schedule (Changes could be made during semester):

Date	Class #	Topic &Chapter & Articles
	1	Introduction to Web-based Information Systems, Architecting Web-based Information Systems
	2	Design for Scalability, Reliability, and Maintainability
	3	Thin Client Technologies: HTML, Scripting, Data Islands, Mobile Computing, and Container
	4	Data Source Connectivity – Part I: Database Connectivity
	5	Presentation Logics, Application Server, and Information Persistence (I)
	6	Presentation Logics, Application Server, and Information Persistence (II)
	7	Midterm
	8	Semester Recess
	9	Presentation Logics, Application Server, and Information Persistence (III)
	10	Data Source Connectivity – Part II: File and Directory Connectivity
	11	Object/Component Services vs. Web Services, Common Object Model and Distributed Component Object Model
	12	Middleware: Messaging, Message Brokers, and Java Messaging Services
	13	1. Data Integration: Universal Data Format, Stylesheet Languages, and Data Transformation 2. Performance Evaluation, Deployment, and Issues on E-commerce and Security
	14	Future Competitions between Microsoft and Sun Microsystems (.Net and Sun ONE), Design for Enterprise (Business) Integration
	15	Final
	16	Project Demo and Presentation
	17	Project Demo and Presentation

Grading:

Class attendance – 15%

Midterm Examination – 20%

Final Examination – 20%

Project Report/Demo – 25%

Project Presentation – 20%