Application Architectures

Topic Last Modified: 2008-08-05

This topic provides information about how the different technologies compare with regard to Application Architectures.

Technology	What application architectures can be used?
Active Directory Services Interfaces (ADSI)	This information is not yet available here.
Collaboration Data Objects for Windows 2000 (CDOSYS)	Commonly used for client-side Windows applications that use simple e-mail and NNTP messaging, and for ASP-based applications that require simple messaging capabilities.
CDOSYS SMTP/NNTP Event Sinks	CDOSYS SMTP/NNTP event sinks run on the computer on which the message is being processed. Applications that use CDOSYS event sinks might have a GUI application that is used to configure how the event sinks operate, and to provide information to the user or administrator about message handling activities.
Collaboration Data Objects for Exchange 2000 Server (CDOEX)	Typical uses are for advanced access to a user's messages and other information stored in Exchange, implemented by means of an ASP application running on a server on which Exchange is installed.
Collaboration Data Objects for Exchange Management (CDOEXM)	Typical uses are for administrative tools and scripts that use CDOEXM and ADSI to operate on Exchange servers, stores and folder trees. Applications that use CDOEXM must be run on a computer that has the Exchange Management Tools installed.
Collaboration Data Objects for Exchange Workflow (CDOWF)	Typical uses are for applications that implement messaging-related business processes.
Exchange OLE DB Provider (ExOLEDB)	Because the ExOLEDB provider must be run on the Exchange server, and can only access data that is located on that server, applications that use ExOLEDB must also run on the Exchange server. These are typically ASP applications that require access to information stored in the Exchange store.
Exchange Store Event Sinks	Exchange store events are typically used in combination with other technologies, because Exchange store events work entirely inside the Exchange store. A Windows client or ASP application is typically used to present information to an application user.
Exchange Web Forms	Exchange Web forms are scripts that execute on the Exchange server, within the operation of Microsoft® Outlook® Web Access.
Exchange Web Services	Exchange Web Services client applications can be either Web-based or Windows GUI applications. The Exchange Web Services can also be used for server-to-server communication.
HTTP/Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)	Applications that use WebDAV are typically Web-based, thin-client applications. However, traditional Microsoft® Windows® GUI applications can be developed that use WebDAV to communicate with the Exchange server. In addition, WebDAV is frequently used as the communication mechanism between an application middle tier and the Exchange server.
WebDAV Notifications	Applications that use WebDAV are typically Web-based, thin-client applications. However, traditional Windows GUI applications can be developed that use WebDAV to communicate with the Exchange server. In addition, WebDAV is frequently used as the communication mechanism between an application middle tier and the Exchange server.
Incremental Change Synchronization (ICS)	ICS applications are typically constructed as a system of three services: a collector that gathers the changes from the source store, a synchronizer that applies the changes to the destination store, and an agent that schedules and manages the synchronization process. In addition, a GUI application is typically supplied to configure the synchronization system.
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)	LDAP and ADSI are commonly used in the middle tiers of applications. Exchange application clients that use LDAP and ADSI are typically intranet applications, or are applications that monitor and manage other Exchange servers.
Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)	MAPI client applications are typically Windows forms-based client applications. However, N-tier applications can be written that use MAPI.
Outlook Object Model (OOM)	OOM is typically used in macros and scripts to extend Outlook and other Microsoft Office applications. In addition, OOM is sometimes used in Visual Basic and WSH applications.
Outlook Web Access	Outlook Web Access is a Web client application.
Exchange Rules	Applications that programmatically control Exchange rules are typically e-mail processing client applications such as Outlook. In addition, applications that use mailboxes to manage messages in workflow processes can use Exchange server-side rules to perform parts of the workflow processing.
SMTP Event Sinks	SMTP event sinks run on the computer to which the message is being transferred. Applications that use SMTP event sinks typically do not have a GUI application to configure how the event sinks operate. Instead, applications typically use registry settings or configuration files to control their operation.
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers for Exchange	WMI is typically used in command line or GUI-based administrative scripts. In addition, WMI can be used within ASP pages to form a Web-based Exchange server health monitor.
Exchange Backup and Restore API	Backup and Restore applications that use the Backup and Restore API to back up Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 storage groups typically consist of a background service that performs the backup, a scheduling service, and a Windows GUI application console that controls and configures the backup and restore system.
Exchange writer for the Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service	Backup and Restore applications that use VSS to back up Exchange Server 2003 storage groups typically consist of a background service that performs the backup, a scheduling service, and a Windows GUI application console that controls and configures the backup and restore system.