Commerce Server Deployment Concepts and Terms
For the latest version of Commerce Server 2007 Help, see the Microsoft Web site.
This topic provides conceptual information about the objects and entities that Commerce Server installs. The topic includes information about the following:
Commerce Server Deployment
Commerce Server Sites and Site Packages
Commerce Server Resources
Commerce Server Applications and Web Services
Commerce Server Web Servers and Web Sites
Commerce Server Deployment
A Commerce Server deployment includes one or more physical installations of Commerce Server 2007 that share a single Commerce Server MSCS_Admin administration database. Commerce Server creates the MSCS_Admin database when you run the Commerce Server Configuration Wizard.
An enterprise deployment consists of four Commerce Server deployments, one each for the following environments:
Development environment
Integration build and test environment
Staging environment
Production environment
Commerce Server Sites and Site Packages
A Commerce Server site includes a collection of site resources and .NET-connected applications that use the site resources through the Commerce Server object model. With a Commerce Server site, you can administer the applications in the site as a group. Be aware that a Commerce Server site does not map to the concept of a Web site in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS).
Sites can be packaged and unpacked in a PuP file by using the Commerce Server Site Packager. You package your Commerce Server site (including the IIS metabase settings), site files from the file system, resources from the Administration database, and SQL Server databases into a single file. You also use Site Packager to unpack the Commerce Server site (or sections of it) onto other computers.
Commerce Server Resources
A Commerce Server resource is an entity that provides functionality to the applications in a Commerce Server site and that contains properties that you can configure by using Commerce Server Manager. The two types of resources are global resources and site resources.
Global Resources
Global resources are resources that you can share across Commerce Server sites. Commerce Server 2007 installs the following global resources when unpacking a package file or during Commerce Server configuration:
CS Authentication. Configures the authentication and identification method for your Commerce Server site when you use AuthManager or AuthFilter methods. These methods are deprecated in Commerce Server 2007. We recommend instead that you use the Commerce Server membership provider method for authenticating users. For more information about how to implement authentication, see Authentication Concepts and Tasks. When you use the Commerce Server membership provider for authenticating users, the CS Authentication resource is not used.
Data Warehouse. Imports and manages Web site data from Web log files, Commerce Server databases, and other data sources. This is an optional global resource that is installed when you unpack the DW.pup package.
Direct Mailer. Sends personalized or non-personalized mailings to large groups of recipients. This is an optional global resource that you can install and configure by using the Microsoft Commerce Server Installation Wizard and Commerce Server Configuration Wizard.
Profiles. Creates data sources for storing profile data, and creates and stores profile definitions and properties. Commerce Server installs this resource when you unpack a site.
Site Resources
Site resources are resources that you cannot share across Commerce Server sites. Commerce Server installs site resources when you unpack a site and create the associated databases. The default site resources that are available when you unpack the Starter Site or CSharp site package are as follows:
Inventory. Manages the connection to the Inventory System database that Commerce Server uses to store inventory schema and inventory SKU data. Inventory data is stored in the product catalog site database.
Marketing. Manages the connection to the Marketing System and the Mailing List Management site databases that Commerce Server uses to store data about campaigns, ads, discounts, direct mail, and user lists.
Product Catalog. Manages the connection to the product catalog site database that Commerce Server uses to store catalog schema and product data.
Transactions. Manages the connection to the Orders System Transactions site database that Commerce Server uses to store data such as order numbers, order groups, and baskets.
Transaction Config. Manages the connection to the Orders System Transactions Configuration site database that Commerce Server uses to store data such as region codes, tax rates, order status codes, and shipping methods.
Commerce Server Applications and Web Services
A Commerce Server application is a logical representation of a Web application in IIS. It appears in both the Commerce Server Manager and IIS management console trees. In the IIS management console tree, a Commerce Server application is either at the root directory level of the Web site or at a subdirectory level of the Web site. Commerce Server applications are also referred to as Web services.
When you unpack a Commerce Server site such as the Starter Site or CSharp site, a Commerce Server Web application is created. Customers use their browser to access this application. Web applications typically involve purchasing or ordering products that customers browse online, put in a basket, and ultimately acquire through the check-out process.
Depending on the Commerce Server components you select to install, as many as four additional Web applications (Web services) are created when you unpack a site:
Catalog Web Service
Marketing Web Service
Orders Web Service
Profiles Web Service
These applications are not counted against the Commerce Server 2007 Standard Edition limit of one Commerce Server application per site.
Commerce Server Web Servers and Web Sites
In Commerce Server, a Web server is a computer on which IIS is installed. The Web server contains the virtual directories, files, and subfolders for a Commerce Server site. A Commerce Server deployment can have multiple Web servers that together form a Web farm.
A Web site is an IIS Web site that is running on a specific TCP port number. Examples are the "Default Web site" or "Administration" Web site. By default, these sites are installed with IIS.