Books on client/server computing are often dry and academic. Not so with the Client/Server Survival Guide, now in its third edition. The trio of authors--Jeri Edwards, Dan Harkey and Robert Orfali--make the topic interesting with a down-to-earth style that covers the informational landscape without boring the reader to tears. Numerous non-technical diagrams drive home important concepts quickly.

The first part consists of a comprehensive overview of client/server computing. In this critical introduction, the authors discuss the paradigm, the various flavours of servers and the basics of two-tier and three-tier architectures. They also discuss how the client/server works in the real world and introduce the concepts of LAN, WAN, and other connection topologies.

Next, the authors introduce you to the various operating systems, the concept of middleware, and communication protocols. They present a forward-looking discussion of network operating systems, followed by several chapters on SQL database servers and transaction processing. With the database foundation laid, the authors then present client/server groupware with a look at popular solutions such as Lotus Notes, Domino 5, and Novell GroupWise.

The text continues with discussions of object standards such as CORBA and DCOM, as well as an introduction to object databases and their potential for distributed computing. The Internet is then covered by way of a wide-ranging discussion of Web-based client/server computing. And this unique title wraps up with an acronym-packed look at client/server and distributed system management standards and a glimpse of the future of client/server architecture. --Stephen W Plain