FAQ: Remote Data Service (RDS) Frequently Asked Questions

A. If the client computer is using Internet Explorer (IE) version 3.02 the RDS 1.1 client components are distributed with the Msadc11.cab file that is installed on the server computer when MDAC 1.5 is installed. When installing MDAC 1.5 the RDS version 1.1 files do not install unless specifically selected during the MDAC 1.5 setup.

6. Q. If I am creating a Custom Business Object (typically written with
   Visual Basic) on a different computer than the RDS server what files are
   required to compile the business object?

   A. You must have the RDS server files installed on the computer that you
   use for developing your Custom Business Object. Internet Information
   Server or Personal Web Server is not needed to compile the Custom
   Business object. However, Internet Information Server or Personal Web
   Server is necessary for a fully functional test of the component.

7. Q. When the documentation is referencing features of 1.5 is it referring
   to the server or client components?

   A. The features that are discussed in the documentation are available
   with the 1.5 client side components. If you are using the 1.5 server
   components and the 1.1 client components you will not have all of the
   1.5 functionality described in the documentation.

8. Q. Is Windows NT Server necessary to run RDS as a server?

   A. No, Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95 Personal Web Services also
   work. However, Windows NT Server is the recommended platform for high
   volume Web servers.

9. Q. Where is the documentation that comes with RDS?

   A. The documentation that comes with RDS is in html format and can be
   located at C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSADC\Docs. Selecting
   Default.htm opens the help file. If you install MDAC 1.5c (available
   after 12/18/97 from the web), you also get an entry in the Program Files
   menu for "Microsoft Data Access Components 1.5" if you enabled the
   documentation for ADO and RDS when installing the MDAC components.

10. Q. What is a Three Tiered application? Why must I use one with RDS?

    A. This approach separates the various components of a client/server
    System into three "tiers" as described below:

      Client tier - a local computer on which either a Web browser displays
      a Web page that can display and manipulate data from a remote data
      source, or (in non Web-based applications) a stand-alone compiled
      front-end application.

      Middle tier - a Microsoft Windows NT [ASCII 174] Server computer that
      hosts components that encapsulate an organization's business rules.
      Middle-tier components can either be Active Server Page scripts
      executed on Internet Information Server, or (in non Web-based
      applications) compiled DLL's or executables.

      Data source tier - a computer hosting a database management system
      (DBMS), such as a Microsoft SQL Server database. (In a two-tier
      application, the middle-tier and data source tier are combined.)

   These tiers do not necessarily correspond to physical locations on the
   network. For example, all three tiers may exist on only two computers.
   One computer could be a Windows 95 computer running Internet Explorer
   4.0 as its browser. The second computer could be a Windows NT Server
   computer running both Internet Information Server and Microsoft SQL
   Server.

   This method of designing applications gives you greater flexibility when
   deploying processes and data on the network for maximum performance and
   ease of maintenance.

   By using a three-tiered design, you are simplifying the deployment of
   your RDS application. The middle tier is used to host your Custom
   Business Object. By doing this you will not have to distribute the ADODB
   object, ODBC 3.5, or database drivers to the client computers.

   Once the user enters a request, the client-side RDS components send the
   query to the Web server. The server-side RDS components process the
   request and send the request to the DBMS. The DBMS responds to the
   request, sending back the data. The RDS components on the Web server
   transform that data into an ADO Recordset object. The data is converted
   for transport to the client and sent back across the network to the
   client computer.

   You may refer to the RDS 1.5 documentation - Microsoft Remote Data
   Service/Remote Data Service Developer's Guide/Understanding Remote Data
   Service Applications/Three-Tiered Applications for further explanation.

11. Q. What is the difference between the ADODB and ADOR objects?

    A. The ADODB Library contains additional server side objects
    (Connection, Command, Error, Parameters and so forth.) These are best
    used within server side components to communicate with the database. In
    order to use this functionality on the client you would have to
    distribute additional files and ODBC 3.5 to each client computer. The
    ADORDB functionality is not distributed with the RDS Client components.

   The ADOR Library is a lighter weight client that allows for the
   manipulation of an existing recordset on the client. It does not include
   the Connection, Command, Error, or Parameters commands. The ADOR
   functionality is distributed with the RDS client components.

12. Q. Can the full ADODB recordset be used to transfer data over http? If
    so, why is there an ADOR recordset?

    A. No, you need RDS to do the caching and remoting over http. The RDS
    proxy is used to remotely marshal an ADOR disconnected recordset across
    http. RDS is the container that does the caching and remoting of the
    ADOR recordset.

13. Q. Can I use a User data source name (DSN) when using RDS?

    A. No, you must use a System or File ODBC DSN when using RDS. The
    Anonymous user logging on through IIS can not view User DSNs.

14. Q. Can the RDS Data Control be placed on a Visual Basic Form such as
    those in the Visual Basic (VB) toolbox?

    A. No, the RDS Control is not a visible control. You must
    Programmatically create the control.

15. Q. I am having trouble creating my Business Object on the server
    computer from the client. What could I be doing wrong?

    A. Check to make sure the Business Object is registered on the server
    computer and added to the ADCLaunch registry key shown below:

      [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\
          W3SVC\Parameters\ADCLaunch]

16. Q. In a previous version of RDS I was using the AdvancedDataControl,
    AdvancedDataFactory and the AdvancedDataSpace. What happened to these
    objects?

    A. The objects have new names. The AdvancedDataControl is now the
    RDS.DataControl, the AdvancedDataFactory is now RDSServer.DataFactory,
    and the AdvancedDataSpace is now RDS.DataSpace.

REFERENCES

http://www.microsoft.com/data/