Component technologies like Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), COM+ and CORBA Components (CCM) have become mainstream in many application domains. Developers and architects who use this technology in their everyday work need to know more about component infrastructures than the API's of the respective technology. And this is the book they need.

The first part of the book introduces a pattern language that describes how server-side component infrastructures work internally. It does not only adress the basic building blocks and their interactions. It also provides details about the reasons and rationales for this kind of system architecture. For each pattern, the book provides short examples of how it is implemented in EJB, CCM and COM+. These examples thus also serve as a good comparison of those three mainstream component infrastructures.

The second part of the book uses EJB technology to provide even more detailed examples for the patterns, including UML diagrams and extensive source code. Also serving as a comprehensive overview of EJB, it introduces it from the architectural viewpoint and for the developer highlights the consequences of working with that architecture.

Part three offers another approach to the material: a conversation between two people that describes how a concrete application has been built using component technology, focusing on the benefits of this approach.

After reading this book you will:
* understand the principles and patterns of server-side component infrastructures
* be able to design your own proprietary component infrastructures for specific projects
* have learnt about the commonalities and differences between EJB, CCM and COM+
* gain a comprehensive overview of EJB technology
* see how server-side component infrastructures can be used to great benefit in a real application
The "comic" illustrations accompanying the patterns have been created by Stefan Schulz who, when not drawing, works as an independent technology consultant.