Chapter 12. Networking
In This Chapter
Networking has been around for a long time. The concept of building a distributed application is equally old. Using the term client/server to describe your application dates your application. If these concepts are so old, why do they still generate so much attention? One of the reasons is that to do “networking” correctly and to build a distributed application requires a lot of work. In addition, the tools available to debug and follow the flow of such an application have been limited. The success of Java—certainly in the server market—attests to the need for a new approach. In the .NET Framework, in only a few other areas can the power of a managed environment be used to provide such a wide array of services and functionality. At the core of the .NET Framework is Web Services. At the core of Web Services is System.Net or the .NET Framework classes for networking.
Because this chapter is a bit long, you might benefit from an overview of where this chapter is heading. First, this chapter explores the background of networking in general and what the networking classes need to replace and build on. Then the lowest level class, the Socket, is discussed, and from there, the chapter moves on to higher-level classes such as TcpClient and TcpListener. At that point, the discussion moves toward classes that were specifically built to address Internet access with WebRequest and WebResponse classes. Finally, some of the technology that Microsoft has provided to improve the security of an application is explored.