Distributed applications overview

The term distributed application originates from the developer world where an application would typically comprise two (client and server) or three (client, server and middleware) tiers within the service model. Using this type of distributed model, application developers gained a complete understanding of how each tier functioned and this enabled them to deliver faster development cycles for new releases.

In the operations world, IT administrators have responsibility for monitoring and managing the many disparate components that form the basis of their organizations IT service catalog. The pressure is on for them to deliver comprehensive monitoring of IT services but with a visibility that's easy to understand for both senior management and non-tech savvy employees alike. This is where Microsoft has seized their opportunity with distributed applications in OpsMgr by enabling IT administrators to map out the different components of an IT service and bring...