Timely tech titles

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August 09, 2004 (Computerworld) -- We occasionally take brief note of books on technology that seem particularly useful because of the timeliness of their subjects and/or the quality of the information presented. These three titles offer comprehensive yet reasonably concise treatments of their topics.

Enterprise Service Bus, by David Chappell (O'Reilly Media Inc., 2004; 247 pages, paperback, $39.95). Chappell has managed to capture many of the virtues of both a primer and a practical handbook for working professionals in Enterprise Service Bus. The author provides a foundation-level introduction to ESB technology, including plenty of context about the nascent ESB market and the state of enterprise application integration in general. Key terms and concepts are highlighted in boxes with headings like "What Are 'Standards,' Exactly?" and "To J2EE, or .Net to Be."
The book also provides enough granular detail, practical advice and case studies to make it worth the time of IT professionals who are already familiar with ESB technology. And for all segments of the audience, Chappell and his editors have done a splendid job in presenting remarkably straightforward and useful diagrams. Readers would be hard-pressed to find a more lucid or helpful book on a technology topic.

Securing Web Services With WS-Security, by Jothy Rosenberg and David Remy (Sams Publishing, 2004; 378 pages, paperback, $39.99). Though this book opens with the assertion that Web services are a "transformational" technology for integrating information, do not fear, gentle reader. Rosenberg and Remy go beyond the hype and live up to their subtitle, "Demystifying WS-Security, WS-Policy, SAML, XML Signature, and XML Encryption."
Securing Web Services With WS-Security breezes through a few basics, but its target audience is readers who are already immersed in the technology -- Web services developers and security administrators, along with some CIOs and CTOs.
With users and analysts reporting that security concerns are the biggest barrier to the adoption of Web services by large companies, Rosenberg and Remy have worked to defuse a hot topic. Their approach is practical and methodical, going step by step through complex topics like combining XML encryption with the use of XML signatures. The authors also recognize that IT initiatives can rarely be undertaken in one big gulp, and they suggest incremental strategies for ratcheting up Web services security.

Resilient Storage Networks, by Greg Schulz (Elsevier Digital Press, 2004; 441 pages, paperback, $49.95). Even considering that it's almost 450 pages long, Resilient Storage Networks covers an extraordinary amount of ground in surprising detail. Schulz first considers the importance of data availability and then marches through descriptions and assessments of all the major networked storage technologies. After taking a look at storage management tools and security strategies, he concludes with chapters describing the issues involved in creating various sizes and types of storage networks, along with detailed design recommendations.

Schulz presents information in digestible pieces, relying heavily on bulleted lists, short sections within chapters and diagrams that match those in Chappell's book for clarity and cogency. Especially useful are the lists of questions for infrastructure architects or storage managers to ask themselves as they embark on particular projects.
This book is aimed mostly at infrastructure architects and managers, but it's good reading for anyone who wants to learn more about storage technologies.

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