MicrosoftIndigo

Last edit September 13, 2005
'''Aug05 update: The product is now renamed as "WindowsCommunicationFoundation". Links should be remapped to that new page. And material here should be moved, or kept for historical interests only.

DonBox: Indigo is like a Rorschach test - everyone sees something different in it. The following statements are all true:

  • Indigo is an XML-based messaging stack.
  • Indigo is a CLR-based messaging stack.
  • Indigo is Microsoft's implementation of WS-* (WebServicesSpecifications).
  • Indigo runs on Windows XP, Windows 2003, and the long-awaited Windows Longhorn.

My personal take on Indigo is that it's the spiritual successor to the ComponentObjectModel. If you trace the lineage and what people are looking to do with it, this viewpoint is not that far fetched.

ADTmag reported that MicroSoft director of Web Services said this of Indigo "the Web Services subsystem that will be built into Longhorn".

It went on to report that the company spokesperson said a secured and reliable webservice can be created using one line of code (up to 13K lines needed in early 2004).

Another article in the same magazine dated Jan2004 is located at http://www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=8855. I am waiting for a summary from this wiki community.

How Microsoft people describe Indigo over time

...the Web services run time I talked about, is. The code name for this is the "Indigo" run time. BillGates remarks at Feb05 Office developer conference, see http://www.webpronews.com/news/ebusinessnews/wpn-45-20050205BillGatesTalksOffice.html

Microsoft model and framework for developing service-oriented business applications in http://msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/srorientwp.asp Communications infrastructure for WindowsLonghorn, so says a March2004 Microsoft article at http://msdn.microsoft.com/longhorn/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnlong/html/indigoattrprog.asp

Indigo architecture

At times MicrosoftIndigo has been compared to a EnterpriseServiceBus, however it has significant differences (?Perhaps service autonomy requirements being the distinguishing characteristic?) A service model and a messaging layer.

Service model

The service model is used to sharing contracts (services e.g. WSDL and data e.g. XSD)

The service model provides management of concepts like service compatibility through entities called policies. It also have facilities to establish compatibility (structural as well as semantic) between services.

Sourced from http://winfx.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/indigo_con/html/40e1009d-ef15-450b-9848-62eabe5e5738.asp

Messaging layer

The messaging layer is supposed to tie together most of the ASMX (DotNet SoapProtocol based WebServices) protocol, DotNetRemoting, MSMQ, EnterpriseServices, etc by higher level WS-* protocols (called WSE V3). WS-* protocols being included

Security
  • WS-Security
  • WS-Trust
  • WS-Federation
Reliability
  • WS-Reliable Messaging
Transactions
  • WS-Transactions
  • WS-Coordination
Metadata
  • WS-Policy
  • WS-Discovery
Messaging
  • WS-Eventing
  • WS-Addressing

much of this section sourced from http://www.microsoft.no/portfolio/pptdownload/SOA%20Tour/CAT%20-%20Futures.ppt. Some not explicitly mentioned (e.g. WS-Routing included in WSE1.0 already, and to be superseded by WS-Addressing, which is listed and to be included in WSE2.0)
Indigo resources

Community Technology Preview (CTP) beta expected for mid 05 see http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1763162,00.asp

Indigo not so open... at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/26/ndigo_mono_no_no/print.html
  • suggests MS is upset with MonoProject being supported by competitor

Indigo book on the web started Mar05, watch it grow at http://www.thatindigobook.com/default,date,2005-03-31.aspx

Other Too good to miss but read later resource

DonBox article A Guide to Developing and Running Connected Systems with Indigo

In this fast changing world, see note at http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/04/01/indigo/ which suggests information there published six months ago is already out of date (mid 2004 note)

JonUdell of InfoWorld has said that the product aims to make standard-based XML messaging work efficiently across a broad range of topologies. (see his article here: http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/2003/11/04.html)

It is a step towards the utopia of ServiceOrientedArchitecture implemented seamlessly from desktop to the clouds.

In Aug04 you can see video on MicrosoftChannelNine where DonBox is hosting a tour of the MicrosoftIndigo quarters.

The Microsoft DotNet show of late Feb04 profiled MicrosoftIndigo. It included an interview with John Shewchuk (ex IBMer), who left the DotNet team to head up Indigo team in 2000. Transcript located at http://msdn.microsoft.com/theshow/Episode040/Transcript.html. Main movie download is at http://msdn.microsoft.com/theshow/episode040/default.asp.

WebServices

Heard this shortly after launch of WebServicesEnhancements V2. "It is likely that there will be two more releases of WebServicesEnhancements, and the final released version of this addon will be wire compatible with MicrosoftIndigo. XmlPerformance aspects

MS people recommend using DimeForSoap for binary attachments until MicrosoftIndigo becomes ready. See http://blogs.msdn.com/richardt/archive/2004/03/10/87602.aspx
Other Messaging Schemes included

DCOM, COM+/EnterpriseServices, DotNetRemoting, elements of MSMQ are all to be consolidated into Indigo.

Also slide 2 of the PDC2003 session (connected systems) at http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/8/F/08F3D7B9-C0CC-418A-AAD4-F15D491EE6C7/WSV203.ppt suggested MicrosoftIndigo contain
  • WebServices (service, description, discovery, protocols)
  • MessageBus (transport, port, channel, service, queue, pubsub, router, policy, peer group)
  • Collaboration (realtimeendpoint, transientdatasession, signalingsession, media, activities)
  • Discovery (activedirectory, uddi)
  • Others (system messaging, system directory services, system service model, system runtime remoting)

CategoryMicrosoft