Nikhil;
I did not go though all the chapters in IT Architectures and Middleware. However I feel it would be good to go through all the chapters just once as you will become familiar with the basic middleware concepts, requirements, technologies etc.
I went thorough the following chapters.. Pay attention to chapters 6, 7 and 8 as they cover non-functional requirements such as scalability, resiliency, performance, security etc...
Chapter 1: The Nature of the Problem. This chapter is an introduction to the rest of the book. It takes an example and points out the main concerns of IT architecture. Middleware technology alternatives
Chapter 2: A Short History of Middleware Technology--From the Stone Age to Message Queuing. This and the following two chapters are a historical survey of middleware technology. The topics are
Remote procedures calls.
Remote database access (ODBC, etc.).
Distributed transaction processing.
Message queuing.
Comparison of message queuing with distributed transaction processing.
Chapter 3: A Short History of Middleware Technology--Object Middleware. The topics are
A short introduction to object-oriented concepts.
DCOM.
CORBA.
Using object interfaces over middleware.
Chapter 4: A Short History of Middleware Technology--Components and the Web. The topics are
The difference, from an application implementation design angle, between Webbrowsers and workstations.
COM+.
Enterprise
Java Beans.
The issue of session state.
IT architecture guidelines / middleware
Chapter 5: Middleware Classification and Middleware Architectures. The topics are
A technological classification of middleware. This section tries to answer the questions--is there additional middleware that has been overlooked, and how does middleware fit with other software?
Vendor architectures like Microsoft DNA and Sun's J2EE.
Chapter 6: What Is Middleware For? The topics are
A description of the functional requirements of middleware technology.
An introduction to a high-level generic architecture (this is further broken down into components in chapter 10).
Distributed systems technology principles
Chapter 7: Resiliency. This chapter explains the principles of resiliency in distributed systems.
Chapter 8: Performance and Scalability. This chapter explains the principles of performance and scalability in distributed systems.
Chapter 9: Security and Systems Management. This chapter explains the principles of security and systems management in distributed systems. IT architecture guidelines / distributed systems implementation design
