Matakuliah
Tahun
Versi
: M0284/Teknologi & Infrastruktur E-Business
: 2005
: <<versi/revisi>>
Pertemuan 13
1

Learning Objectives
• Identify Components of an e-commerce platform
• Select appropriate platforms for various situations.
• Distinguish between critical and non-essential features of an e-commerce architecture.
• List the components necessary for front-end and back-end of e-commerce transaction systems
• Elicit the steps involved in establishing an ecommerce web site.
2

Overview
• Platform = Hardware + basic software required to run the computer.
• Functions of a computer:
1. Interface logic,
2. Business application,
3. Database and
4. Display.
3

Computing architecture
Shift from: Centralized mainframe computing
To: Distributed processing of clients and server
Two-tier architecture:
• Server, at the back end,
• manages the essential functions like disk drives,
• printers, network traffic and some applications.
• Clients’ computers are at the user’s end, mainly personal computers, which run applications. They display data in text mode or graphical user interface.
Multi-tier architecture:
• Additional layers of computer servers have been added between the client and the server in the
• Network.
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Phases of e-commerce architecture
• First step: Placing the company’s information about products, prices, promotional schemes etc. on the web using a web server.
• Second step: Receiving orders, managing inventory and collecting invoices.
• Third step: Redesigning business process and supply chain in order to take full advantage of the technology. (Most challenging part as multiple components on multiple platforms have to be integrated). Achieved through Enterprise
Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management and Customer Relationship Management.
5

Basic e-commerce architecture
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Overview of computing Platforms
• In the 1960s –Mainframe computing, centralized operations
• Next, mini computers
• 1980s – Client/Server architecture
• Presently – heterogeneous Internet platform.
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Host-Based Platform
• Centralized computing (one main server and many dummy terminals)
• A single powerful computer server performs all the important functions.
• Dummy computer terminals are at the other end, used for requesting a task or displaying results.
• No processing is done at the dummy terminals. Only display is done here.
• A database engine on the server provides shared data processing functions to all other applications.
• Jobs are executed in batches.
• Often, Front-end processor (FEP) is inserted between the two computers for connection and authorization services.
8

Client/Server Platform
• Distributed computing (between one server and many clients).
• In a traditional C/S system, the server performs only database function, while the client carries out the other three.
• Fat client- display + interface logic, business application, significant amount of database processing.
• Thin client- display + interface logic only
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Host Vs Client server systems.
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Differences between a host-based system and a C/S system
• Client in a C/S system is a much powerful computer, usually a personal computer or computer workstation.
• Client performs larger amount of functions.
• The interface in C/S system through graphical user interface.
• Depending on the application, the network capacity may be high or low.
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Technologies used on the local area networks include
• Communication protocols: Transmission
Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP), Novell network protocol
(SPX/IPX), Sequenced Package
Exchange (SPX).
• TCP/IP - a suite of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the
Internet.
• In-built into UNIX operating systems, SUN
Solaris and Linux.
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World Wide Web Platform
• WWW - a subset of wide area network.
• Private or leased lines for implementing C/S system in a wide area network.
• WWW is a vast distributed network of millions of servers where information is stored and which can be accessed and retrieved from other computers.
• Language used for web pages – HTML (Hyper Text
Markup Language)
• TCP/IP followed for sharing and sending of data from the web servers to the browsers at the client’s end.
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WWW as an special case of C/S system
• a n-tier distributed C/S system.
• Web servers – dedicated machines acting as repositories for web pages. Web servers consist of hardware, O.S., web server software..
• At the client’s end, the software required to view the web pages on personal computer is called a browser.
• Browsers – Netscape Navigator, Microsoft
Internet Explorer, and Opera Browser, and mobile micro-browser.
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Internet mechanism
• In WWW, any web server on any platform can interact with any browser running on any client machine connected through the Internet.
• Linking the clients and server through dial-up connection, a privately leased line, digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable modem.
• Access to the internet provided by Internet
Service Providers like AOL, CompuServe,
Prodigy or Telephone companies.
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Internet – fig 6-4
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Components of an e-commerce website
1. Informational website hosted on a web server on the company’s side
2. Web server on the visitor’s side
3. Access to e-mail for both the business and the client
4. the core editing/development tools associated with the platform.
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Fig 6-5 heterogeneous system.
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Additional functionalities of the website
• Secure transactions using sophisticated software and hardware.
• Links to back-end processing.
• Links to external credit-checking and payment processing centers.
• Delivery mechanism linking to the warehouse and shipping center.
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Complex e-commerce architecture
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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply
Chain Management (SCM),
Customer Relationship Mgmt (CRM) provide competitive advantage to a firm vis a vis its competitors today.
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Fig 6-7 Integrated e-business
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