Service Application Module in SharePoint 2010

In SharePoint 2010 Shared Service Providers (SSP's) are replaced by Service Applications. Services are no longer combined into a SSP. They are running independent as a service application. The service application architecture is now also built into Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010, in contrast to the Shared Services Provider (SSP) architecture that was only part of Office SharePoint Server 2007.

A key benefit here is that all services are installed by default and there is no SSP setup additionally.

  • The services architecture is extensible, allowing third-party companies to build and add services to the platform.
  • Services are managed directly in Central Administration (In SSp it was a separate administration site).
  • Services can be monitored and managed remotely.
  • Services can be managed and scripted by Windows PowerShellâ„¢.
  • Shared services communications take place over HTTP(S). Shared services do not directly access databases across farms.
  • Most new services are built on the Windows Communications Framework. They have optimization built into their protocol, using binary streams instead of XML for data transfer. Test results show improvements in network throughput with this change.

The key limitation of the SSP architecture was that it was configured by using a set of services, and all Web applications associated with the SSP bore the overhead of all the services even if they weren't being used. To change the service configuration for a particular Web application, a new SSP would have to be created.

The service application architecture on the other hand, allows a set of services to be associated with a given Web application and a different set of services to be associated with another Web application. Also, the same service application can be configured differently in different Web applications; therefore, Web sites can be configured to use only the services that are needed, rather than the entire bank of services. Similar to the SSP model in Office SharePoint Server 2007, a single set of services can be shared by all sites in a farm. By publishing a service application (from the sharing group, under Service application tab), you can share it across server farms. This capability does not apply to all service applications, and some services can be shared only within a single server farm.

The service application model provides a suitable approach to addressing the scalability and delegation issues with SSPs and also is a fundamental enabler for a much wider feature capability in SharePoint 2010. Indeed the service application model pushes Microsoft's most "service orientated" product vastly further ahead in the realm of distributed application platform sanitation.

The service application model allows SharePoint 2010 to scale further than ever before, way further. It also introduces flexibility with respect to deployment that is unmatched in the marketplace. 

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