Introduction to Service Application Framework in SharePoint 2010

Here in this article, I provide you an introduction to Service Application Framework in SharePoint 2010.

What is Service Application Framework?

• Replacement for the Shared Services Provider  in MOSS 2007
• API provided by backend application servers and consumed by front-end application servers.
• Used for developing middle-tier applications that are hosted in SharePoint and provide data and resources to other SharePoint features
• Enables services to be shared between computers on a server farm
• Load balance and manage services
• Out of the box - 20 built in services
• Certain objects automatically backed up and restored
• Ideal for deploying, managing and discovering WCF service clients and endpoints.
• Windows Powershell support
• Timer job infrastructure available at Service-scope
• Use of SharePoint configuration store and support for storing data in SharePoint managed custom database is available.

Load Balancing

• Use Round robbing load balancing
• Service application proxy method invocations must be routed thru the front end web server to an appropriate app server by using a load balancing tool.
• Calls between frontend and app servers to require separate external load balancer than the load balancing for front-end web servers
• SPRoundRobinServiceLoadBalancer can be enhanced or replaced by third party

Management and Administration

• Services plug their management UI into SharePoint Service Management page
• Common admin tools such as upgrade, backup, restore and account management
• Common UI to manage, start, stop, group, associate, federate and backup SharePoint services.
• Can define specialized admin roles and can be delegated to users who are not farm admins
• Security trimmed

Security

• Claims-based identity model

Example - Search service

Benefits

The Service Application Framework allows developers to provide load balanced middle-tier resources that can be managed through SharePoint and leverage the full power of SharePoint 2010.

NOTE: These notes are based on the Microsoft documentation on SharePoint 2010 and is subject to change.