Microsoft's 'Hailstorm': One Of First .Net Services

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January 18, 2001 (12:00 AM EST)

Microsoft's 'Hailstorm': One Of First .Net Services

One of Microsoft Corp.'s first .Net building block services, code-named Hailstorm, is a next-generation version of Passport, the company's current identity and notification service, sources said.

The .Net building block service, which is expected to be launched as part of the Windows 3.0 Blackcomb release in the second half of 2002, is a .Net service for attributes, profiles and digital rights management, said sources briefed on Hailstorm.

Microsoft's .Net blueprint, unveiled last June, comprises a set of .Net user experiences; Net developer tools, such as Visual Studio.Net; and .Net building blocks.

The .Net building blocks are Web services designed to let developers, solution providers, and users to customize or build more rich applications that are seamlessly integrated with the Internet.

Hailstorm is one of those building blocks.

Microsoft's next generation of servers, which will fully incorporate .Net capabilities, are expected to exploit Hailstorm's profiling and digital rights services.

Yukon, or SQL Server.Net, the next version of SQL Server, is expected to be completely integrated with Microsoft's .Net services including Hailstorm and UDDI.

For example, Yukon can get profile information about external, Internet-based customers that it can pass on to its own system.