Java programmers can take a look at the following article: http://www.onjava.com/lpt/a/2856

.Net programmers and Java programmers can take a look at the following article which is a complete article on the configuration service: http://www.ondotnet.com/lpt/a/2548

Commentary

Configuration in Aspire is the foundation for all of the framework. Without it everything will fall apart. Configuration is the binding factor for the rest of Aspire.

Features

1. A single abstraction  irrespective of the structure of the configuration files
2. Use XML or plain text or databases as your configuration
3. Split configuration into any number distinct files that can reside anywhere in the directory tree
4. Provide defaults for look ups
5. Throws exceptions for mandatory config entries
6. Works also as the basis for a unified Factory service