Avoiding the obvious medical connotations, what is DNA and what does it have to do with ASP (Active Server Pages)?

Well, DNA (Distributed interNet Architecture) is an abstract methodology. It is a way of designing applications with growth, deployment, and load taken as major considerations. More specifically, DNA is a software application engineering design pattern. It is a solution to a set of common problems that are described in a generic, abstracted enough manner as to enable the application of the pattern in a wide variety of situations.

In other words, DNA is just a way to think about writing applications. It is a metaphor, as you will, that can help you understand and solve complex problems in simple terms.

Think of the DNA architecture not as the car, or the assembly line, but as the abstract idea of mass production. It is a process...a way.

However, DNA is more than just an abstract pattern. It is also a very tangible set of technologies. Specifically it is a set of (traditionally) Microsoft technologies that together help developers implement the DNA architecture within their applications.

So how does DNA relate to ASP?

Well, as it turns out, from a web developer's perspective, it is through ASP that the set of technologies implementing a DNA solution are glued together and distributed over the web.