Web Server
Software
Web server software, is an
additional piece of software that is installed and runs on the server
platform, either NT, Unix or some other operating system. At the heart of
the software is utility called the HTTP daemon that accepts and processes
commands from the browser software running on the server. In other words,
when the user clicks a hyperlink on a Web page, a request is sent to the Web
server for the page associated with the link. It is the HTTP daemon that
responds to the request and sends the results to the client machine. The
basic functionality has been built on and enhanced by all of the 100+
software products currently available to run the Web server.
Some of the most popular
applications are available as free downloads from the Internet, and often,
in some instances offer better functionality and features than many of the
commercial products.
Choosing Web server software is
not an easy task. There is a vast array of products available, with many
different features, and the only way to really make a proper and informed
choice, is to actually evaluate the software. In all cases, the server
software you are currently running on your server will narrow the choice. If
you are a Windows-centric company, then there is little point in fiddling
with Unix based products, since you would need to enlist the services of a
Unix expert to make it work.
The purpose of your Web server
will also narrow your choice. If for example, you desire to trade over the
Internet, like an on-line shop, you will need software that provides on-line
transaction functionality. Or perhaps you will desire to provide referencing
capabilities, for which you will require a built-in search engine.
Software
Apache - SSL (Stronghold)
The public domain Apache server
runs more Web servers software than any other server software. The
commercial version (Stronghold) has been enhanced and improved, and will run
on a wide range of Unix platforms, whereas the basic Apache server will run
on any Unix system. The main difference between the commercial and basic
packages, is the commercial version's inclusion of SSL-2.0, which is a
secure connection protocol.
Stronghold has to be downloaded
from the Internet (currently at version 3) and unzipped onto the Unix
server. The software is installed and run from the command-line interface,
which will undoubtedly prove quite daunting for newcomers and the
inexperienced alike. However, for those experienced in the use of Unix, this
is a relatively simple process.
Apache does not come with any
management tools or authoring utilities. To perform these functions, Apache
supports Unix compatible scripting tools such as Perl and CGI. Again, these
skills remain in the possession of the Unix experts, and not suitable for
the average user.
IIS (Internet Information
Services)
Microsoft's
Web server software is supplied free as part of the server operating system.
If comes with any of the more recent members of the Microsoft server family
packages, and for the earlier NT server 4.0, it can be acquired free with
the NT Server 4.0 service pack. IIS integrates very closely with NT and 2000
versions of Windows, making it a sound choice for administrators already
running Microsoft servers in their organisations. Even if you are unfamiliar
with Windows Server applications, it is easy to install and configure using
the numerous wizards that lead you through the process, step-by-step.
Included with the HTTP server, IIS includes Gopher and FTP servers, both
also making use of wizards.
Latest
versions of IIS see the inclusion of ASP (Active Server pages), an
application development environment. This product allows yon to create
complex Web sites that combine HTML, ActiveX, Visual Basic scripting and
JavaScript. Links to back-end database servers, and support for SQL Server,
Oracle, SyBase, Informix, ODBC databases and of course Microsoft access, is
also provided. |
