| |
| -:
Web Site Hosting:- |
| |
| Selecting
a Server Operating System. |
| |
| Usually, Web hosts use
either Linux or Microsoft Windows NT Server, but some may let
you choose. Selecting a server is more crucial when you are purchasing
a machine that will be maintained by your own Web developers,
most likely for a colocation setup or if you are going to maintain
the website yourself. |
| |
| Linux
vs. NT |
|
| Web servers
generally fall into one of two categories: |
Linux-based and Microsoft Windows NT.
Because loyalties within the Internet community are
held strongly for both systems, it can be hard to
know which is right for you.
Linux a clone of Unix, the older and more popular
of the two systems, has a strong reputation for reliability
and power.
|
| On
the other hand, many new to the Web find it difficult
to understand and navigate. NT is regarded as easier
to use than Linux for data-driven Web sites; it also
supports the user-friendly Web page design tools in
Microsoft's FrontPage software.
Which should you choose?
|
Visitors
using any of a host of computer and browser combinations
will be able to access your site, regardless of whether
you choose a Linux or an NT Server. While there are
distinct differences between the two types, this may
be the most difficult decision for a novice buyer to
make. |
|
If you or your Web developers have
a preference, choose the server system with which you
feel most comfortable; if you wish to use software on
your Web site that can only run on a specific server
(e.g. Apache for Linux, IIS for NT) you should choose
to locate your Web site using that server.
|
| What
is Web server software? |
|
Web server software is the application that runs on
your computer and makesWeb pages stored on your computer
available to Internet users. It also co-ordinates such
things as secure e-commerce transactions and streaming
audio and video.
|
|
Web server software can also be integrated with databases
to make information stored in your database available
to Internet users.
|
| What
are some popular Web server programs? |
|
Unlike operating systems, of which there are fairly
few, there are quite a variety of different Web server
software packages out there. We'll look at some pros
and cons of each.
|
| Apache : |
|
Apache lends itself particularly well to projects that
are heavily Java based. It offers superior handling
of the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) application
program interface (a program which allows Java-based
services to access information stored in SQL-compliant
databases).
|
|
Apache, like Linux, is a piece of open-source software.
It's maintained by a group of programmers who create
the software for the thrill of it - not for any expected
financial gain. Apache was born in early 1995, as free
Web server software based around NCSA httpd 1.3, which
was the most popular Web server of the day, and a bunch
of software patches. From that it earned it's moniker,
which stands for "A PAtCHY server." Since then, it has
been completely re-written, and has become the most
popular WWW server on the Internet.
|
| Apache
pros: |
|
Open source updates. it's constantly being updated and
you can add functionality as it becomes available.
|
Free. The software is free. It's hard to beat that price.
|
Multi-platform support. Apache can be used on systems
that have 80x86-series (i.e. Intel) processors running
either Linux or NT as an OS, or on other computers running
a Unix-type OS on a different processor.
|
Popular. Apache is the most-used Web server software
package in the world. As such, it's unlikely that further
development of the software will ever cease.
|
| Microsoft
Internet Information Server (IIS) |
|
Essentially, IIS is the server software of choice if
you want to run an ASP-based site.
|
|
IIS is Microsoft's main business offering in the Web
server software market. Billed as more of an extension
of the operating system, it is included on the "Windows
NT Option Pack" CD that comes bundled with NT 4.0. As
a Windows-based application, it offers the same ease
of use as many other Windows applications, including
"Wizards" that assist with setup and maintenance of
the software. It should be easy for anyone familiar
with the NT OS to set up.
|
|
IIS really shines when it comes to the handling of Active
Server Pages (ASPs), pages that are generated by the
Web server software using Active X scripting - usually
Visual Basic Script or JavaScript code. IIS offers superior
ASP-based interface to ODBC sources like Access and
SQL-Server.
|
| IIS
Pros: |
|
Microsoft product. Since IIS is a Microsoft product,
it not only has the same heavy backing as other Microsoft
products, but is integrated seamlessly into the OS itself.
This means you can do things like drag and drop files
into the software for instant availability on the Web
with a minimum of hassle.
|
Comes free with NT. If you do decide that NT is the
best OS to use, IIS is included in the box.
|
Limits bandwidth. Unlike other server software, IIS
has the ability to limit how much bandwidth your web
pages have available. Thus, if your ISP charges extra
if you use more than a given amount of bandwidth in
a month, you can set your Web server to limit itself
to using that much bandwidth, saving you from having
to pay an extra monthly fee.
|
Crash protection. If one application running on the
server crashes, the Web server and other applications
continue to run, and the failed application restarts
the next time a user requests it.
|
| IIS
Cons: |
|
Limited to NT-based systems. IIS is not available for
use on non-NT systems. This means that if you think
a UNIX-based OS is what you're looking for, you can't
use IIS.
|
|
Closed source. As with NT, the source code to IIS is
Microsoft's proprietary information - you can't get
access to it to make changes. This also means that there
aren't many third-party developers working on improving
the core software.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
