Identifying Web Server Concepts
You
can host your own Web services on the Internet by setting up a Web
site. However, to set up your own Web site on the Internet, you must
be familiar with the server technologies and methods available for
roviding content on the Internet.
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) is a common software
that enables you to provide content on the Internet. Using IIS, it
is possible to provide services, such as Web pages, interactive
applications, and catalogs for customers, and to post and track
databases on the Web.
Defining a Web Server
A
client computer connects to the Internet or an intranet by using a
Web browser to find information stored and organized on a
Web server.
A Web server is a computer that uses TCP/IP to send Web page content
to client computers over a network. A Web server communicates with
clients by using an appropriate protocol, such as HTTP or HTTPS. The
terms Web server and HTTP server are synonymous, because URLs
identifying data on a Web server begin with http. For example, the
Microsoft Web site is http://example.microsoft.com/.
Every Web server has an IP address and perhaps a domain name. For
example, when you enter the URL
http://example.microsoft.com/webpage.htm in your Web browser, it
sends a request to the Web server with the domain namemicrosoft.com.
Then the Web server locates and retrieves the page ms.htm, and sends
it to your browser.
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
Windows 2003 includes Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS),
a network file and application server service that uses HTTP, FTP,
NNTP, and SMTP to provide information over the Internet or an
intranet.
IIS
provides many useful features, including Microsoft Indexing Service,
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support, Microsoft Windows Media
Services, and additional developer support.
Indexing Service
Microsoft Indexing Service is a search engine that is integrated
with IIS. When you install Indexing Service, it builds an index of
files on the Web server. You can then search this index by using any
Web browser with built-in search forms. The index is updated
automatically whenever a file is added, deleted, or changed on the
Web server.
Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL)
IIS
supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which provides a security
handshake between the Web server and a client before initiating a
TCP/IP connection. This handshake establishes the level of security
the client and Web server use and fulfills any authentication
requirements for the connection. SSL also enables you to encrypt all
of the information sent between the client and the Web server. HTTPS
is a version of the HTTP protocol that uses SSL to secure
communications between a Web server and clients.
Windows
Media Services
IIS
includes Microsoft Windows Media Services. Windows Media Services is
a specification that enables Internet users to download live video,
audio, and animation files from Web pages. It is a standards-based
platform that delivers on-demand and live content for enhanced
communication over the Internet.
Additional Developer Support
IIS
provides additional developer support for Active Server Pages,
scripting languages, such as the Microsoft Visual Basic®,
Scripting Edition (VBScript) language and JavaScript, and remote
administration using Microsoft FrontPage®.
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Active Server Pages (ASP) is an open environment in which
developers can combine HTML and programming to create dynamic
and powerful Web sites. The creation of dynamic content
for Web pages is made possible by providing users with live
access to a local database containing the latest information.
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VBScript and JavaScript are two of the scripting languages that
developers commonly use to create dynamic Web pages. The content
of such Web pages changes based on user interaction or input.
For example, a Web site that requires a valid user name and
access password returns different pages based on whether or not
the user enters a correct user name and password.
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IIS enables developers to remotely administer Web pages by using
Microsoft FrontPage, a visual authoring and Web-site management
tool.
