Chapter 8

Server Software

• Commercial Web Servers
  • Netscape Enterprise Server for UNIX and Windows NT
  • Oracle
  • Microsoft Internet Information Server for Windows NT
  • O'Reilly WebSite Server
  • Mac HTTP from Quarterdeck
• Freeware Web Servers 
  • Apache
• Mail Servers
  • Netscape MailServer 2.0
• News Servers
• Other Software Options
• Summary

To create a fully functioning intranet, you must determine what kind of server software packages to install on your main platform. Besides choosing a Web server package, you should consider other server software, such as software that will provide your intranet with e-mail and possibly audio. This chapter discusses the types of server software available and the features of each package. You don't have to incorporate all the features covered here; just as not every person needs a graphics program or a telecommunications package on their personal computer, not every organization needs every available server feature.

The most important software running on your intranet is the Web server software. A Web server answers requests for Web documents. For example, if you want to access a requested document on IntraActive's server at http://www.intraactive.com, the server answers your request-assuming it is in the right directory and the permissions are configured. In other words, you define what documents you want to make available by the commands you give. In UNIX, a Web server runs in the background, along with the other server processes like FTP and mail.

All Web servers do the same thing: They listen to requests and process them. Like any piece of technology-CD players, portable cassette players, VCRs, cellular telephones-the manu-facturer's reputation and the available features will drive your purchase choice. All Web servers will send out the requested documents, but the difference in Web servers is noted in their features: How easy is it to install and configure? How fast can it send out pages? Is it secure, and when it sends back requests, can it do so in a secure manner?

Keep the following features in mind when choosing your Web server on the basis of the functionality you want to have with your intranet:

• Speed: How many users will be accessing files at the same time? And when they access those files, how much processing does the server need to do? For example, if 10 people are accessing one simple HTML file with no images at the same time, this is roughly equivalent to two people accessing an HTML file with five images, which is roughly equivalent to one user accessing a database through the Web server. A Web server such as Oracle WebServer 2.0 will not serve static HTML files and images as fast as the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) or Apache server but will provide much swifter access to a database.
• Setup and maintenance: Keeping your Web server up and running at all times will no doubt be important to the success of your intranet. It might be worth a little extra money or even a little less speed to have a Web server that has an easy-to-understand interface, like O'Reilly's WebSite or the Netscape server.
• Keeping track of users: Depending on what kind of intranet you are running, it might be important to know where your users are going, who's logging on, and how long they're staying. Or, it might not matter at all. Authentication is also an issue. Do you need a complex and sophisticated authentication system, or is a simple user ID and password enough?
• Security: Does your intranet need to encrypt transmissions between the server and the user? Or do you need to prohibit access by any particular user or group? Some Web servers, like the Oracle server, allow for complex security procedures, and some are very basic.
• Other features: You may want to talk to a database; you may want to run Windows applications from your server; you may want a powerful search engine included. Of course, there is also the matter of cost. And obviously, you'll need to get a server that can run on your intranet's platform.