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Commercial Web Servers

The capability of Web server software to make fast and efficient transactions should be your main concern when shopping for software. Each time one of your users requests a page, the server will have to respond to that request-the faster the better. Each transaction could consist of many different server actions. For instance, if a Web page has several images or an embedded CGI script, the server would have to perform a separate function for each of those elements each time a user requested that page. In essence, your Web server is acting as a fulfillment center for your intranet. Every time you click an icon or type in a URL, the Web server is assembling all the pieces of that page and sending them to the user. For basic HTML, this can be done quickly and easily by almost any Web server. However, if the Web server needs to query a database or perform other dynamic functions, it must be more powerful. For example, if the Web server has to query an authentication table and hunt through hundreds of usernames and passwords for every page it returns, it must be more powerful in order to serve your pages quickly and efficiently.

It also is important to consider how well the package works with other packages, as you want to avoid conflicts and downtime at all costs. Remember that your intranet's functions will depend on the server software's reliability. When choosing software, keep in mind the method by which you will install the server software: It should be simple and quick. While getting your server up and running, you'll want as few headaches as possible so that you can focus on selecting the other types of software needed for your intranet.

Your Web publishing needs should be another criteria for selecting a Web server package. As the main hub of your intranet, the Web server should be easy to administer, well-supported, highly effective, and flexible enough to grow with your intranet. There are Web server packages with all kinds of administration tools. Some of the most basic Web server packages are administered by configuration files only, meaning the administrator must be technically knowledgeable and be able to troubleshoot configuration problems.

Other packages come with configuration tools. For example, many Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT Web server packages have a separate Windows application that allows administrators to set up and make changes to the Web server options. Some of these are very easy to use; however, it must be considered that with these types of servers, the administrator must have the tool on the machine from which he or she would administer. This makes it difficult for administrators to make updates or changes to the Web server from a remote location, such as home or on the Web. Yet another, and possibly the most popular administration interface, is as a Web page itself. Most new servers' configuration scripts are written so that users from any location can use a simple Web browser to update and modify the Web server configuration. However, this particular method can sometimes be less than reliable. Along the analogy of a doctor healing him or herself, if your Web server is having problems, it might be difficult to use the Web server itself to troubleshoot and reconfigure. The Web server package should be supplemented with comprehensive printed documentation and contact phone numbers. For an excellent online reference of Web server software, visit WebCompare's Server Features Comparison page at http://www.webcompare.com/server-main.html.

Although the process of installing Web server software is more technical than installing a word processing or drawing program, you don't have to be a computer whiz to do it. Keep the manual that came with your package close by. (Each Web server software package has its own installation method, so I haven't included step-by-step instructions.) The following sections review the advantages and potential disadvantages of some popular server software packages.

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