WebSite

Before You Start

``Before You Start'' chapters are easy to ignore. It's tempting to skip them and jump right to installing the software. However, we request that you please read this chapter before installing WebSite.

We understand you don't want to read a book when you have a new piece of software to explore, so to make it less painful, the important items are contained in a one-page checklist. This is the same checklist included on an insert in your WebSite package. If you have already completed the checklist, great! Go to Chapter 3, Installing WebSite, and install WebSite.

If you aren't sure about something on the checklist, take some time and read the rest of this chapter. You'll find the basic information you need regarding hardware, software, and connectivity requirements. We also discuss the pros and cons of running WebSite as a desktop application or as a service under Windows NT. Additional resources are listed if you want more detailed information about any of the topics covered.

So sharpen your pencil and complete the checklist, then get ready to bring your own web to the World Wide Web.

WebSite Installation Requirements

Before you install WebSite, please complete this checklist. These requirements are explained in this chapter.

Hardware

Software

Connectivity

Other

Application Development Tools (Optional)

External Viewers

External Editors

CGI Programming Tools

Hardware Requirements

One of the major advantages of the WebSite server is that it runs on readily available, relatively low-cost hardware. Most Web servers on the Internet today run on expensive UNIX-based computers, which are also more complex to maintain. The minimum hardware requirement allows WebSite to run at a level of performance equal to a Web server running on a similarly configured UNIX system. WebSite is a powerful, rugged server, limited only by the hardware on which you choose to run it and connect it to the Internet.

If you expect high volume traffic or plan to run heavy-duty applications such as database services, you should expand your hardware. Perhaps the single most significant hardware component that affects performance is RAM. WebSite performance increases substantially with increased amounts of RAM. As a comparison, a typical UNIX computer running a Web server will have from 32 to 64 MBs of RAM.

For additional power, WebSite fully supports symmetric multiprocessing (that is, multiple processors in a single computer). You may also want to investigate a higher-speed connection to the Internet, such as ISDN or a leased T1 or T3 line.

Software Requirements

WebSite has only one basic software requirement: the operating system must be Windows NT 3.5, or higher, or Windows 95. Under Windows NT, WebSite can run on either a FAT file system or NTFS.

Connectivity Requirements

Networking and connectivity issues are often at the root of problems you may encounter when starting WebSite. For that reason, please read this section thoroughly.

TCP/IP

WebSite requires that your system have a TCP/IP stack installed and running. TCP/ IP is the suite of networking protocols that the World Wide Web-in fact, the whole Internet-requires. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. You don't need to understand all the nuances of TCP/IP, but you do have to have it running successfully on your computer to use WebSite. TCP/IP capability is built in to both Windows NT and Windows 95 and no additional software is needed.

If you are on a networked system or have an existing Internet connection, you probably don't have to worry about your TCP/IP setup. Check with your network administrator or Internet service provider to make sure you have the items required by WebSite.

If you don't have TCP/IP running, you must set it up before installing WebSite. You can do so through the Network option of the Control Panel. For more information on installing and configuring TCP/IP on your computer, see the operating system's documentation.

NOTE
In any of these cases, your system must be running TCP/IP. You can use your WebSite server in one of three ways: (1) as an internal web server to be reached only by other computers on your internal network, (2) as a web server connected to the Internet and reachable by other computers on the Internet, or (3) as a development system for Web applications with no physical connection to the Internet or a network.

IP address

The most important piece of information you need to know about your TCP/IP setup is the IP address for your computer. The IP address is a set of four numbers, one to three digits each, separated by periods (or dots). For example, the IP address for WebSite Central is 204.148.40.6. You will need your IP address for testing the server.

TCP/IP connection to an internal network

Using WebSite as an internal web (such as for a department or departments of a company) requires that the network be running TCP/IP, and that the computer on which you install WebSite has a properly configured connection to that network. If you are on a network, get the IP address of the WebSite computer from your network administrator.

TCP/IP connection to the Internet

If you want your web to be reachable by other computers on the Internet, you need an Internet connection that puts your computer ``on the Internet.'' There are three primary ways a computer can be connected to the Internet, as in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1: Connecting to the Internet

(IMAGE)

Dial-up shell account
Although inexpensive and readily available, a dial-up shell account will not work for WebSite because it does not support the TCP/IP protocol suite.
NOTE
Commercial online service providers such as Prodigy, CompuServe, and America Online currently offer some type of Internet access and expect to offer fuller access in the near future. However, these services will not give you the kind of connection necessary to run the WebSite server.
PPP or SLIP Account
Also a dial-up account, PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) and SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) can work for WebSite because they support TCP/IP and graphical Web browsers such as Mosaic. A PPP/SLIP account requires a high-speed modem (9600 bits per second minimum; 14.4K or 28.8K bps are better) to connect your computer to an Internet service provider. Once the connection is established, your computer is actually part of the Internet. If either type of account is available, we recommend a PPP account.

Your PPP/SLIP provider will assign an IP address for your computer. The service provider will also assign (or let you choose) a name for your computer, provide DNS name server addresses, and register your computer's name with DNS (see below for more).

If you choose to use a PPP or SLIP connection, you will need software to dial the Internet service provider and establish the proper connection. The Remote Access Service (RAS) under Windows NT or Dial-Up Networking under Windows 95 can handle these tasks.

Most providers of PPP/SLIP accounts charge monthly fees and hourly usage fees. They may also have special packages for businesses requiring 24-hour connections. You should discuss various packages with your Internet service provider before choosing a connection.

Dedicated Line
The most expensive and difficult to set up, a dedicated line (such as a T1 line) gives you a full-time, high-speed connection to the Internet. If you expect a lot of traffic on your WebSite server, you should consider a dedicated line, which requires an additional piece of hardware, a router, to handle Internet traffic. If you already have full-time access to the Internet from your computer, you probably have a dedicated line. Check with your network administrator to make sure your computer is configured correctly and that you have the correct IP address.
NOTE
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a specialized type of phone line that can be used for both voice and data (at the same time). If ISDN is available from the local phone company, an ISDN line can work for either an on-demand (PPP/SLIP) or full-time (dedicated line) network and achieve speeds as great as some leased-line connections. ISDN connections require a special piece of hardware similar to a modem.

Internet Email Address of the WebSite Administrator

During installation WebSite requests the Internet email address for the WebSite server administrator. This address includes a name and a domain name. The easy way to spot an Internet email address is to look for the @ separating two names. For example, website-support@ora.com is the email address for WebSite technical support.

The email address can be for any location, not necessarily the system on which the WebSite server resides. Also, the email address is for the WebSite administrator, not the system administrator (although it may be the same person and thus the same address). The WebSite administrator's email address is used in a few WebSite standard documents, such as search forms.

Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)

In addition to a unique numeric address (the IP number), every computer that is on a TCP/IP network (internal or Internet) may also have a unique name, called a domain name. For example, website.ora.com, www.ncsa.uiuc.edu, and www.census.gov are domain names used to identify computers connected to the Internet. You'll notice that these names have multiple pieces separated by periods (or dots, as they are generally called). The first piece in these domain names is the hostname; the rest is the name of the domain in which the host exists. You may be familiar with other shorter or longer domain names and may also realize that more goes into assigning and using domain names than you care to know.

For WebSite, the only thing you have to know is the fully qualified domain name for your server. A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) includes the full hierarchical name of the computer-that is, the hostname and the name of the domain. An FQDN is written from the most specific address (a hostname) to the least specific address (a top-level domain). Sometimes fully qualified domain names are called fully qualified hostnames (FQHN). The designations mean the same thing, and you may find them used interchangeably in this book and in other WebSite support materials.

So if your server's hostname is happy and the domain is dopey.com, then your server's FQDN is happy.dopey.com. Either your Internet service provider or network administrator can provide you with the FQDN for your WebSite server.

Domain Name System (Optional)

While domain names are easier for people to remember, computers on the Internet use the numeric IP addresses to communicate with each other. Mapping IP addresses to fully qualified domain names is the job of the Domain Name System (DNS). Domain name servers are set up around the Internet to provide IP information when you submit a request using a domain name rather than an IP address.

Having DNS available for your WebSite server makes interactions with the Internet faster. To use DNS, you must configure TCP/IP with addresses for DNS name servers. Again, if you are on a TCP/IP network (internal or Internet), this is probably already configured for you. Ask your Internet service provider or network administrator for these addresses.

DNS Registration of WebSite Server (Optional)

Your Internet service provider or network administrator will know how to register your server's fully qualified domain name with DNS. Registering with DNS makes it faster for browsers to find your WebSite server. It has no effect on how well your server performs, but it will affect how fast others can reach the information on your web.

Application Development Tools

Depending on how you plan to use your web, you may want to install some additional software. The following sections describe external viewers, external editors, and CGI programming tools. You don't have to install them before you install WebSite, but we want you to know the possibilities before you get too far along.

External Viewers

One of the most exciting components of the World Wide Web is the wealth of full-color images, videos, and audio clips it houses. When you want to see (or hear) these, your browser must launch an external program--or viewer--to display (or play) them. Although Web browsers are becoming more sophisticated and may not always require external viewers, at the moment you probably need an external viewer for each type of multimedia element you wish to view, whether it is a full-color image, video, or sound. Some typical external viewers are These viewers and others are available on the Web. We recommend that you see the list managed by the NCSA, which has tested and verified that the viewers listed work with WinMosaic as well as with Spyglass Mosaic (the browser included with WebSite). Point your Web browser at http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/viewers.html to see this list. External viewers are also available at WebSite Central, the WebSite for WebSite users maintained by technical support at O'Reilly & Associates.

External Editors

As you build your own web, you will be creating a variety of documents in a variety of formats--text, graphics, video, and audio. Each type requires an editor for that specific format. WebSite includes an HTML editor, HotDog, and an Image Map Editor. Other editors for these, and other, types of files are readily available both as shareware (on the Web) and commercially. As the Web grows in importance, editors are improving and adding capabilities. The list provided here is far from comprehensive, but includes well-known and well-regarded editors.

CGI Programming Tools

To write and execute Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs on your web, you need a few additional pieces of software. CGI programs allow you to execute operations in other Windows, DOS, or NT shell applications and return the data to the web browser. For example, you may have a Windows database of customer information, which is updated often and needs to be readily available to your sales people. First, you write a CGI program in Visual Basic to execute a query on the database. The CGI program is then attached to a URL. To run the CGI program, the user simply asks a web browser for that URL. The URL accesses the CGI program, which executes the query and returns the answer to the browser. CGI programming is thoroughly covered in Section 4 of this book.

Depending on what type of CGI programs you write and use on your web, you may need the following software:

Visual Basic development environment
Used for writing CGI programs, including ones that execute other Windows applications such as Microsoft Access, WordPerfect, or Lotus 123. The Professional version is recommended, and is required for any serious database work. Visual Basic 4.0 is also recommended because it is a full 32-bit application. You do not need the Visual Basic environment to run Windows CGI programs, such as those included with WebSite or ones you may get from other sources. See Chapter 16, Developing Applications with Windows CGI, for more information.

POSIX shell and tools from the Windows NT Resource Kit 3.5
Used for running CGI programs in the POSIX subsystem. These scripts have usually been developed for the UNIX Korn shell. Note that supporting tools such as sed and awk are not included in the Resource Kit, but ports of these tools are available from other sources. See Chapter 18, The Standard and DOS CGI Interfaces, for more information.

NT Perl programming language
Used to create and execute Perl-based CGI programs. Perl is a high-level programming language that has strong text and file manipulation features and is well suited to most CGI programming tasks. In fact, Perl is often called the ``Swiss Army Chainsaw of Programming.'' Many CGI programs that run on UNIX-based web servers are written in Perl and are readily available on the Internet. An updated version of NT Perl, which also runs under Windows 95 and supports sockets as file handles, is available on WebSite Central. See Chapter 18 for more information.

Visual C++ programming language
Used for writing CGI programs in Visual C++. This powerful programming language adds even more capabilities to your web. Visual C++ 2.x is recommended. See Chapter 17, Developing Windows CGI Applications with C++ and MFC, for more information.

Service or Application?

Under Windows NT the WebSite server can be run as a system service or as a desktop application. There is no difference in performance or operation. You can change how WebSite is running at any time through the Server Admin application.

With WebSite defined as a service, you can start it manually or have it start automatically whenever the computer is started. The advantage of running WebSite as a service is that it runs when no one is logged onto the computer, and it can restart automatically without someone having to log in and launch it. You can set up WebSite to display or not display its icon when it runs as a service.

With WebSite as a desktop application, you can start it manually or have it start automatically whenever you log in (by placing it in your startup group). Although WebSite will not stay running when you log out, you can leave it running and simply lock your screen to prevent unauthorized use. The advantage of running WebSite as an application is that it is easier to stop and start, an advantage when you are initially setting up or administering the server and web.

Unless you are very familiar with Windows NT services and the identity issues involved, we recommend you start by using WebSite as a desktop application. You will find it easier to set up initially and can switch it to a service later. If you are already using several other services on your computer and are familiar with how they work, you may prefer to run WebSite as a service from the beginning.

If You Want to Know More

If you made it through the checklist, congratulations! If you'd like more information about these topics, we suggest reading the online help and documentation for your operating system as well as the following books published by O'Reilly & Associates: Also, check out the following locations on the World Wide Web: website@ora.com
[Chapter 3]Chapter 3