Choose the Right Web Server
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Frances Rhea
Choosing a Reliable Web Server
A reliable Web server is important if you do business on the Web. Your site must be up and running 24/7. There are plenty of hardware and software solutions to fit a small budget.
If you choose a Web server and OS environment that's new to your IT staff, expect to train them, then there is the cost of maintenance and management, and finding your alternatives.
What Web Server(s) are Available
Several free Web server packages are available. There are also low-cost alternatives that have some technical support. If you and your company lack accurate knowledge of Web servers, technical support is important.
Microsoft's IIS (Internet Information Services) is packaged with the system if you buy a Windows operating system. Apache is included in all major distributions of Linux.
Sun Java System Web Server has a free download for development, testing and staging purposes. Their list price of $1,495 per CPU is expensive but includes options that might save money over time.
Zeus Technology's Web Server is $1,700. The server software offers some of the same options as Sun's Java System. It is not for the novice administrator.
The Web server administration capabilities are an important factor. Apache is free, but must be configured manually using text files. Sun's and Zeus' administration consoles and IIS's Windows Management Interface GUI are a lot easier to manage.
Know the Scripts for Your Web Server
You need to know which languages and scripting your Web server supports.
PHP has become popular as a scripting language for the Web, but Microsoft's ASP (Active Server Pages) is widely used. ASP is easy to integration with SQL Server and MySQL. There is also a growing support basis for ASP.Net applications. ASP support can be obtained from Apache or Zeus servers using Sun's Chili! Soft ASP module/plug-in.
Perl and JSP (Java Server Pages) are still used, but not as popular as PHP and ASP. Perl is rarely used as the implementation language of a commercial web site, but JSP is frequently used for management and administrative tasks.
Managing Multiple Web Servers
Your choice of Web server software will determine how you manage your server cluster. Apache and IIS have cluster management included, but not the extensive configurations that Sun's Web server provides as a standard administrative option.
Apache requires learning directives. This requires using a text editor to manually edit the configuration file. IIS is more easily managed remotely and locally. IIS is mainly controlled using Windows management tools. Sun and Zeus both have Web-based management interfaces like IIS.
Operating System Support
You must administer not only the Web server but the OS. Choose an OS - Web server combination that best suits your company's skills.
Zeus does not deploy on Windows. Apache will not work on Solaris.
No matter which Web server platform you choose, be sure you are comfortable with its administrative handling and the underlying operating system. It will save you time, money and headaches in the long run.
