Web Servers and Gateways
In a Nutshell - CIW Course Section 3, Part B2, Chapter 3
Gateway Overview
A gateway is a piece of software that passes requests from a Web server to an application, such as a database, running on that server.
The following steps detail the sequence of events that occur:
- A Web browser requests data from a Web server.
- The Web server sends the request to the relevant application or gateway.
- The Web server executes the application.
- In CGI and Perl a separate process or thread will be created.
- The Web application handles the storage and retrieval of client data.
- The Web application returns the requested data to the client's browser.
Registering Databases in Windows 2000
A DSN or Data Source Name is the primary method of identifying the location of data on a Windows 2000 machine. Open Database Connectivity or ODBC is an application layer that uses a DSN to standardise the communication with a database.
The User DSN tab will create a data source for the current user. The System DSN creates a data source available to all users on the machine. A File DSN does not store the connection details in the registry as the first two do, but in a text file. The DSN stores the location of the data along with the driver details and user authentication information.
Creating Virtual Directories in IIS
A virtual directory is a directory which will appear to be part of the website but in reality exists outside, possibly on another server.
First a directory is created on either a local disk or in a remote location. From the Internet Services Manager right-click the default web site and select New | Virtual Directory. This will start the Virtual Directory Creation Wizard which will take you through the three steps required to create your virtual directory. First, provide an alias. This is the directory name as it will appear in the website. Now, enter, or browse to the directory you created earlier and click Next. Finally you will specify the permissions to be associated with the virtual directory.