Servers for the Information Age

The never-ending need for File Servers in the modern world

Handling the ‘Data on Demand’ needs of a New Generation!
-

If you’d like to create and publish your own web site on the Internet, your first step should be to decide what type of web site you would like to create and what web design language you would like to use.

Although there are several web design languages to choose from, make sure you take some time to research your options to ensure you’re making the best choice for your project.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

The easiest and most popular web design language is Hypertext Markup Language, better known as HTML. This language is so simple you can type the syntax into a text editor, such as Notepad, save it with an .html extension and instantly have a web page.

You can learn more about HTML here: http://www.w3schools.com/html/

Although HTML will enable you to create simple web sites, if you want something more dynamic, you’ll need to look into using other languages:

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, better known as PHP, is a highly popular, server-side scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML coding.

PHP can do anything that CGI (Common Gateway Interface) can do, such as process form data and auto generate dynamic content. However, PHP can do much more. It can be used on all major operating systems and supports most web servers.

PHP’s main focus is development for the web, so it has a quick development time and can solve scenarios much quicker than some of the other web design languages.

You can learn more about PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor here: http://www.php.net/

ColdFusion

ColdFusion, developed by Macromedia, is used to build and serve web pages. It consists of ColdFusion Studio, which is used to create web pages, and ColdFusion Server, which is used to display the web pages.

One of the best features of ColdFusion is the ability to create web pages ‘on the fly’ from content stored within a database.

For example, a variety of content can be placed within a database as ‘pieces of content.’ When a user types in the web address to retrieve the web page, ColdFusion dynamically develops the pages, from the ‘pieces of content,’ as they are served.

Although it is very reliable, ColdFusion may be better suited for larger companies rather than individuals, as it is fairly expensive.

You can learn more about ColdFusion here: http://macromedia.com/support/coldfusion/tutorial_index.html

Java Server Pages (JSP)

Java Server Pages, also known as JSP, is a web design language developed by Sun Microsystems. It is used to control web page content via servlets, which are little programs that run on a web server. These servlets modify the web page on the server prior to it being displayed within a web browser.

The JSP technology enables you to combine regular, static HTML with dynamically generated HTML.

You can learn more about Java Server Pages here: http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/docs.html

Active Server Pages (ASP)

Active Server Pages, also known as ASP, is Microsoft’s solution to dynamic, interactive web pages.

Active Server Pages are web pages that contain scripts in addition to the standard HTML tags. These scripts are processed prior to a web page being displayed within a web browser.

Unlike standard HTML pages that have an .html or .htm extension, Active Server Pages have an .asp extension.

An advantage of ASP is that it is language-independent and therefore is easy to use across all platforms and applications. It is very flexible and powerful, yet some people don’t like it merely because it is a Microsoft product.

You can learn more about Active Server Pages here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnasp/html/asptutorial.asp

Conclusion

With so many different web design languages to choose from, which is the best language for your project? That will depend on your web site needs and how much time and/or money you’re willing to invest.

If you want a simple web site with text and images, HTML is definitely the way to go. Not only is it easy to learn, but there are also many HTML editors available online that will write the code for you.

Although HTML is usually the right choice for most, if you’d like your web site to be dynamic, you will need to research some of the other languages until you find the best solution for your project.

Take your time and do your homework before you begin. If you don’t feel confident in your ability to create your own web site, hire a professional. It will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run.

About The Author

Copyright Shelley Lowery 2005

Shelley Lowery is the publisher of Etips. To receive your f-r-e-e subscription & a copy of Shelley’s popular ebook, ‘Killer Internet Marketing Strategies,’ send an email to mailto:etips_publication@web-source.net or visit http://www.web-source.net.

The never-ending need for File Servers in the modern world

Handling the ‘Data on Demand’ needs of a New Generation!
-
My site is hosted on an Apache web server. Why is that? Because, in my
humble opinion, Microsoft’s IIS web server is in no way qualified to service
internet web sites (it is excellent as an intranet and applications server,
however). Another reason is the vast number of security issues that seem to
pop up day after day.

In point of fact, the Gartner Group has recommended “that businesses hit by
both Code Red and Nimda immediately investigate alternatives to IIS,
including moving Web applications to Web server software from other vendors
such as iPlanet and Apache”.

http://www4.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=101034

But what about those of us who are already hosting their sites on Apache
servers? I’ve seen lots of articles about how to protect, detect, cleanse
and prevent the worms from attacking IIS servers. While the worms do not
penetrate Apache security, they do cause damage.

Some of the damage includes:Server logs get filled with junk - The Nimda
worm alone created over 20,000 entries in a 2 day period in my log files.

The server is made very busy - This is especially true if you’ve got a
custom 404 error page, as I do. This means that every time the worm attempts
a penetration, then entire 404 page is returned (in my case, that’s about
40k). That adds up to a lot of wasted bandwidth.

I thought about this issue for a while after examining my logs and seeing
thousands of 404 errors from attempted worm penetrations. Surely there was a
way to at least reduce the impact of these things? As I saw the 404 error
count increase, I realized that a significant portion of the bandwidth that
I was paying for was being thrown away.

An examination of the log files produced several thousand attempts at each
of the following URLs. Obviously each of these is the address of a possible
weakness in an IIS server.

/_mem_bin/..%5c../..%5c../..%5c../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/c/winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/d/winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/scripts/..%2f../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/scripts/..%c1%9c../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/scripts/..%%35%63../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/scripts/ .%%35c../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/scripts/..%c0%2f../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/scripts/..%c0%af../winnt/system32/cmd.exe
/MSADC/root.exe

The Apache web server provides a feature called .htaccess, which provides
commands to control a web site. This file is very obscure and extremely
useful when used properly. You have to be careful when editing .htaccess
files, as a small mistake can make your web site stop working. What I like
to do is immediately test the site to be sure it works.

Be sure not to make the mistake that I made once - I browsed to my site, saw
that the home page came up, and went to work. Later, I found it was not
working but appeared to work because the home page was stored in my browser
cache. Thus I learned a simple lesson the hard way: always hit the refresh
key of the browser when testing .htaccess changes.

I did a little research and testing, and added the following lines to my
.htaccess file.

redirect /scripts http://www.stoptheviruscold.invalid
redirect /MSADC http://www.stoptheviruscold.invalid
redirect /c http://www.stoptheviruscold.invalid
redirect /d http://www.stoptheviruscold.invalid
redirect /_mem_bin http://stoptheviruscold.invalid
redirect /msadc http://stoptheviruscold.invalid
RedirectMatch (.*)cmd.exe$ http://stoptheviruscold.invalid$1

These lines did exactly what I wanted them to do - they stopped the virus
from creating 404 errors in my log file, and they prevented my 404 error
page from being triggered, thus creating lots of useless bandwidth
utilization. There is still some bandwidth used, obviously, but it is far
less than it would have been. The load on the server is also considerably
reduced, which should make my web hosting company happy.

Note that log file entries are still made by the various worms as they
attempt to penetrate the server. These entries do now show as errors, which
makes it easier to pick out real errors from the logs.

About the Author

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets at
http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to read
over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

The never-ending need for File Servers in the modern world

Handling the ‘Data on Demand’ needs of a New Generation!
-
Shared versus Dedicated IP Hosting - what is more effective?

TORONTO, ON - July 20, 2005 - In today’s World Wide Web - website designers and webmasters around the world must know the difference between shared and dedicated IP addresses. Most web hosting companies do not offer dedicated IP addresses for their clients. Why? Before we can attempt at answering this question, we should further define and clarify the differences between the two.

Shared IP Address - Every web server around the world is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address. An example of an IP address would look something like: [126.703.4.151]. Most websites on the world wide web are hosted on shared IP addresses, meaning that one server with one IP address can hold several domain names.

In the not so distant past, every domain used to have individual IP addresses. Recently, the allocation of IP addresses has been stricter due to the fact that there is a finite amount of addresses in existence. Now servers have the ability of determining a domain request through name servers. Example: www.dimarcogolf.com is found by NS.REBELNETWORKS.COM where the name servers are tied to a specific IP address.

Dedicated IP Address - A dedicated/unique IP address is not shared by other domain names; it is unique to your domain name and your space on the server. This means that if someone types in the numeric form of the IP address the same domain will always appear in the browser. Dedicated IP addresses are considered to be premium real estate on the internet and most web hosting companies charge extra for their client to have one. “We saw this as real eye-opener in the industry. Instead of asking our customers to pay for a dedicated IP, we have included it with every package we sell.” Marc Boudreau, co-founder of Rebel Networks

Usually dedicated IP addresses are used for large web sites, secure e-commerce web sites, or other individuals that are willing to pay for such a premium. Dedicated IPs give websites the ability for complex hosting and offer more flexibility. The benefits of having a dedicated IP address are:

- Private SSL Certificate - SSL certificates are needed for accepting credit cards online. Most web hosting companies usually offer a shared SSL certificate where clients can share the web host’s server-wide SSL. This is not recommended if you intend on having a very secure online store.

- Anonymous FTP - Anonymous FTP is a method of sharing files on the Internet. Anonymous FTP means a server will allow anyone using an FTP software access to a public directory. This service is called Anonymous FTP because the user name used to sign in is “anonymous.” To enable anonymous FTP many web hosting companies will require a dedicated IP for the anonymous FTP function to work properly.

- Private Domain Name Server - An example of a name server would look like this: [NS.REBELNETWORKS.COM, NS2.REBELNETWORKS.COM]. Since all web hosting companies provide you with their DNS servers, you don’t need to have your own. But if you choose to have your own name server you will need to have a dedicated IP address to do so.

Another benefit of a dedicated IP address is that website will have more control over their search engine results. Presently, search engines along with many telecom and internet service providers around the world have been fighting to block spam activity. This has been accomplished through blacklisting IP addresses that have spammed in one way or another. Since shared IP address users are mixed together on the same server IP with many others websites, innocent web sites have been blacklisted from search engines.

In short - individuals who would like full control over their website, e-commerce web sites who need their own SSL certificates, and individuals who want to fully optimize their website for search engine results should consider a Static IP address.

About Rebel Networks:

Rebel Networks is a Leading Provider of Outsourced Internet Infrastructure and Managed Website Hosting Solutions. Rebel Networks provides Managed Dedicated Servers, Colocation Services, Shared Website Hosting, E-Commerce Solutions, and Domain Name Services. Operating within its high-security Internet data centers (Toronto & Baltimore), Rebel Networks has Internet connectivity via OC-3, OC-12, and Gig-E connections from three different Tier 1 Providers.

www.rebelnetworks.com

Contact Information:

Rebel Networks - Public Relations

pr@rebelnetworks.com

www.rebelnetworks.com

About the Author

Marc Boudreau is the co-founder of http://www.rebelnetworks.com - managed website hosting and managed server company.