Those who are familiar with Web servers in general and Apache in particular can start directly from Section 1.2, Benefits of Running Apache on NetWare. Those who are new to the world of Web servers can gain helpful background information in the following topics:
Web sites are not all created equal. Some are simple collections of HTML pages that contain static information, such as company background information. Even though some scripting, such as JavaScript*, might be used for creating navigation effects like rollover buttons, a simple Web site largely consists of static files. When the files are updated, it is usually by hand. Little or no processing of data is done at the server.
Conversely, a dynamic Web site is one in which information is created dynamically as it is requested either from a user or another computer. Building dynamic Web sites involves the use of servlets or Web applications, and might also involve databases (such as MySQL*) and scripting languages (such as PHP or Perl). If you are integrating legacy applications or creating business-to-business solutions, you might also need to use SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL. NetWare includes all of these open source solutions.
Web sites where products or services are bought or sold, such as Amazon.com, are examples of dynamic Web sites. Other dynamic Web sites are not seen by users, but are used as part of a supply chain process between businesses.
Regardless of the complexity of your Web site, Apache is designed to be fast and reliable.
Although the main purpose of having a Web server is to host a Web site, you can also use Apache as the HTTP server in a partnership with an application server, such as the Novell® exteNd™ Application Server. For more information, see Section 1.1.3, Web Services and Applications.
Servlets are like small Web applications and are often used to accomplish less robust processing. They can be used to save time and money by processing information very quickly, in ways that users cannot.
For example, Novell QuickFinder™ Server is used to index file and Web content, allowing users to search for and find specific information from within large collections of information stored on one or more Web or file servers. QuickFinder Server consists of several servlets. The Highlighter servlet marks up the content of search results, highlighting all instances of the keyword that a user is searching for. For more information about QuickFinder Server and its servlets, see NW 6.5 SP8 Novell QuickFinder Server 5.0 Administration Guide.
Other types of servlets might include online calculators, shopping carts, or calendars.
Because NetWare is J2EE* compliant, servlets created to run on other J2EE compliant platforms also run on NetWare without the need for customization or rewriting any code. Simply copy the servlets to NetWare and they run.
To run servlets, you must use Tomcat, a key component of J2EE which is included with NetWare. Also created by the Apache Foundation, Tomcat is a servlet container that processes servlet requests. Apache on NetWare is preconfigured to run with Tomcat.
NetWare offers a reliable, high-performance J2EE environment for the development and deployment of Java* based Web applications and services. In addition to the open source products included with NetWare (Apache Web server, Tomcat, and MySQL), NetWare also includes the new Novell exteNd Application Server.
Using the exteNd Application Server, you can
Integrate legacy applications, breaking down information silos that bog down the exchange of information between the organizations within your company
Interact with the business systems of other companies, such as partners and clients, by building in Web services functionality (SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL)
For more information about the exteNd Application Server and building Web applications and services, visit Novell exteNd Application Server Product page.