Introducing the Web Technologies

The following diagram is a simplified depiction of the role that these technologies play as the Web-enabling technologies for Net Services Software, making the One Net vision a reality.

Figure 1
The Role of Web technologies in Enabling Net Services Software

NetWare 6 Net Services that Depend on Web Technologies

Novell is the leading provider of Net Services Software. Net Services Software is the glue that holds together disparate networks and technologies for the purpose of simplifying business processes and communications.

As illustrated in Figure 1, Web technologies provides the infrastructure for the following net services software included in NetWare 6:

• iFolder^TM
• iLogin
• iPrint
• NetWare Web Manager
• NetWare Web Search Server
• NetWare Web Access
• GroupWise Web Access
• Novell iManager

For details about each of these services, refer to their documentation on the Novell Documentation Web site.

NetWare Enterprise Web Server

The NetWare Enterprise Web Server is an HTTP server used to serve up Web pages to the Internet, an intranet or extranet. It is optimized to run in the NetWare environment and is a critical component to building One Net solutions where all kinds of networks work together to achieve business results.

You can create a Web to enhance departmental communication, or you can create a Web that spans your location or company. You can also provide spaces for your customers, suppliers, vendors, consultants, or any other entities outside your company who would benefit by having access to specified areas on your Web. In addition, you can publish information on the Internet so that the world can see it and contribute to it.

There are traditional categories of Webs, each fulfilling a unique role. While each Web type is unique in some way, each of them facilitates a single network and the sharing of information.

• The most popular of all Webs is the World Wide Web, available through the Internet. Hosting a Web server with Internet access requires a persistent Internet connection. In this environment, information published to the Web server will be accessible by anyone with a browser. Most companies host Internet Web sites to publish information about their products or services and to provide a point of contact with customers.

  A firewall is required to provide security for Web servers with Internet connections. A firewall prevents users on the Internet from accessing a company's network-based resources.

• Many companies also host their own private intranets. The target audience of an intranet is the employees. An intranet is the ideal environment for employees and departments to publish information that can benefit others in the company.

  A company can host both Internet and intranet Web sites. Employees inside the company can access both, while people outside the company can't get through the firewall to access the intranet.

• An extranet is a combination of public and private Web sites. Extranets are usually created among companies to expedite communication and cooperation. For example, a company that relies on a vendor to fill its orders could create an extranet to allow the vendor to access customer orders. This way, the vendor could automatically fill orders without having to wait for user intervention.

For more information about using the Enterprise Server, see Putting the Web Server to Work.

Apache Web Server for NetWare

Apache Web server is an open-source Web server originally developed by the not-for-profit Apache Group. The Apache Web server is in use by more than 60% of all Web hosting companies. It is extremely stable and it's free!

As an integral part of the Web infrastructure of NetWare 6, Apache is installed by default during your NetWare 6 installation and you should not have to manage any part of it. Apache is a critical component of NetWare's Web technologies and is used by the following NetWare 6 Web products:

• NetWare Web Manager
• NetWare Web Search Manager
• NetWare Web Search Print and Search Services
• NetWare Web Access
• iFolder
• Novell iManager

To host Web sites and Web applications, see NetWare Enterprise Web Server. For additional information about the Apache Web server, visit http://www.apache.org, or refer to the Apache documentation available on your server after NetWare 6 installation and located at volume:\Apache\htdocs\manual.

Tomcat Servlet Engine for NetWare

Also developed by the Apache Group, Tomcat is a servlet engine used to serve up Web applications. It is also used by several NetWare 6 components, including the NetWare Web Search Server. If you are a developer working to create solutions, you will likely work a great deal with Tomcat. If you are not a developer, you may never have to do anything with Tomcat.

For additional information about Tomcat, including how to migrate IBM WebSphere applications to Tomcat, see About Tomcat for NetWare.

NetWare Web Search Server

Make your data searchable in minutes! From simple search solutions to complex, revenue-generating search services, NetWare Web Search bridges all types of networks, from file servers, to intranets, extranets, and the Internet, by bringing critical information to busy people. It is one of the industry's fastest and most accurate search engines available today.

Most users care less about where information is stored and more about finding it, and finding it fast! With staggering terabytes of information on the Internet and on huge information stores found in most corporations today, Web Search offers an easy way for users to find highly relevant information at record speeds.

Installed by default when you install NetWare 6, Web Search is ready to run, right out of the box. Just point Web Search at the Web or file servers to be searched, and Web Search generates keyword indexes used to perform time-saving searches.

Through the implementation of a powerfully simple template-based architecture, you can customize the search forms and search results pages to get the results you need. By using included parameters, variables, and basic HTML, Web Search lets you build your own templates from scratch. From simple search solutions to complex, revenue-generating search services, NetWare Web Search offers the power to change the way you do your business by making one net out of file servers, intranets, extranets, and the Internet.

FTP Server

The NetWare FTP Server provides FTP service for transferring files to and from NetWare volumes. FTP Server can be used to post new Web content to your Enterprise Web Server, or to post or retrieve documents from your NetWare file server.

WebDAV

Web-distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) is an industry standard protocol. It is an enhancement to the HTTP protocol, turning the Web into a document database that enables collaborative creation, editing and searching from remote locations. Whereas HTTP only supports the reading of files, WebDAV enables documents to be written using HTTP.

Because of WebDAV's versioning control, Web users can use a Web browser to write, edit and save shared documents without overwriting each others' work.

HINT:  You must be using eDirectory as your directory service and Internet Explorer as your browser if you want to use WebDAV. For more information about publishing content to your Web server, see Managing Server Content.

NetWare Web Manager

NetWare^® Web Manager is the tool you use to manage all Web technologies and to access other Web-based management tools. Using any 4.x or newer Web browser such as Netscape* Navigator* or Communicator*, you can manage Novell^® Web technologies and services from any place on the Internet.

With Novell^® eDirectory^TM, you can create and manage user and group authentication to sensitive information on your server.