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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 10:59 PM
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From: Lurkin Somewhere
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Just wondering in effect what does a web server do?

i was just thinking ive bought 50mb for £50 @ titan.

Is it simply a case of get a 20gb,broad band, 2k server, ive got 20gb web space...or is there more to it

Please dont slate me! never covert this subject just yet.

I just want to learn.

Also are there major servers that uphold the whole net??
I know my uni Runs JANnet which is the backbone of the north, and i get 3mb per sec downloads nearly all the time

Cheers

Si
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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:14 PM
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The real glue of the internet is not web servers but DNS and the Data Backbones

Without DNS the internet just wouldn't work (for mail or WWW). No-one is ever going to remember http://217.79.96.7/bbs for scoobynet. or to send their bt mail to 217.32.164.158.

Just step and consider how information leaving your PC (in the middle of JANET which is the UK acedemic network backbone) and finds its way to a server in the middle of the USA. The number of routers which must know which way to go for both directions that are in the path.

Imagine if just a fraction of the population ae downloading at Dial-up speeds the total amount of data that is being passed at any one time. There are some seriuously big pipes holding it all together.

WWW or HTTP maybe what has driven the growth of the internet but it would be impossible without other more fundamental services.

And a web server does just that, serves the web i.e. repsonds to http requests with content. nothing more, nothing less.

Deano
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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:19 PM
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From: Lurkin Somewhere
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thanks thats very useful just skimmed the tip with DNS server,

Dymanic Name Servers, i think!

i noticed some phones use it for wap, ie scoobynet would be 777722266666699966338, type the letter for numbers kind of thing

Cheers

Si
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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:19 PM
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"Is it simply a case of get a 20gb,broad band, 2k server, ive got 20gb web space...or is there more to it"

At a simple level yes.

You need a domain name (e.g. supersi.co.uk), which would need to be entered in the Name servers (DNS) so that when I type www.supersi.co.uk in my browser it can find the IP address of your computer, which my browser will then point to and request he web page from.

Which in turn means you would need a static IP address (most ISP's generate a new one each tiem you log on)

Also you'd need to anticipate how many "hits" you'd get - you'd need a computer and a connection that are capable of handleing the transfer of information in that quantity.
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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:20 PM
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From: Lurkin Somewhere
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so that why they use Xeons and SCSI's. cheers
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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:41 PM
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DNS = Domain Name Servers

Each computer connected to the net has an IP address. taking the form 217.79.96.7

In order to request the page from sccoby net your computer send a message to the DNS server for .co.uk

this server replies with the address of the server that holds the page you want.

your computer then sends a request to the server holding the page, which includes your IP address, so that the web server knows where to send the page to.
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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:45 PM
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Si

Very "simpliciticly" put

Xeons & SCSIs are the "backbone" of a server, so the more of those, then the better able to respond it is (in theory). However, other factors come in to play - so, if you expect 2 hits a day (supersi.co.uk's computer advice website ) then an SX33 with 40mb HDD & 4mb RAM will suffice (won't ask you to remember them ). But if its 1 million hits a day then its multi- everything & mega-RAM.

You have to weigh up the expected load on the server, add a factor or 3, then work out the h'ware to cope.

Right ideas, but put things in a different perspective.

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Old Aug 28, 2002 | 11:52 PM
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From: Lurkin Somewhere
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im not actually making one though.

just wonderd.

Best off starting simple, getting the underlying principles then building on that with newer technologies

Whos finances none profit sites like yahoo/google/altavista?

Si
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Old Aug 29, 2002 | 12:09 AM
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Yahoo tries to make money out of selling advertising banners etc...
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Old Aug 29, 2002 | 12:13 AM
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"Whos finances none profit sites like yahoo/google/altavista?"

...adverts, and directly or indirectly flogging off your details to whoever will pay for them. I guess that this means that they are NOT non-profit sites!!

Have a close read of the Ts&Cs of these (indeed any "free" site) and try to guess how they make their money!!

Tip - use http://www.altavista.com/sites/search/text for AltaVista to avoid the adverts and get quicker page downloads!!!

mb
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