Posted by arlene

To finish the development of our Spy Net application, we must install a Web server of some sort onto our machines. We must set up our machine as a Web server so that we can leverage the deployment of the interface. The installation of Personal Web Server (PWS) for Windows 98 is covered in this appendix.

Configuring a PC as a Web server is really pretty easy. You need to have a copy of PWS, which should be on your Windows 98 CD-ROM, or you can download the software for free from Microsoft’s Web site.

After you have a copy of the setup files, just follow these simple steps, and we will be away laughing!

When you are ready, double-click the Setup.exe icon.

When the install program launches you will see a screen.

Like most install programs, the first screen is a little limited, and all you can do is either exit or continue. So let’s continue. Click the Next button. This will give you the license agreement screen.

After you have accepted the license agreement, you will be presented with a screen.

This screen allows us to choose the installation option that we want to perform. As I said, though, we will only cover the Typical installation. Click the Typical button to bring up the screen that allows us to configure where on the file system our Web site will be located.

Although the default is not optimal for live systems, it is fine for our development; so just let PWS go to the default directory. Click the Next button and we will really be on our way.

This will begin the installation program, and you will see a screen.

After the installation has finished, you might have to reboot your machine. If the setup program prompts you for this, allow your machine to reboot. While your PC is rebooting let’s take a look at some of the programs that PWS will install.

• PWS Manager—A GUI that allows you to configure your Web service.
• FrontPage server extensions—Special file extensions that allow you to connect to a Web server and edit the Web pages that the server has.
• Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC)—These are the data access core components for SQL Server 2000 and allow for data communication between many disparate sources.
• Documentation—Help files and other documents that will help you get started.

Your PC should have rebooted by now, so let’s take a look at how we check that our site is running and ready to go.

You will find the program for configuring PWS (Personal Web Manager) within your Start menu, under Microsoft Personal Web Server.

After you have launched PWS from the Start menu you will see a screen.

The main configuration screen contains a Start/Stop toggle button. For example, if the Web service is running, the button will be a Stop button and vice versa. If the button is in the Start state, click the button, and voila your machine has become a Web server! To check out your default home page, open a browser window and type your Web server name in the browser window, for example http: / /grunter.

The home page you see is for your Web server, it is not for SQLSpyNet on the Web.

There we have it! Not only a SQL Server, but now your machine is also a Web Server!

In case you are wondering, you do not need to be connected to the Internet to have your machine act as a Web server. With the configuration that we have, it is known as an intranet site rather than an Internet site.

An intranet site, conversely, is a protected site that restricts access. Most companies have an intranet for keeping staff updated with up and coming events, for example. Our SpyNet Web site is an intranet. A characteristic of an intranet is that all the machines reside on a Local Area Network (LAN), meaning they are physically close to each other.

An extranet is similar in concept to an intranet; that is, it’s protected from the general public, but it is on a Wide Area Network (WAN). This means that a company like Spy Net can have a shared site even though one office is in Boston and another is in London. Extranets can be extended to allow suppliers, customers, and privileged clients to gain access to the company’s extranet through an Internet site that has some very secure access permissions surrounding it.

Because our machine does not have to be connected to the Net, you can just view the Web pages without having to dial up your Internet service provider (ISP). You now have your very own Web Server, SQL Server, and LAN! Maybe you will even become a network engineer!

There we go; you should now go back and complete the installation of SpyNet for the Web. And get your Web development career started as well as becoming a DBA.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Setting Up Your PC as a Web

• The NIS Server ypserve Daemon and Maps Location Part 2
• What Is a Domain Tree? What Is a Forest?
• Installing Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 Computer
• What Is a Domain Tree? What Is a Forest? continue...
• Windows NT Domain Models
• The Active Directory and Dynamic DNS continue...
• The NIS Server ypserve Daemon and Maps Location Part 1
• Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI)
• Installing Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 Computer continue...
• Inter-domain Trust Relationships
• Windows NT Domain Controllers and Member Servers