This book begins with a ``Before You Start'' chapter. You might be tempted to
skip it and just plunge in and install WebSite like any other application. However,
we request that you <I>please read this chapter first!</I>
<P>
We understand you don't want to read a book when you have a new piece of
software to explore, so to make it less painful, we begin with a one-page checklist. This is the same checklist included on an insert in your WebSite package. If
you have answered everything on the list, great! Go to
<a href="ch02.htm">Chapter 2</a> and install
WebSite.
<P>
If you aren't sure about something on the checklist, take a little time and read the
rest of this chapter. You'll find the basic information you need regarding hardware, software, and connectivity requirements. We also discuss the pros and cons
of running WebSite as a desktop application or as a service under Windows NT.
Additional resources are listed if you want more detailed information about any of
the topics covered.
<P>
So sharpen your pencil and complete the checklist, then get ready to bring your
own web to the World Wide Web.
<a name=checklist>
<H2>
WebSite Installation Requirements
</H2>
</a>
Before you install WebSite, please complete this checklist. These requirements are
explained in following sections.
<H3>
Hardware
</H3>
<UL>
<LI>
80386 or higher microprocessor; 80486 or Pentium recommended
<P>
<LI>
12MB RAM minimum for Windows NT, 16MB recommended; 8MB RAM for
Windows 95, 12MB recommended
<P>
<LI>
5MB free hard disk space
<P>
<LI>
VGA video display adapter; SVGA recommended
<P>
<LI>
3.5'' floppy drive
<P>
<LI>
Network card or modem (9600 BPS minimum; 14.4 or 28.8 KBPS recommended)
</UL>
<H3>
Software
</H3>
<UL>
<LI>
Windows NT 3.5 with long filenames enabled
<BR>
-OR-
<BR>
Windows 95 (Beta M8 minimum)
</UL>
<H3>
Connectivity
</H3>
<UL>
<LI>
TCP/IP protocol stack installed and running
</UL>
<blockquote>
<B>NOTE</B>
<BR>
Your system <I>must</I> be running TCP/IP, even if you do not plan to allow Internet access.
</blockquote>
<UL>
<LI>
IP address: ____.____.____.____
<P>
<LI>
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) for your server
Internet email address for WebSite server administrator: __________________
<P>
<LI>
Domain Name System (DNS) server (optional, but highly recommended)
DNS Server 1: ____.____.____.____ DNS Server 2: ____.____.____.____
<P>
<LI>
WebSite server registered with DNS (optional, but highly recommended)
</UL>
<H3>
Other
</H3>
<UL>
<LI>
System Date/Time set to the correct date, time, and time zone
<P>
<LI>
An account in the Administrator or Backup group for installing WebSite as a
service (NT only)
</UL>
<H3>
Application Development Tools (Optional)
</H3>
<H4>
External Viewers
</H4>
<UL>
<LI>
Graphics viewer such as LView for GIF and JPEG files
<P>
<LI>
Audio player such as WHAM for audio files (may require sound card)
<P>
<LI>
Video viewer such as MPEGPlay for MPEG files
</UL>
<H4>
External editors
</H4>
<UL>
<LI>
HTML editor such as Internet Assistant or HoTMetaL
<P>
<LI>
GIF editor such as HiJaak Pro, LView, LView Pro, or Adobe Photoshop
</UL>
<H4>
CGI Programming Tools
</H4>
<UL>
<LI>
Visual Basic development Environment; Pro version recommended
<P>
<LI>
POSIX Shell and tools from the Windows NT 3.5 Resource Kit
<P>
<LI>
NT Perl programming language
</UL>
<H2>
Hardware Requirements
</H2>
One of the major advantages of the WebSite server is that it runs on readily available, relatively low-cost hardware. Most Web servers on the Internet today run on
expensive UNIX-based computers, which are also more complex to maintain. The
minimum hardware requirement allows WebSite to run at a level of performance
equal to a Web server running on a similarly configured UNIX system. WebSite is
a powerful, rugged server, limited only by the hardware on which you choose to
run it and connect it to the Internet.
<P>
If you expect high volume traffic, we suggest you expand your hardware.
WebSite fully supports symmetric multi-processing (that is, multiple processors in
a single computer). You may also want to investigate a higher speed connection
to the Internet.
<H2>
Software Requirements
</H2>
WebSite has only one basic software requirement: the operating system must be
either Windows NT 3.5 or Windows 95 (Beta version M8 or higher). If you are
using Windows NT as your operating system, you must have enabled long filenames. You can do this on either a FAT formatted volume or an NTFS formatted
volume.
<P>
WebSite has been developed and tested on beta versions of Windows 95 (M8
minimum). The server operates identically on either platform as a desktop application. Only Windows NT supports WebSite running as a service. Once Windows 95
is officially released, a WebSite version will be available
<H2>
Connectivity Requirements
</H2>
Networking and connectivity issues are often at the root of problems you may
encounter when starting WebSite. For that reason, <I>please read this section thoroughly</I>.
<H3>
TCP/IP
</H3>
WebSite requires that your system have a TCP/IP protocol stack installed and
running. TCP/IP is the suite of networking protocols that the World Wide
Web---in fact, the whole Internet---requires. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol. You don't need to understand all the nuances of TCP/
IP, but you do have to have it running successfully on your computer to use
WebSite.
<P>
If you are on a networked system or have an existing Internet connection, you
probably don't have to worry about your TCP/IP setup. Check with your network
administrator or Internet service provider to make sure you have the items
required by WebSite.
<P>
If you don't have TCP/IP running, you must first set it up through the Network
option of the Control Panel. For more information on installing and configuring
TCP/IP on your computer, see the operating system's documentation.
<P>
For installing WebSite, you need your computer's IP address. You also must be
sure that your computer has a physical connection to a TCP/IP network (either
internal or the Internet). The rest of this section discusses these requirements.
<P>
Your system must be running TCP/IP, even if you do not plan to allow Internet access.
<H4>
IP address
</H4>
The most important piece of information you need to know about your TCP/IP
setup is the IP address for your computer. The IP address is a set of four
numbers, one to three digits each, separated by periods (or dots). For example,
the IP address for WebSite Central is 198.112.209.138. You will need the IP
address for testing the server.
<H4>
TCP/IP connection to an internal network
</H4>
You can use your WebSite server in one of two ways: (1) as an internal web
server to be reached only by other computers on your internal network, or (2) as
a web server connected to the Internet and reachable by other computers on the
Internet. Whichever way you choose, you must have a physical connection to that
network.
<P>
Using WebSite as an internal web (such as for a department or departments of a
company) requires that the network be running TCP/IP, and tht the computer on
which you install WebSite has a properly configured connection to that network.
If you are on a network, get the IP address of the WebSite computer from your
network administrator.
<H4>
TCP/IP connection to the Internet
</H4>
If you want your web to be reachable by other computers on the Internet, then
you need an Internet connection that puts your computer ``on the Internet.'' There
are three primary ways a computer can be connected to the Internet (as shown in
Figure 1-1).
<P>
<HR>
<I>Figure 1-1: Connecting to the Internet</I>
<P>
<IMG SRC="figs/ws_01_01.gif" ALT="(IMAGE)">
<HR>
<P>
Dial-up shell account
Although inexpensive and readily available, a dial-up shell account will not
work for WebSite because it does not support the TCP/IP protocol suite.
<blockquote>
<B>NOTE</B>
<BR>
Commercial online service providers such as Prodigy, CompuServe, and
America Online currently offer some type of Internet access and expect to
offer fuller access in the near future. However, these services will not
give you the kind of connection necessary to run the WebSite server.
</blockquote>
<P>
PPP or SLIP Account
Also a dial-up account, PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) or SLIP (Serial Line
Internet Protocol) <I>can</I> work for WebSite because they support TCP/IP and
graphical Web browsers such as Mosaic. A PPP/SLIP account requires a high-speed modem (9600 bps minimum; 14.4K or 28.8K bps are better) to connect
your computer to an Internet service provider. Once the connection is established, your computer is actually part of the Internet. If either type account is
available, we recommend a PPP account.
<P>
Your PPP/SLIP provider will assign an IP address for your computer. The service provider will also assign a name to your computer, provide DNS name
server addresses, and register your computer's name with DNS (see below for
more).
<P>
If you choose to use a PPP or SLIP connection, you will need software to dial
the Internet service provider and establish the proper connection. The
Remote Access Service (RAS) is one way to handle these tasks.
<P>
Most providers of PPP/SLIP accounts charge monthly fees and hourly usage
fees. They may also have special packages for businesses requiring 24-hour
connections. You should discuss various packages with your Internet service
provider before choosing a connection.
<P>
Dedicated Line
The most expensive and difficult to set up, a dedicated line gives you a
full-time, high-speed connection to the Internet. If you expect a lot of traffic on
your WebSite server, you should consider a dedicated line, which requires an
additional piece of hardware, a router, to handle Internet traffic. If you
already have full-time access to the Internet from your computer, you probably have a dedicated line. Check with your network administrator to make
sure your computer is configured correctly and to get its IP address.
<blockquote>
<B>NOTE</B>
<BR>
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a specialized type of phone
line that can be used for both voice and data (at the same time). If ISDN
is available from the local phone company, an ISDN line can work for either an on-demand or full-time network and achieve speeds as great as
some leased-line connections. ISDN connections require a special piece
of hardware similar to a modem.
</blockquote>
<H3>
Internet Email Address of the WebSite Administrator
</H3>
During installation WebSite requests the Internet email address for the WebSite
server administrator. This address includes a name and a domain name. The easy
way to spot an Internet email address is to look for the @ separating two names.
For example, <I>website-support@ora.com</I> is the email address for WebSite support.
<P>
The email address can be for any location, not necessarily the system on which
the WebSite server resides. Also, the email address is for the WebSite administrator, not the system administrator (although it may be the same person and thus
the same address).
<H3>
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
</H3>
In addition to a unique numeric address (the IP number), every computer that is
on a TCP/IP network (internal or Internet) may also have a unique name, called a
domain name. For example, <I>website.ora.com</I>, <I>www.ncsa.uiuc.edu</I>, and
<I>www.census.gov</I> are domain names used to identify computers connected to the
Internet. You'll notice that these names have multiple pieces separated by periods
(or dots, as they are generally called). The first piece in these domain names is
the hostname; the rest is the name of the domain in which the host exists. You
may be familiar with other shorter or longer domain names and may also realize
that more goes into assigning and using domain names than you care to know.
<P>
For WebSite, the only thing you have to know is the fully qualified domain name
for your server. A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) includes the full hierarchical name of the computer-that is, the hostname and the name of the domain.
An FQDN is written from the most specific address (a hostname) to the least
specific address (a top-level domain). Sometimes fully qualified domain names are
called fully qualified hostnames (FQHN). The designations mean the same thing,
and you may find them used interchangeably in this book and in other WebSite
support materials.
<P>
So if your server's hostname is <I>dopey</I> and the domain is <I>dopey.com</I>, then your
server's FQDN is <I>happy.dopey.com</I>. Either your Internet service provider or
network administrator can provide you with the FQDN for your WebSite server.
<H3>
Domain Name System (Optional)
</H3>
While domain names are easier for people to remember, computers on the
Internet use the numeric IP addresses to communicate with each other. Mapping
IP addresses to fully qualifed domain names is the job of the Domain Name
System (DNS). Domain name servers are set up around the Internet to provide IP
information when you submit a request using a domain name rather than an IP
address.
<P>
Having DNS available for your WebSite server makes interactions with the
Internet faster. To use DNS, you must configure TCP/IP with addresses for DNS
name servers. Again, if you are on a TCP/IP network (internal or Internet), this is
probably already configured for you. Ask your Internet service provider or
network administrator for these addresses.
<H3>
DNS Registration of WebSite Server (Optional)
</H3>
Your Internet service provider or network administrator will know how
to register your server's fully qualified domain name with
DNS. Registering with DNS makes it faster for browsers to find your
WebSite server. It has no effect on how well your server performs, but
it will affect how fast others can reach the information on your web.
<H2>
Application Development Tools
</H2>
Depending on how you plan to use your web, you may want to install some additional software. The following sections describe external viewers, external editors,
and CGI programming tools. You don't have to install them before you install
WebSite, but we want you to know the possibilities before you get too far along.
<H3>
External Viewers
</H3>
One of the most exciting components of the World Wide Web is the wealth of
full-color images, videos, and audio clips it houses. When you want to see (or
hear) these, your browser must launch an external program-or viewer-to
display (or play) them. Although Web browsers are becoming more sophisticated
and may not always require external viewers, at the moment you probably need
an external viewer for each type of multimedia element you wish to view,
whether it is a full-color image, video, or sound. Some typical external viewers are
<UL>
<LI>
Lview for full-color images (GIF or JPEG files)
<P>
<LI>
Wham for audio files (requires a sound card)
<P>
<LI>
MPEGPlay for MPEG movies
</UL>
These viewers and others are available on the Web. We recommend you see the
list managed by the NCSA, which has tested and verified that the viewers listed
work with WinMosaic as well as with Enhanced Mosaic (the browser included
with WebSite). Point your Web browser at <I>http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/viewers.html</I> to see this list. External viewers are also available at
WebSite Central, the WebSite for WebSite users maintained by technical support
at O'Reilly & Associates (<I>http://website.ora.com/</I>).
<H3>
External Editors
</H3>
As you build your own web, you will be creating text and graphic files. Typically
these are HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and GIF (Graphics Interchange
Format) files. To make working with them easier, you may want to install an
HTML editor and a GIF editor. Since HTML files are ASCII text, you can use the
built-in Notepad. Or you may want to try one of the new specialized editors that
eliminates much of the manual coding. New editors are arriving on the market
almost daily, so our list is far from comprehensive. Some typical editors are
<UL>
<LI>
Internet Assistant or HoTMetaL for HTML files
<P>
<LI>
HiJaak Pro, Adobe PhotoShop, Lview or Lview Pro for GIF files (as well as
JPEG files)
</UL>
If you plan to include audio or video elements to your web, you need appropriate editors for those file formats. Keep up to date on what's new in the world
of external editors through WebSite Central.
<H3>
CGI Programming Tools
</H3>
To write and execute Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs on your web,
you need a few additional pieces of software. CGI programs allow you to execute
operations in other Windows, DOS, or NT shell applications and return the data
to the web browser. For example, you may have a Windows database of
customer information, which is updated often and needs to be readily available to
your sales people. First, you write a CGI program in Visual Basic to execute a
query on the database. The CGI program is then attached to a URL. To run the
CGI program, the user simply asks a web browser for that URL. The URL accesses
the CGI program, which executes the query and returns the answer to the
browser. CGI programming is thoroughly covered in Chapters 12 through 15 of
this book.
<P>
Depending on what type of CGI programs you write and use on your web, you
may need the following software:
<DL>
<DT>
<B>Visual Basic development environment</B>
<DD>
Used for writing CGI programs that execute other Windows applications such
as Microsoft Access, WordPerfect, or Lotus 123. The Professional version is
recommended, and is required for any serious database work. You do not
need the Visual Basic environment to run Windows CGI programs, such as
those included with WebSite (for example, WebFind) or ones you may get
from other sources. See Chapter 14 for more information.
<P>
<DT>
<B>POSIX shell and tools from the Windows NT Resource Kit 3.5</B>
<DD>
Used for running CGI programs in the POSIX subsystem. These scripts have
usually been developed for the UNIX Korn shell. Note that supporting tools
such as <I>sed</I> and <I>awk</I> are not included in the Resource Kit, but ports of these
tools are available from other sources. See Chapter 15 for more information.
<P>
<DT>
<B>NT Perl programming language</B>
<DD>
Used to create and execute Perl-based CGI programs. Perl is a high-level
programming language that has strong text and file manipulation features and
is well suited to most CGI programming tasks. In fact, Perl is often called the
``Swiss Army Chainsaw of Programming.'' Many CGI programs that run on
UNIX-based web servers are written in Perl and are readily available on the
Internet. An updated version of NT Perl, which also runs under Windows 95
and supports sockets as file handles, is available on WebSite Central. See
Chapter 13 for more information.
</DL>
<H2>
Service or Application?
</H2>
Under Windows NT the WebSite server can be run as a service or as a desktop
application. There is no difference in performance or operation. You can change
how WebSite is running at any time through the Server Admin application.
<P>
With WebSite as a service, you can start it manually or have it start automatically
whenever the computer is started. The advantage of running WebSite as a service
is that it runs when no one is logged onto the computer, and it can restart automatically without someone having to log in and launch it. You can set up
WebSite to display or not display its icon when it runs as a service.
<P>
With WebSite as a desktop application, you can start it manually or have it start
automatically whenever you log in (by placing it in your startup group). Although
WebSite will not stay running when you log out, you can leave it running and
simply lock your screen to prevent unauthorized use. The advantage of running
WebSite as an application is that it is easier to stop and start, an advantage when
you are initially setting up or administering the server and web.
<P>
We recommend you start by using WebSite as a desktop application. You will
find it easier to set up initially and can switch it to a service later. If you are
already using several other services on your computer and are familiar with how
they work, you may prefer to run WebSite as a service from the beginning.
<H2>
If You Want to Know More
</H2>
If you made it through the checklist, congratulations! If you'd like more information about these topics, we suggest the following books:
<UL>
<LI>
<I>Microsoft Windows NT Installation Guide and System Guide
</I>
<P>
<LI>
<I>Managing Internet Information Services</I>, published by O'Reilly & Associates
<P>
<LI>
<I>The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog</I>, published by O'Reilly & Associates
<P>
<LI>
<I>Learning Perl and Programming perl</I>, published by O'Reilly & Associates
<P>
<LI>
<I>Connecting to the Internet</I>, published by O'Reilly & Associates
<P>
<LI>
<I>TCP/IP Network Administration and TCP/IP Network Administration for PCs</I>,
(due May 1995) published by O'Reilly & Associates
<P>
<LI>
<I>DNS and BIND</I>, published by O'Reilly & Associates
<P>
<LI>
<I>The Mosaic Handbook for Microsoft Windows</I>, published by O'Reilly & Associates
