Looking at the product: IBM HTTP Server
IBM HTTP Server product features IBM HTTP Server documentation

Looking at the product

This section takes a high level look at the IBM HTTP Server, including new functions for this release, locating the IBM HTTP Server documentation and other valuable sources of information. Licensing and acknowledgments are also noted here. Links to related topics appear at the end of this section.

Identifying IBM HTTP Server offerings

The IBM HTTP Server, powered by Apache, is a Web server based on the Apache Web server developed by the Apache Group (www.apache.org). The IBM HTTP Server includes several functions not available in the Apache Web server:
Pertains to Windows NT users Pertains to Windows 2000 users
  • InstallShield for multiple platforms, enabling consistent installation of the IBM HTTP Server to alternate directories.
  • Administration Server component, enabling configuration of the IBM HTTP Server with a browser-based interface
  • Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) secure connections support.
  • Fast Response Cache Accelerator (FRCA) support (Windows operating systems only). IBM has extended Apache to work with the IBM Fast Response Cache Accelerator, or Cache Accelerator. The Cache Accelerator acts as an in-kernel mini HTTP GET engine and HTTP content cache. The FRCA serves static Web pages significantly faster than the Apache Web server, without the Cache Accelerator, enabled by default. Disable the Cache Accelerator completely through configuration file directives.
  • WebDAV file management on remote Web servers.
  • Dynamic content generation with FastCGI.
  • Simultaneous installation of the IBM HTTP Server in multiple languages on all platforms.
  • Web server LDAP authentication protection through an LDAP module.
  • SNMP access to the Apache SCOREBOARD management information base (MIB), SNMPV2-MIB and the WWW-MIB through an SNMP module.
Pertains to Windows NT users Pertains to Windows 2000 users The addition of these features required minor modifications to several of the base Apache source code files:
  • New IBM-specific modules for:
    • Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
    • Fast Response Cache Accelerator (Windows operating systems only)
  • Installation of an afpa.sys device driver in the system32/drivers system directory (Windows operating systems only)

Legal restrictions prohibit rebuilding the entire IBM binary distribution with the given source on the SSL technology. However, you can write an Apache module that runs with the IBM HTTP Server.

Looking at Apache differences

The Apache Web server was originally designed and developed for UNIX systems. Apache V1.3.0 was the first major release of Apache that included support for Windows operating systems. The Windows port of Apache includes many of the most frequently requested new features, including an API to enable extending the Web server function, and a module that supports a subset of Microsoft ISAPI, or the Web server API.

The UNIX version of Apache and the Windows version of Apache differ most notably in their request processing. Apache for Windows, a threaded Web server, processes requests per thread. A process-based Web server, processes requests per process. Potential performance gains on a threaded Web server exist that the Apache for Windows product has yet to realize.

Pertains to Windows users Pertains to Windows 2000 users

Note: The IBM HTTP Server, powered by Apache for the Windows operating system, does not run on Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating systems. If you need an Apache Web server for either the Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating system, you can get the source and binary installation images, from the Apache Web site: www.apache.org.

Identifying new functions in this release

New functions for this release include:

  • Installation enhancements:
    • InstallShield for multiple platforms - This utility enables a consistent installation of the IBM HTTP Server to alternate directories. Prior to this release, only the Windows NT platform provided the flexibility of installing the IBM HTTP Server to any valid directory. Now this capability has expanded to include all UNIX platforms.

    • Developer installation - The IBM HTTP Server allows an alternate installation, without administrator privileges.
    • Installation and running of multiple versions of the IBM HTTP Server - The IBM HTTP Server allows an alternate installation, without administrator privileges. This installation does not include the FRCA device driver, or the NT performance monitor.
  • Installation of the IBM HTTP Server in multiple languages:

    You can now install the IBM HTTP Server in multiple languages simultaneously on all platforms. This capability was previously limited to UNIX platforms.

  • Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) enhancements:
    • Supports version of LDAP client for HP and Linux operating systems
    • Updates LDAP client to LDAP V4.1
  • Enabled for Page Detailer:

    Page Detailer is a client that enables you to measure the time taken for the server to process Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) requests. The Page Detailer client is included in WebSphere Studio Advanced Edition and Websphere Commerce Suite. See the WebSphere Studio Web page and the WebSphere Commerce Suite Web page for more information.

Finding IBM HTTP Server documentation

The documentation available for this release, in HTML format resides in the ./share/htdocs/manual/ibm directory. For the most recent documentation, visit the IBM HTTP Server Web site.

Locating other sources of information

Several good Internet news groups cover HTTP servers in general. These groups have information about all the popular Web servers and could help you find answers to your questions, so check the news group archives first:

  • USENET news.software.ibm.com, ibm.websphere.http-servers
  • http://www.dejanews.com/
  • bg.xp?level=comp.infosystems.www.servers
  • USENET newsgroup comp.infosystems.www.server.ms-windows
  • USENET newsgroup comp.infosystems.www.servers.unix

Licensing

See the file called LICENSE.IBM

Acknowledging copyrighted work

We wish to acknowledge the following copyrighted works that make up portions of the IBM HTTP Server, based on Apache software:

Portions of this software were developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This software contains code derived from the RSA Data Security Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm, including various modifications by Spyglass Inc., Carnegie Mellon University, and Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Bellcore).

This package contains software written and copyrighted by Henry Spencer. See the file called src/regex/COPYRIGHT.

The NT port was started with code provided to the IBM HTTP Server based on Apache Group by Ambarish Malpani, of ValiCert, Inc. (www.valicert.com).

 
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