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3


Developing and Planning an Intranet


by William Robert Stanek

Intranet publishing is the practical application of Web publishing to a real-world business problem—publishing on the corporate network. Networks situated in a small geographic area, such as an office building, are called local area networks (LANs). A typical LAN may have 100 computers attached to it. Networks that spread across large geographic areas, such as states and countries, are called wide area networks (WAN).

While a typical WAN may be a network of hundreds of computers and is composed of any number of LAN segments or nodes, the key distinction between a LAN and a WAN is not size, rather it is geographic area. WANs generally span geographic boundaries and are connected together using phone lines, satellite links, or cables. Yet when it comes to intranet publishing, the size of the network and the area it spans do not matter as long as the computers are linked together in some form of network. The network could be 10 or 10,000 computers. The network could span the globe. The type of computer doesn't matter either. The computers on the network can be a mix of Sun Sparcs, Macintoshs, IBM compatibles, or any other platform you can think of.

Although many types of intranet publishing operations are possible with today's technology, the focus in this chapter is on using the hypermedia capabilities of the World Wide Web to set up an intranet publishing operation. As you've seen in previous chapters, the power of the Web is in its diversity. Its handling of hypertext objects enables cross-platform solutions. With intranet publishing, you easily can set up a mini-Internet within your company. Your mini-Internet can be accessible by the outside world or be exclusive to the company. No matter how you decide to set up your Intranet, the purchase of FrontPage 97 and Microsoft FrontPage 97 Unleashed is your first step toward success in Intranet publishing.

What Is Intranet Publishing?


A reality in the business world is that company-wide databases tax resources in both labor costs and real-money terms. Even the best conventional database tools have high learning curves. Another reality is that sometimes you just don't have two to four weeks to train new personnel on the use of the database. And, company-wide databases are growing in size and complexity.

Databases aren't the only part of the company that grows as the company grows. The paper trail of documents—brochures, information packets, and policies—also grows with the company. Maintaining an ever-growing paper trail is costly and personnel-intensive. Every time there is a product release, product update, or a press release, documents must be distributed to support personnel and other key personnel within the company. This costs money.

Other problems stem from this paper trail. For example, the customer support department may be misinforming customers based on data that is days or weeks old. To better serve customers, employees need access to the most current information. What employees really need to stay current is a metaindex of company resources and documents in a searchable form so information can be retrieved in an instant. A company-wide metaindex of resources and documents would be astronomically expensive using conventional means. Publishing these documents electronically on a LAN or WAN is a nonconventional solution to this problem that will drastically reduce costs and save countless hours.

Extending the functionality of the World Wide Web to LAN and WAN environments is a cost- and time-effective business solution. The facilities of the World Wide Web don't have high learning curves. In fact, there isn't much of a learning curve at all if the facilities and tools are a part of the company's infrastructure.

The only thing intranet publishing requires is that you install and configure two things:

Many browsers are available as shareware and as commercial software. The two hottest browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.


Managing Browser Licenses on Your Intranet

If you choose a commercial browser such as Netscape Navigator, you must pay a licensing fee for each copy of the browser used at your site. There are several ways you can determine the number of licenses you need to purchase.

You could purchase a license for each computer on your network. In this case, if you had 500 computers on the network, you would purchase 500 licenses. Although the software companies love this model, few network administrators follow it. Under most circumstances, all 500 computers will not be running the browser.

The trick is to determine what percentage of the users on the network will be running the browser at the same time. In a typical network environment where the Intranet documents are not critical to the corporate mission, probably only 20 to 25 percent of users will use the browser at any one time. Thus, on a 500-node network, you might want to start with 100 to 120 licenses for the browser of your choice.

To ensure that only the number of browsers for which you've purchased licenses are running at any one time, you should set up a license server. The job of the license server is to track the number of licenses in use and deny access to the browser software as necessary. When users try to exceed the license count, your license server should display a message stating that no licenses are currently available and that the user should try again in a few minutes. The license server should also log the number of disallowed accesses with a time stamp. Using the server logs, you can periodically re-evaluate your license needs.

Setting up and managing a license server might seem like a hassle, but it can save you and your company thousands of dollars. If the browser software you chose costs $35 per license, a 500-node network using 120 licenses will save over $13,000.


Through intranet publishing, you can provide a metaindex of documents, access to company databases, and much more. Using FrontPage, you can directly publish existing documents or convert document formats to the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format. The great thing about HTML documents is that they are dynamic. Personnel don't have to rummage through a paper trail or learn the commands to interface with the company database. To find a related reference with HTML, all they have to do is click on links. To perform a database search, they just need to enter a word or two at a prompt. Some of the types of documents you can network publish include


Why You Don't Have To Be on the Internet


A common misconception about the Web is that to set up a Web server you must be on the Internet. This simply is not true. The company does not have to be connected to the Internet to take advantage of Web tools. The Web server doesn't have to be linked to the Internet, and company personnel don't have to be able to access the Internet to make intranet publishing a reality within the company.

Several books concerning the Web and the Internet specifically—and mistakenly—state that a Transmission Control/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connection to the Internet is an absolute requirement for setting up a Web server. It's true that an Internet connection would help in obtaining Web server software because server software is widely available on the Internet. However, this software, the installation instructions, and manuals can be downloaded from any Internet account and subsequently loaded onto the company network. You can also use the Personal Web Server included with FrontPage as your company's server software.

Therefore, a more correct statement is that if the company wants to use the Internet and take advantage of the World Wide Web that is a part of the Internet, there must be some kind of connection to the Internet. The company does not have to be connected to the Internet or any part of the Internet to set up a Web server for use within the company.

The Federal government has private Internets. Some large corporations have private Internets. You could call these mini-Internets simply intranets. An intranet is a network within an organization that takes advantage of Internet and Web technologies. What these private intranets allow on their networks is their business. What you provide on your network is your business.

When you set up a Web server, you tell it the domain—structure—you want it to operate within. You can include or exclude links to the outside world as you see fit. You can even include or exclude divisions within the company. It all depends on how you set up the Web server and the permissions you grant or deny.

Intranet Publishing Versus Paper Publishing


You have probably heard the term paperless office before. Don't cringe. Although this eventuality isn't outside the realm of possibility, this isn't a lecture on how Web publishing can help make the office paperless. The truth is that Web publishing company documents won't eliminate the paper trail, but it can help to dramatically reduce the paper trail. It can help to streamline the update and correction process. It can also help to distribute large amounts of up-to-date information throughout the organization. The decision to intranet publish or not to intranet publish ultimately comes down to simple economics:


Intranet Publishing Is Affordable


Costs for incorporating Web publishing into an existing network are negligible. Often a network will already have a workstation capable of carrying the additional load as the Web server. The Web server doesn't have to be a dedicated machine. This is especially true for small networks or networks where a limited number of personnel have access to the Web server.

Usually, you won't need a full-time Web server administrator. Existing networks already have, or should have, a system administrator who can handle the additional duties as the Web server administrator. Web servers are easy to administer once they are set up and running.

Although using an existing workstation is not always a possibility, the good news is that the Web server doesn't have to be a power machine. Web servers serving thousands of users are running on network-configured computers with Intel Pentium processors.

Intranet Publishing Saves Money


Intranet publishing the company documents can reduce print costs and other associated costs dramatically. Printed documents quickly become outdated. Technical manuals, company policies, and other important documents are expensive to maintain and reprint. With intranet publishing, there aren't any print costs, and you'll find that maintaining Web documents is easier than maintaining printed documents.

There simply aren't high-learning curves in a point-and-click interface environment. There are even ways to automate the updating of documents. Time savings for easy maintenance and use add up to big money savings over traditional alternatives. The savings also extend to personnel. Your company can realize these savings in personnel in the fewer hours spent building, searching, and maintaining company documents. Ease of use means finding information is less frustrating for workers, and a less stressful environment is good for the company and its workers.

Ease of use might also mean that new employees can become productive company assets sooner. Using a Web browser, such as Mosaic, a new employee with little training could make retrievals from the company's Oracle database on the first day of the job. To do this, they would access a Web page with a fill out form or query box like those discussed in Chapter 12, "Using Forms and the Form Page Wizard." After typing in the information they wanted to retrieve, the user would simply click on the submit button and soon afterward, the retrieval would display on their screen.

Intranet Publishing Is Cost-Effective


Intranet publishing is a highly efficient way to ensure that company information is distributed throughout the organization. Putting a document on the company Web can provide instant access for all personnel, several departments, or an individual department. You'll discover that Web documents are easier to maintain, produce, index, and use—which translates directly to cost efficiency.

If cost efficiency is a big consideration for the company (and it should be), consider the case of the company with global offices. These offices are probably already connected via a WAN or have some kind of dial-up access to the Internet. Despite the ease of use of electronic mail, company documents flow back and forth through conventional mail every day. This is because some types of documents aren't suited for posting to e-mail. Posting a 500-page policy manual via e-mail to all company personnel would probably bring the network to a screeching halt. Even if it didn't, the people who should be reading the policy manual wouldn't because of the form of the message.

With intranet publishing, the policy manual would be an interactive, indexed document that personnel could easily search for references important to the operations of their respective departments. More importantly, the entire huge manual wouldn't have to be mailed and re-mailed to a dozen global or regional offices.

Platforms for Your Corporate Web Server


Before setting up or installing software, you must determine what platform the Web server will run on and select server software for your platform of choice. The FrontPage Personal Web server runs on Windows 95, and Windows NT platforms, yet has extensions for the most popular Windows 95, Windows NT, and UNIX-based servers. This means you can create and manage documents on a Windows 95 or Windows NT computer, and publish your documents on Windows 95, Windows NT, or UNIX platform.


NOTE

A Macintosh version of FrontPage is in development. This addition will mean that you can use FrontPage to create, manage, and publish your documents on virtually any operating system.


Currently, there are FrontPage server extensions for the servers shown in Table 4.1. These extensions are free from Microsoft.

Table 4.1. Server software for use with FrontPage extensions.

Server Software UNIX Solaris SunOS HP/UX IRIX Other Windows NT Windows95
Apache X X X X X

CERN X X X X X

Microsoft IIS




X
NCSA X X X X X

Netscape Communications X X X X X X
Netscape Commerce X X X X X X
Open Market X X X X X

O'Reilly Website




X X

The best server software for you is most likely the software that will run on the workstation you plan to use as the network's Web server, but several factors come into play that could change your mind. The four primary factors are


The Expertise of the Installation Team


The level of expertise of the installation team will be a major determining factor in your choice of server. To configure for specific types of platforms, and primarily UNIX platforms, some Web server software must be compiled from source code. This is a good thing if you have an experienced team capable of setting parameters within the code to optimize for the intended system. Having the source code also means you can easily trace down and correct bugs and create enhancements to the existing code.

However, having the source code will do you no good if you cannot optimize and compile it. Therefore, if you do not have an experienced team or are looking for an easy solution for your intranet publishing operation, you will want to look at server software that does not need to be compiled or optimized. Fortunately, the easiest server software to install is included with FrontPage—Personal Web server.

Reliability of the Web Server


The necessary reliability of the Web server is the second major determining factor in choosing a server. Examine carefully how the company plans to use the Web server. The projected nature of the use will help drive your decision. Some server software is being continually updated and improved. Some platforms have a variety of support tools. Both are especially true for UNIX platforms, but not necessarily true for other platforms.

UNIX systems are the lifeblood of the Internet, and naturally some of the best server software is for UNIX systems. Because UNIX server software has been around longer, most of the bugs have been worked out, and the software is generally being continually improved.

The Personal Web Server included with FrontPage is very reliable. Still, the server has its limits and is best used with medium to low traffic sites.

The Necessity of Support


The type of support needed to maintain the Web server is the third major determining factor in choosing your server. The primary reason for opting to use commercial Web server software is software support. If you believe the organization will need software support to keep the operation alive, commercial software is the best choice. Freeware software is generally provided on an as is basis. The creators ask that if you improve the software or fix bugs, you send them the updates.


NOTE

Because software support might play a major role in your decision to purchase Web server software, you should also know about other options such as hiring a software support firm to provide your company with technical support. Software support firms are a $100 million-a-year niche of the computer industry and are growing in number. Software support firms specialize in providing technical support for a wide range of products and are positioned well to replace many traditional help desk centers. Several of the early software support companies have been tremendously successful because of the strong need in the business community for prompt, reliable and accurate technical support. As the Internet and the World Wide Web grow, these companies will undoubtedly start to support key Internet and Web software applications.



Security Concerns


Security is the fourth major determining factor in choosing your server. Web server software that lacks adequate security constraints can put the company's network in jeopardy. This is critically important when the company plans to connect to the Internet.

All Web server software have some security features. Permissions granted or denied to users when the server software is being configured play an important role in security. Some of the most secure server software is available for UNIX. Again, this is primarily because Web server software for UNIX platforms has been around longer and has had more developers working on it.

Web Server Software


This section examines server software supported by FrontPage server extensions. If you plan to use the Personal Web server on a Windows 95/NT system, you do not need to obtain additional software.


NOTE

For detailed information on the Personal Web Server, see Part VII, "Managing Your Web." Part VII also covers server management and security.


The central process running on a Web server is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Daemon (HTTPD). A daemon is a program that runs in the background and handles requests. Similarly the HTTP Daemon, or HTTPD, is the process that handles requests for a Web server. Although the daemon is only a part of server software, the term HTTPD is often used to refer to the server itself. For example, the Web server from the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) is referred to as CERN HTTPD. When someone refers to CERN HTTPD, they are generally referring to the entire Web server software package from CERN.

Some servers have the capability to proxy serve documents. This means company personnel could access the Web past an existing firewall, and the outside world could get Web documents on the firewall but should not be able to get past the firewall. A firewall is a workstation that shields the internal network from the outside network—the Internet. It is the only machine that is directly connected to the Internet. This a great way to minimize unauthorized access to the company network.

Apache HTTPD


The Apache HTTPD server runs on UNIX platforms and is free. Because Apache is a plug-in replacement for NCSA's Web server Version 1.3 and 1.4, it is extremely popular. Apache is designed for speed and reliability. It also fixes security problems found in NCSA HTTPD.

Some of Apache's features include

You can learn more about Apache HTTPD and obtain the source at

http://www.apache.org/

CERN HTTPD


CERN HTTPD runs on UNIX platforms. This server software is one of the most popular. It is well-maintained freeware with excellent documentation. One of CERN Web server's greatest selling points is that it can also be run as a caching proxy server. The server will cache recently or frequently retrieved documents to improve response time.

This server's features include

You can learn more about CERN HTTPD and obtain the source at

http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Daemon/Status.html

Microsoft Internet Information Server


Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) is a power option for intranets using Windows NT servers. The main server is an integrated HTTPD, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Gopher server with a graphical installation utility that allows you to completely install the product in less than 10 minutes. IIS is optimized for performance, speed, and reliability. Currently, you can also get free trial versions of IIS from Microsoft's Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/.

Some of the features include

You can learn more about Microsoft IIS at

http://www.microsoft.com/BackOffice/InfoServ/default.htm

NCSA HTTPD


NCSA HTTPD runs on UNIX platforms. NCSA's server was designed to be fast and have a low overhead, which means it's not taxing on the system. It is freeware and rich in features. The current version is 1.5.X.

This server's features include

With NCSA HTTPD, you can make the server more secure by limiting access to server directories. You can learn more about NCSA HTTPD and obtain the source at

http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/Overview.html

Netscape Servers


Netscape offers several commercial server software packages for UNIX and Windows NT platforms. FrontPage currently supports the two most widely used Netscape servers. These include the following:

Netscape claims that their server software offers increased performance over the competition and can easily be integrated with commercial or custom applications. The software tends to have higher overhead than other HTTP servers, but it definitely makes up for this by reducing response times and making better use of the communications bandwidth. Netscape servers are also some of the most secure in the world.

You can learn more about Netscape servers at

http://home.mcom.com/comprod/server_central/index.html

Open Market


The Open Market WebServer is a commercial server for UNIX platforms and comes in two versions: standard and secure. The Open Market Secure WebServer offers simultaneous support for both the Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (S-HTTP) and the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Some of the features of Open Market include

You can learn more about Open Market servers at

http://www.openmarket.com/segments/servers/

O'Reilly Website


O'Reilly Website is an award-winning commercial server that runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT platforms. This server features many advanced utilities for Windows 95/NT environments and was designed for ease of use. Website is an integrated server package that includes an HTML browser, HTML editor, and a comprehensive book.

Some of the features include

You can learn more about O'Reilly Website at

http://website.ora.com/

Selecting a Domain Name


After you've selected a platform and server software, you should decide on a domain name for the Web server. During the installation process, you'll have to enter a domain name for the Web server. Common domain names for Web servers begin with www, such as




www.yourhostname.com

If the company has decided to connect the server to the Internet, the network must have a unique identifier and domain name. You must register with the Internet Address Naming Authority (IANA) also called the InterNIC. Your company can select any domain name as long as it is unique. The InterNIC charges for domain name registration. If you plan to register a domain, check with the InterNIC for the current price for registration.

Each computer connecting to the Internet must have a unique IP address. The necessity of a unique IP address might mean changing the IP address on computers you plan to connect to the Internet. Obtaining IP addresses from the InterNIC is a three part process:

  1. Obtain the InterNIC Internet number registration form from
  2. Follow the comprehensive instructions included with the form you received using the FTP address to fill out the form.
  3. E-mail the completed form to

Domain name registration for ROOT, EDU, GOV, COM, NET and ORG domains is also a three part process:

  1. Obtain the InterNIC domain name registration form from
  2. Follow the comprehensive instructions included with the form you received to fill out the form.
  3. E-mail the completed form to

CAUTION

Beware of people trying to sell registration services on the Internet. Ultimately, these individuals must go through the InterNIC to register your domain. These individuals provide easy-to-use fill-out forms for processing your registration and charge fees ranging from $100-$500. As you have seen, the submission process is not difficult and is certainly not worth $500.



NOTE

The InterNIC is a very busy organization. Not only do they provide detailed explanations with registration forms, they include multiple sources to find additional information with each of their forms. Refer to these sources of additional information before sending inquiries to the InterNIC. If you have a unique situation that is not covered in either the IP or domain registration forms, such as registering as an Internet Service Provider, you can find a list of registration forms provided by the InterNIC here:




The Basics of Installing Your Corporate Web Server


Now that you've selected your platform and software, you're ready to begin the installation process. After following the tips you'll find throughout the rest of this chapter, you should have your server up and running before the day is through.

You might be amazed at how easy it is to get the server up and running now that the major decisions as to the platform and software are behind you. Although commercial server software is nearly trouble-free and includes automatic installation processes, freeware server software is not a bad way to go either. As you have seen, for most freeware server software there are precompiled versions of the software available. This makes installation very easy.

The server installation process includes six basic steps:

  1. Purchase or download the software.
  2. Begin the installation process by compiling the software or selecting installation options after initiating the automatic installation process.
  3. Configure the server or select automatic configuration options.
  4. Ensure that all the files are in the locations specified in the documentation and that permissions are set correctly. This is usually an automatic process for commercial and freeware software, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.
  5. Start the server.
  6. Test the server.

Each of these steps is described in more detail in the following sections.


NOTE

The section titled "Quick Setup and Installation" in Chapter 4, "Introducing FrontPage," details how you can set up and test the Personal Web Server. If you have decided to use the Personal Web Server and are eager to get started with FrontPage, you might want to jump ahead to that chapter. After you set up the Personal Web Server and FrontPage, you should read the remainder of this chapter to gain more insight on Intranet publishing.



Purchasing or Downloading the Server Software


Most server software packages are available for downloading on the Internet. If you have access to the Web, visit the site that has the software you would like to obtain. There, you will find information about the most current version of the software and instructions on downloading the software. Many of these sites have installation instructions available at the Web site and complete operating manuals that also might be viewed as HTML documents or downloaded.

Some commercial server software packages must be purchased directly from the creators and are not available for downloading. Before paying big money for a product you are unsure of, visit the company on the Web and check the available documentation carefully to ensure that the software will meet the needs of your organization. It might also be possible to obtain a test version (Alpha/Beta versions) of the software for trial and evaluation.

Beginning the Installation Process


Most of the server software packages you'll find on the Internet are compressed. Although the type of compression really depends on the platform for which the software was designed, the installation instructions will usually explain how to uncompress the software. Before uncompressing the software, you should create a new directory and move the file to that directory for unpacking. Uncompress the software, if necessary, and then start the installation process. You might be prompted to enter the domain name you selected earlier or be directed to add the domain name to a system file.

Configuring the Server


Each type of server software has different configuration steps. The best source for configuration information is the server documentation. Read the documentation thoroughly. If the documentation isn't clear on an area that involves security, you should follow the strictest security option.

Configuring commercial server software is a simple process. After starting the installation process, you either select configuration options or make simple adjustments to your system. At some point during this process, you'll be asked to input the domain name you have selected.

For shareware server software there are some special considerations. After you've unpacked the files and compiled the software, if necessary, you will need to edit configuration files and create logs as necessary. Configuring these servers is an involved process that could fill a chapter for each software package. This is primarily because of the numerous options and features available. Read the manuals and go through the configuration files line by line. After carefully considering the options, enable or disable the server parameters.

Double-Checking for Security


This is a last check for security. Always make sure that all the server files are where they are supposed to be and that file permissions are set as appropriate. This is normally done for you during the installation process. However, if you updated files or moved files around the system, you might have changed file permissions.

Server and network security is critically important. Even if you don't plan to connect to the Internet, it is best to test the server internally for a trial period before opening the floodgates. Let your Tiger Team discover possible security problems and not hackers that might be after company secrets.


NOTE

A Tiger Team is a group of people assigned to find security problems. They try to break into the system to find its weaknesses. If you don't have a special team assigned, or you are a one-person operation, test the server's security yourself. You probably will be glad you did.



Start the Server


After setup, configuration, and final checks for security, you're ready to begin. Start the server and enter the world of intranet publishing! If you haven't already created your documents and moved them into place, follow the procedures in this book.

Test the Server


Now that the server is up and running, you should test it out. If the server isn't running, check the next section for some helpful troubleshooting tips. The best way to test the server's operational status is with a Web browser. Load your favorite browser software and access the Web server with either of the following uniform resource locators (URLs):




http://www.yourcompany.com/



http://www.yourcompany.com:portnumber/

The name between the slashes is the name you gave to the server—its domain name—during the setup process. If you set up the Web server's ports in a location other than the default port, you must enter the port number parameter. If all went well, this should be the last step in the setup and configuration process. Congratulations!

Troubleshooting Problems


Even the best of plans can go awry. If you know the type of problems you might experience and their symptoms, there is a better chance that you'll be able to correct the problem quickly. In this early stage of trying to get the server running and testing your document, you might experience


Problems with Server Processes


Don't fret if something goes wrong and the server software doesn't start. If this happens, review the server documentation step by step. Ensure that you've performed every step and that things on the server are as they should be. Chances are you skipped an important step or forgot to change the mode on a file. Some good indicators of problems with setup are

As you re-examine the installation procedures, pay close attention to syntax. Syntax is critically important, particularly on UNIX systems. Syntax includes punctuation marks like periods or dashes that are included in filenames. Syntax problems could also come from files being in the wrong case. UNIX is case sensitive, meaning WSERVER, WServer, and wserver are three different filenames. Additionally on a UNIX system, type in the lines exactly as they are shown, including all spaces between assignment operators.

Problems Accessing HTML Documents


Sometimes the server processes and other associated processes might seem to be running fine, but you can't access your documents. The first thing you should do is to make sure all files are where they should be. Most of the time, HTML documents and associated files must be in specific directories in order for the files to be accessed. If they are in the correct place, there are several key things on the server you should check next. Problems accessing HTML documents stem from three main sources:


Incorrect File or Directory Permissions

Restrictions on files and directories are another key area to examine when you are having problems accessing files. During setup and configuration, you might have restricted access to files or directories inadvertently or purposefully, but forgot the parameters you set. Check the configuration files to see what features you turned on or off, and then check permissions.

The permissions on the HTML documents and directories are important. This is especially true on UNIX systems where the default file permissions are set according to an involved permission set. All operating systems flag documents with permissions. Here are a few examples of flags on DOS/Windows systems:

UNIX systems add to this simple set of permissions by an order of magnitude. Files and directories have owners and group membership. Additionally, these files and directories have associated privileges: read, write, and execute permissions for the owner, the group, and others with access to the system. On UNIX systems, a directory must be executable to be accessible.

Incorrect File Extensions

The file extension of HTML documents and other file formats is also critically important. Web servers can use the extension to determine what type of file you are trying to access. Web browsers can use the extension to determine what type of file you are retrieving and the action to take on the file. The proper extension for HTML documents is .html or .htm.

Without additional server configuration steps, most software will not recognize the extension of .htm as being a valid HTML document. The primary exception to this rule is on Windows systems where file extensions are limited to three characters.

Lack of an Index File

If you are having problems accessing documents, you should check for a lack of an index file. Most Web server software wants directories with HTML documents to have an index file. If you don't include these index files, you might experience problems. The server will generally display this default document when a user specifies a directory name instead of a filename. This file is sometimes called index.html but not always. For example, MacHTTP, NCSA HTTPD, and CERN HTTPD each have different conventions for this index file:

MacHTTP Each folder should have a filename: default.html.
NCSA HTTPD Although an index.html file isn't required for each directory, srm.conf should be set up properly to deal with this.
CERN HTTPD Although this server will let you use alternate filenames for index.html (Welcome.html, welcome.html, index.html), these files should exist in the appropriate directories.

Problems Within HTML Documents


If you are having problems displaying documents, the appearance of objects and text in documents, or with hypertext links, the first place to check for problems should be the HTML structure in the documents. Syntax is critically important in HTML. Two of the most common syntax problem areas revolve around two sets of characters:

These two sets of characters will cause more problems than you can imagine. If the HTML document has an <, the closing > must be present. Consider the following example:




<STRONG>This is standard text./STRONG>



<STRONG>This is standard text.</STRONG>

The first line has a syntax problem that will cause problems in the HTML document. The missing closure on the STRONG tag will cause all text in the document up to the next properly closed STRONG tag to be in bold or emphasized type.

If the HTML document has a " inside a tag, the closing " must be present. Consider this example:




<A HREF="the_linked_document.html>Visit the new link.</A>



<A HREF="the_linked_document.html">Visit the new link.</A>

The syntax problem in the first line will cause problems in the HTML document. Not only will the missing quotation mark cause the link to fail, the browser will think that everything up to the next quotation mark is a part of the link. This means that part of your document will not be displayed. The quotes must also be the standard American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) double quotes. Some word processors have so-called smart quotes, where the opening quotes look different from closing quotes. If your word processor has this feature, disable it. Smart quotes are not standard ASCII and will not work in your HTML documents.

Administering an Intranet


Someone should be assigned to administer the new server. Although the network administrator or system administrator could easily take over the additional responsibilities, administrative duties do not have to be the responsibility of one person. As you'll see, it is sometimes a good idea to share these responsibilities.

The four general administrative duties include:


Answering Technical Questions


The server should have a point of contact for technical questions. This is normally the Webmaster, an electronic mail alias providing a point of contact for the site. Web users can direct queries or comments to the Webmaster. A mail alias is a generic mail address that can be assigned to a single user or group of users.

On UNIX systems, common administrative mail aliases are root and postmaster. By assigning the root mail alias to your system administrator, she can receive feedback concerning system problems. By assigning the postmaster alias to your e-mail administrator, she can receive feedback for e-mail problems.

Similarly, the Webmaster can be a single person, your system administrator, or many people who answer specific types of questions. The mail address for the Webmaster is typically webmaster@yourcompany.com.

Checking Logs


Checking system logs should be the responsibility of one person. Although there are different types of logs, the most important log is the server's error log. The error log keeps track of system problems. Another important log is the access log. The access log tracks who accessed what documents.

If the system seems sluggish or is experiencing problems, the first place the administrator should look is in the error log. The error log will tell the administrator what has been going wrong, and the repeated entries will provide an excellent time-picture of the problem. The error log also tracks bad links and bad HTML documents. If you search through the log for these problems, you will be able to identify problem documents and erroneous links.

The access log is another good log for the administrator to check periodically. This log tracks who accessed what documents. The accesses to documents can be critically important in tracking down security violators and suspicious system activity. The access log will also come in handy when you want to count the number of accesses to your site or accesses to particular pages at your site. For example, you might want to count all accesses to the site for the first week of the month.

A single access is usually referred to as a hit. A hit count is completely different from a visitor count, which is especially true for large sites that might have hundreds of pages. For example, one visitor to your site accesses 25 pages. If you look only at the number of hits, it looks like 25 visitors came to the site. Keep this example in mind when you try to determine the number of visitors to your site.

Server logs tend to grow rapidly, and the contents of these files are erased on a periodic basis. A better method is to periodically copy the old logs to backup files and save old files for as long a time as seems practical. The logs might be your only proof someone has been violating system security.

Keeping the Server Running


The most critical administrative duty is keeping the server running. Just as someone is responsible for the operational status of other networked workstations, someone must be responsible for the operational status of the Web server. The best choice for this duty is at the system administrative level. Let your system administrators tack a new title onto their old one as the Web server administrator.

Updates to the Server


The Web server administrator should ensure that the server software and tools are kept up-to-date. Most server software is under constant development. The most recent version will probably run more efficiently and include new features.

The responsibility of publishing, maintaining, and ensuring the accuracy of Web documents should not rest on the shoulders of the Web server administrator. Although intranet publishing is understandably a cooperative process between the administrator and department personnel, the administrator should be responsible for technical problems and not content. The administrator is there to answer questions and to help with the general intranet publishing process if need be. He is not there to create documents for every department within the organization.

Large organizations should assign the additional duty of creating and maintaining Web documents to appropriate personnel in each major department that will network publish. Often, the logical choice for this additional duty will be the person who was responsible for creating and disseminating these documents under the old mechanism for distribution.

Intranet Publishing on Your New Server


Intranet publishing on your new server might be frustrating at times. This is especially true when you are first trying to install and configure the server. The important thing to remember is that intranet publishing can pay off in huge dividends. The time and money savings for intranet publishing company user and technical manuals alone make intranet publishing worthwhile. Not only could the documentation be maintained so that it is always up-to-date at a cost less than the original publishing and distribution of the manuals, but employees will be able to search the entire text of manuals in an instant and at the touch of a button.

While intranet publishing can bring dramatic improvements in the accessibility of information within the company, part of the problem with any project is that people often have unrealistic expectations or mismatched perceptions. The process of setting up your intranet publishing operation is no exception. The best thing you can do is to remember the following:


A Learning Process


This is your first intranet publishing operation. It should be a learning process. Do not expect all the pieces to fall into place in a day. It simply will not happen. Give yourself and the project a fighting chance. Manage your expectations to help the project become a success. Remember, your expectations might not match the expectations of your superiors.

Before you start to set up the Web server,


One Step at a Time


Never let your thoughts about the complexity of the project overwhelm you. Your perceptions about the project play a decisive role in whether you will ever finish the project. Convince yourself you can do this.

Often, people forget that sometimes you need to take a breather. You cannot possibly try to do everything all at once. Set up your intranet publishing operation one step at a time. Begin by planning your course of action, and slowly progress from platform selection to server installation.

Set Realistic Goals


One of the first things you should do is make sure that your goals are realistic. Your goals should take into account both the complexities of the project and the possible setbacks. Your goals should be clear and relevant to the problem at hand—setting up the Web server and a networking publishing operation. As you set goals and milestones for each stage of the project, remember to provide flexibility. Never give yourself deadlines you cannot meet. If possible, give yourself a window for project completion.

Adopt a Company-Wide Policy


When you complete the project, remember to adopt a company-wide policy pertaining to the use and publishing of information on the network. The key is to not only adopt a policy, but to communicate it throughout the organization. Be sure that company personnel know the following information:


Summary


Intranet publishing is an extremely cost-effective and time-saving way to publish company documents. To set up a intranet publishing operation, you need to install and configure a Web server. Although you must be on the Internet to take advantage of the information resources of the Web, you do not have to be on the Internet to take advantage of the features offered by Web servers and browsers.

The Web server could be one of your existing network workstations or a new workstation you purchase specifically for the task. After you have selected a platform for the server, you need to select server software. Server software is often freely available or available for a reasonable fee. After the server is set up, you are free to publish the company's documents.

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