Homework type/no: 01 Course code: INT-502

Student roll no: RE2801A06 Course instructor: Lect. Parveen

Section no: E2801 Date of submission: 01.02.2011

Declaration:

I declare that this assignment is my individual work. I have not copied from any other student’s
work or from any other source except where due acknowledgment is made explicitly in the text,
nor has been written for me another person.

Student’s signature: Anand Bisht

Evaluator’s comments:

Marks obtained _____________________ out of ______________________________

Content of home work should start from this page only:

Q1: What is web server? Explain the types of web server.

Ans. Web Server-

A web server is the the computer or the computer application that helps to deliver content that
can be accessed through the Internet. A web server makes it possible to be able to access content
like web pages or other data from anywhere as long as it is connected to the internet. The
hardware houses the content, while the software makes the content accessible through the
internet.The most common use of web servers is to host websites but there are other uses like
data storage or for running enterprise applications.

Types of Web Servers

1. Web Servers - A web server provides static content to a web browser by loading a file
from a disk and serving across a network to a users web browser. This entire exchange is
mediated by the browser and server talking to each other using hypertext transfer
protocol HTTP.
 2. Mail Servers- Mail servers are almost as crucial as a web server. Mail servers move and
store mail over private networks across the Internet. Without mail servers we would not
have email, and our communication technology would not be as good.

3. Real Time Communication Server- These servers provide a server for things such as
instant messaging. Real time communication servers allow users to send messages to
people on the Internet instantly, and allows you to be able to have conversations online
by sending messages instantly.

4. Application Servers-These are sometimes referred to as a type of middle ware.

5. FTP Servers- FTP servers stand for File Transfer Protocol which makes it possible to
move files from one computer to another using the Internet. This is the oldest type of
Internet service, and it is still keeping mace with the times today.

6. Collaboration Servers- Group ware is the clearest way to show the true power of the
web. It serves authenticate users from anywhere in the world and gives them the power to
work together. Groupware is a software design for users to collaborate the Internet.

7. List Servers- List servers offer a way to better manage mailing lists. They can be
interactive discussions open to the public or one way lists that deliver announcements,
newsletters, or advertising.

8. Telnet Servers A telnet server enables users to log on to a host computer and perform
tasks as it they were working on the remote computer itself. Users can access the host
through the telnet server from anywhere in the world using a telnet client.

9. Operating System Severs This provides a platform for underlying hardware and
software for a system, and is the engine that drives the server.

Q2: Explain the advance feature of IIS6.0 (compare with earlier versions) and differentiate
IIS from Microsoft vs. Apache web server.

Ans. Advanced features of IIS6.0-

New Security Features

1. IIS was once considered one of the main security holes in Windows architecture.

2. IIS 5.0 and earlier versions were constantly patched up by hot fixes from Microsoft. The
security problems were a major deterrent to using IIS as a commercial Web server.
 3. In contrast, IIS 6.0 comes with an impressive list of new security features designed to win
back commercial users.

Advanced Digest Authentication

1. Advanced Digest Authentication is an extension of Digest security.

2. Digest security uses MD5 hashing to encrypt user credentials.(user name, password and
user roles).

Server-gated Cryptography

1. Text-based HTTP network transmissions between a server and client can easily be
compromised.

2. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are the most common
encryption mechanism used on Web sites. SSL/TLS enables secure communication by
encrypting the communication channel with a cipher algorithm.

3. TLS is a later (and more secure) version of the SSL protocol.

Default Lock-down Status

1. The default installation of IIS 6.0 will result in a "light weight" Web server. By default,
the only feature available is access to static content.

2. This restricted functionality is referred to as Default Locked Down status, and forces
system administrators to manually enable and disable those features that are necessary for
their applications. They can do this through the Web services Extensions node of the IIS
Manager.

Difference between IIS from Microsoft and Apache web server.

1. Apache is free while IIS is packaged with Windows.

2. IIS only runs on Windows while Apache can run on almost any OS including UNIX, Apple’s
OS X, and on most Linux Distributions.

3. ASPX runs only in IIS.

4. IIS has a dedicated staff to answer most problems while support for Apache comes from the
community itself.
5. IIS is optimized for Windows because they are from the same company.

6. The Windows OS is prone to security risks.

Q3: Why do we create users/groups on server while publishing websites? Also write the
steps of creating users/groups on IIS.

Ans. We create users/and group on server while publishing websites to make assigning access
permissions easier, you can create groups, assign users to the groups, and then assign
permissions to the groups. That approach eliminates the need to assign permissions for every
individual user.

Steps of creating users/groups:

To add a new users/group perform the following steps:

1. Click Administration > Access > Users and Groups.

2. Click New group.

3. In the ID field, type the name of the new group. An example is payroll.

4. Click OK to create the group.

Q4: Explain the properties of web site and what is the role and working of metabase
file in the architecture of IIS?

Ans. Website Properties specializes in selling established website businesses & internet business
opportunities. Unlike traditional Business for Sale and Broker MLS services whose primary
market is brick and mortar business opportunities, our focus and expertise is centered exclusively
on online business properties. That single minded focus means your online business will be front
and center for internet entrepreneurs to view. Giving you the right exposure to targeted buyers
searching now to find and buy a website business.

Role and working of meta file in the architecture of IIS-

1. The IIS metabase is a plaintext, XML data store that contains most IIS configuration
information. Although most of the IIS configuration settings are stored in the IIS
metabase, a few settings are maintained in the Windows registry. If a configuration
setting is one that you might need to configure or change, or if you can access the setting
in the IIS 6.0 user interface, then the setting is typically stored in the IIS metabase.
 2. When IIS starts, the MetaBase.xml and MBSchema.xml files are read by the IIS storage
layer and copied to the in-memory metabase. While IIS is running, any changes that you
make to the in-memory metabase are periodically written to disk. IIS also saves the in-
memory metabase to disk when you stop IIS.

Q5: How do IIS handle, process and response the multiple requests for web pages?

Ans. A process model is needed to run more than one web-site, web application or web-service
securely and reliably on a single machine. In Shared Hosting scenarios hundreds or even
thousands of web-sites run on an individual machine. The code running on these web-sites is
usually not well tested, if at all. Without a powerful process model the result would be extremely
poor reliability. But a process model not only guarantees availability; it also needs to isolate
them so that individual web applications don't interfere with each other.

The Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) is the system component providing the Process
Model in IIS .

Q6: What are the various permissions available on website while working with IIS 6.0?

Ans. The various permissions available on website while working with IIS 6.0 are-

1. Read
2. Write

3. Script Source Access.

4. Directory browsing.

5. Log visits.

6. Index this resource.

7. Execute Permissions