Selection of Web Server Software for Client Essay

Selection of Web Server Software for Client - Essay Example The client would also want a customised Content Management System to be coded so that they can easily change the content on site and add new pages, thus, making it flexible for accommodating changes. The current Information Technology Infrastructure is not very advanced and includes basic users with little knowledge of web technologies. The client is also not willing to spend a hefty amount but do requires a robust, agile and flexible system. 2) - Comparison of available technologies After going through the detailed requirements document from the client and understanding his needs, two sets of technologies can be recommended to the client. Let us compare and contrast between these two sets to see which set can be more viable for the client in the future. The two sets of technologies are: 1) - Internet Information Services, Active Server Pages and SQL Server (Microsoft Products) 2) – Apache, PHP and MySQL It is to be noted here that that both sets have a web server, a web progr amming language and a database. We should now just compare these technologies individually in detail and then in the subsequent sections, we will relate our results with the available IT infrastructure of the client. 2.1 - Web Servers The function of web server is to deliver services (web content) to the users who are requesting access via Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. The HTTP protocol is normally set by web browsers and doesn’t really require manual intervention or settings by the user. Web content here actually means all the media that is available on the web page. (WDN, 2012) The following table actually shows the differences between two available web servers: Apache and Internet Information Services. APACHE IIS Current market share at 65% Current market share at 15% Designed to work with most Operating Systems IIS designed to work only with Windows Operating Systems Co-operation is limited with the host system and there are no specific utilities available in every OS to monitor web service Greater co-operation with the host system and control through various Windows utilities Independent Request handler is limited Independent Request handler is not limited .Net languages aren’t integrated Support for most programming languages Open source software Comes with Windows OS More secure Less secure because of multiple system calls 2.2 - Web Programming Languages A web programming language or a server side scripting language is a language designed for developing web pages of dynamic nature. The following table shows the comparison between two leading server side scripting languages: PHP and ASP.Net PHP ASP.Net Microsoft Technology. Ships free with IIS on Windows OS. Open source language Runs on most OS Support windows only Slower compilation time Quick compilation and response time Hardware required to run PHP applications is expensive Windows licensing cost Not supported by any specific framework but has custom CMS such as Drupal and Magento Suppo rted by .Net framework which is very reliable Simple to code Complex to code Recommended for small applications Recommended for large applications Lesser data security Enhanced data security (Lerdorf & Tatroe, 2002) 2.3 - Database Management Systems A database management system (DBMS) is a software application that allows for the creation and management of a database. It also allows the users to make changes to the