A Web server is a program that, using the client/server model and the World Wide Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), serves the files that form Web pages to Web users (whose computers contain HTTP clients that forward their requests). Every computer on the Internet that contains a Web site must have a Web server program (or else the site files must be sent to a computer that has a Web server program). The most popular Web servers are Apache, a Web server for both 32-bit Windows and UNIX-based operating systems; Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS), which comes with the Windows NT server; and Netscape's FastTrack and Enterprise servers. Other Web servers include Novell's Web Server for users of its NetWare operating system and IBM's family of Lotus Domino servers, primarily for IBM's OS/390 and AS/400 customers.

Web servers often come as part of a larger package of Internet- and intranet-related programs for serving e-mail, downloading requests for FTP files, and building and publishing Web pages. Considerations in choosing a Web server include how well it works with the operating system and other servers, its ability to handle server-side programming, and publishing, search engine, and site building tools that may come with it.

Selected Links

PC Magazine offers a review of Microsoft's Internet Information Server.

PC Magazine also offers a review of Netscape's Enterprise Server.

PC Magazine also offers a review of the Novell Web Server.

IBM's family of Lotus Domino servers includes support for a number of operating systems.

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