Chapter 4: Customizing Web Server Content

Overview

Most Web administrators don’t need to create Web server content. Typically, content creation is the job of Web designers and content management is the job of Web administrators. Designers and administrators often work closely together to ensure that corporate sites, intranets, and extranets have the exact look and feel that management wants. A large part of this is customizing the way the Web server uses content. You might need to configure the server to redirect browser requests to other directories or Web sites. You might need to create custom headers and footers or assign specific types of default documents to be used.

You can customize the content in many other ways as well. Rather than use generic error messages, you might want to create custom error messages that are specific to your company’s Web pages. Custom error messages can contain menus, graphics, links, and text that help lost users find their way. If your organization uses unique types of content, you might need to configure servers to use additional content types. To help track advertising, you might want to create jump pages. To better manage outages, you might want to create an update site. These techniques and more are discussed in this chapter.

Don't worry. You don't have to master every technique in this chapter, but the more you know about customizing content and the options available, the better you’ll be as an administrator.