Additional OES Linux Web Services


OES Linux includes several other pieces to the web services puzzle, including MySQL, and scripting support through Perl and PHP. Although an in-depth discussion of these utilities is beyond the scope of this book, a brief introduction to these services and their capabilities is in order.

MySQL

MySQL is an open-source SQL (Structured Query Language) database program. It is easy to install and use, but offers exceptional power, security, and scalability. In fact, because of its small size and speed, it is an ideal platform for delivering database capabilities to your websitesand because it's an open-source application, and free with OES Linux, the potential return on investment (ROI) doesn't get much better.

MySQL runs on a wide variety of operating systems other than Linux, making it ideal for today's heterogeneous network environments. You don't have to learn different database systems just because you have different platforms. MySQL platforms include, in addition to Linux, NetWare, Microsoft Windows NT/2000, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, FreeBSD, OS/2, and others.

MySQL can be installed during the OES Linux installation, or anytime thereafter through YaST.

Perl and PHP Scripting Support

Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting is the most common way for a web server to interact with users. It provides the capability to create dynamic content and increase the sophistication and functionality of your web pages.

In addition to the web application, scripting is also a valuable tool for automating network administrative functions and parsing and generating reports based on network activities. Because of this, Novell offers multiple scripting languages with OES Linux, with the goal of not making you learn yet another coding method in order to get your job done.

The most commonly recognized scripting languages are Perl (Practical Extraction and Report Language) and PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor).

Perl is an open-source language that was originally created specifically to process text. Because of this, it is particularly good at text parsing and report generation. It is also very good at web page generation and task automation.

PHP is a server-side HTML-embedded scripting language. It can be used to create dynamic web pages, collect form data, and receive cookie information. It can also be used for talking to other services through protocols such as IMAP, SNMP, and HTTP. PHP supports a wide range of web servers and databases, but is most commonly used with Apache Web Server and MySQL. This makes it a natural choice for the OES Linux Web services environment.

Both Perl and PHP support for Novell services offered with OES Linux is provided in the Novell Developer Kit (NDK) that is included with OES. For more information on the NDK, see the OES online documentation, and visit http://developer.novell.com/ndk.



    NovellR Open Enterprise Server Administrator's Handbook SUSE LINUX Edition
    Novell Open Enterprise Server Administrators Handbook, SUSE LINUX Edition
    ISBN: 067232749X
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 178

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