CONCLUSION

A web server can be a simple piece of hardware running fewer than 500 lines of code that can take web browser commands, retrieve files based on those commands, and send the files down the wire to the browser. But many e-commerce operations need a more robust server configuration; some will even need a full-blown enterprise-level web server set-up. This means the hardware and software can get more involved, but even then the basics are still simple.

If you want to host your own servers, the best advice is to create a balanced plan with each segment working in partnership with each other. An application can run so fast on Pentium-class hardware that the application can saturate the network before the database or the server become saturated. This can cause trouble. Everything must work as a partnership. For instance, while database access techniques and web application performance are important, the size of web pages (particularly when graphics and ad banners are included) often have the biggest performance impact. This is because the slowest thing is getting graphic objects to the users’ browsers.

Those of you that are hosting your own website, remember that the key is to design everything as a system. You can’t design your web server without regard to your database and other applications.