Servers and the Development Process

Traditionally, team-based development is done in a two-phase process. The site is first built and approved on a production server in which the entire team has access. Once completed or ready for viewing by the entire world, the content from the production server is published to a launch server. Production and launch servers are called many different things in the industry. What is important is this two-tiered approach.

Whereas everyone in the team has access to the development server, traditionally only a few have access to the launch server. This helps prevent all sorts of potential problems. The benefits of this two-tiered approach are obvious: It prevents the audience from viewing content not yet ready for its consumption, and it provides an experimental platform for the development team to preview its ideas and concepts before letting the world see them.

Use this two-tiered approach if possible. The benefits are plentiful, and the potential problems from not implementing such an approach are obvious.

TIP

Another benefit to the two-tiered approach is the fact the two servers act as an additional backup system. If one server goes down completely, the other one can be used to bring it back to a certain level of functionality.


Production Server

The production server does not have to be a costly endeavor. The number of people accessing the site usually would be small and could almost always be handled on an individual user's machine. The exception to this rule is a highly complex Web site on the server side that would require a production server capable of testing the implementation.

Launch Server

Choosing the launch server for your final product is one of the most important decisions you can make. Who has access to the launch server is another important issue that must be decided.

It is good practice to store the launch server in a location other than where the production server is. This is in case any problems occur with the physical location of either.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
ISBN: 0789729547
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 443

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