ISP Services

Services in this version of Solaris ISP Server include:

• Sun^TM WebServer^TM, with Network Cache Accelerator

• Sun^TM Internet News Server^TM

• Sun^TM Internet FTP Server^TM

Sun WebServer

Sun WebServer is a highly reliable, secure, standards-based web server for accessing, managing, and distributing information over the Internet, extranets, or intranets. Features in this release of Sun WebServer include:

• Support for Java Servlet Development Kit 2.0. Using servlets rather than CGI scripts provides the cross-platform advantages of Java on the server side while improving processing speed. JSDK 2.0 adds session support to its previous feature set.

• Enhanced dynamic content performance. This enhancement to the CGI interfaces allows content developers to use the Solaris doors interface to speed up interprocess communications.

• Support for HTTP/1.1. Sun WebServer supports the latest version of the hypertext transfer protocol, including named virtual hosts and content negotiation.

• Enhanced scalability. Multiple instances of the server process can run on a single machine and can be managed through the same administration graphical user interface. The number of available virtual hosts is thus raised geometrically.

• Secure HTTP communications. Sun WebServer includes secure-socket layer (SSL) functionality and support for Verisign certificates for safe, encrypted communications.

• Microsoft FrontPage support. Sun WebServer supports popular FrontPage extensions in the areas of authoring, administration, and dynamic content.

Sun WebServer is a two-tier application. It is manageable through the Sun Internet Administrator and is configured to share administrator data with it. See Chapter 7, Integrating Existing Service Applications for details on this configuration and "Two-Tier Service Architecture" for more information on the two-tier architecture.

Sun WebServer can also be administered via its command-line functions.

Network Cache Accelerator

NCA is a  kernel-loadable module that enhances HTTP performance for static content. It is supported on Solaris 7 and must be configured with a web server such as Sun WebServer 2.1.

The Network Cache and Accelerator, NCA, increases web server performance by maintaining an in-kernel cache of web pages accessed during HTTP requests. NCA provides full HTTP 1.1 support in the kernel by either handling the request or passing it to the web server for processing.

Sun Internet News Server

Sun Internet News Server is a high-performance, highly-scalable news server. Features include:

• High performance and client-connection scalability. A multithreaded, multiprocess daemon handles client connections, taking advantage of multiprocessor Solaris servers to provide scalability in handling large numbers of simultaneous news reader connections.

• Full-featured news feed handling. Based on INN from the Internet Software Consortium (INN release 1.5 sec. 2), Sun Internet News Server maintains all the usability improvements of that implementation in the area of news feed handling.

• Separate feed handling and news reader service functionality. The service for news readers is separable from the feed handling functions to enable horizontal scalability in handling news reader connections.

• Centralized, browser-based management. Sun Internet News Server is a three-tier service that integrates with Sun Internet Administrator for centralized administration and full security benefits. See "Three-Tier Service Architecture" for more information on the three-tier architecture.

Sun Internet News Server can also be administered via its command-line functions.

Sun Internet FTP Server

This scalable, high-performance FTP server offers the following:

• Multiple domains on a single host. Sun Internet FTP Server supports IP-based virtual hosting. Each virtual host has its own configuration files that tune the server for that particular domain.

• Configurable user authentication. Sun Internet FTP Server can use the entries in the Sun Directory Services directory to authenticate users.

• Centralized, browser-based management. Sun Internet FTP Server is a three-tier service that integrates with Sun Internet Administrator for centralized administration and full security benefits. See "Three-Tier Service Architecture" for more information on the three-tier architecture.

Sun Internet FTP Server can also be administered via its command-line functions.