Chapter 1 Introduction to Enterprise Server

This chapter introduces Netscape Enterprise Server and discusses some of the fundamental server concepts. Read it to obtain an overview of how Enterprise Server works.

This chapter includes the following sections:

• Netscape Enterprise Server
• Netscape Enterprise Server Architecture
• How Enterprise Server is Configured
• Enterprise Administration Server
• Server Manager
• Sending Error Information to Netscape

• Enterprise Server Features
• Administering and Managing Enterprise Servers

• Web publishing—End users can organize and publish their documents from their desktops with a web publishing interface. They can organize documents by type to customize presentation for different purposes, and use text search to manage document content via the Netscape Content Management (CM) feature. CM is an NSAPI plug-in that allows you to manage files on a remote server, with drag and drop like capabilities (via a web publishing applet) and index document content in an intelligent way for easier content searching.
• Enterprise-wide manageability—Including delegated administration, cluster management, and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) support. LDAP integration with Netscape Directory Server enables you to store users and groups in a centralized directory. In addition, you can monitor your server in real-time by using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). SNMP is a protocol used to exchange data about network activity.

Note that in order to add users and groups to Enterprise Server, you must have a directory server installed, such as Netscape Directory Server. If you need to create, locate, or manage records for users and groups on any other servers within your network, you should use Netscape Console with your Directory Server. For more information, see Managing Servers with Netscape Console.

• Security—Users can establish encrypted and authenticated transactions between clients and the server through the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0 protocol. In addition, Enterprise Server employs the following security-based standards: Public Key Cryptography Standard (PKCS) #11, which defines the interface used for communication between SSL and PKCS #11 modules; Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-140; and special certificates that work with 40, 56, or 128 bits, depending on the capability of the client.
• Access control—You can protect confidential files or directories by implementing access control (viewing, editing, and version control) by username, password, domain name, or IP address. This feature also represents another aspect of the NSAPI Content Management plug-in, which enables an end user (the owner of a document) to set access control on a document, rather than having to ask the administrator to accomplish the task.
• High performance—Delivers high performance for dynamic and secure content with features such as HTTP1.1, multi-threading, and support for SSL hardware accelerators.
• Standards-based—Enterprise Server includes support for a wide range of web software standards, including: JDK 1.1.6/7 (2.0 on Solaris & NT); Servlets 2.1; JavaServer Pages .92; HTTP 1.1; and various security-based standards, including PKCS #11, FIPS-140, and 128-bit step-up certificates.
• Server-side Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages support—enables development of server plugins, dynamic content, presentation logic, and JDBC database access.
• Server-side JavaScript support—enables development of scripting applications that access the database using native drivers.
• Additional features—Support for multiple processes and process monitors, failover, automatic recovery, and dynamic log rotation.

• Enterprise Administration Server
• Server Manager

In previous releases, the Enterprise Server and other Netscape servers were administered by a single server, called the Administration Server. In the 4.0 release, the "administration server" is now just an additional instance of the Enterprise Server, called Enterprise Administration Server, that you use to administer all of your Enterprise Server instances. For more information, see Enterprise Administration Server

Note. You can also perform administrative tasks manually by editing the configuration files or by using command-line utilities.
If you are managing a single instance of Enterprise Server, you can use the Server Manager. For more information, see Server Manager.
If you have other Netscape 4.0 Enterprise Servers, you can manage them through the Netscape Console, a client-based Java application. For more information, see Managing Servers with Netscape Console.

• Content Engines
• Server Extensions


• Runtime Environments


• Application Services

• Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
• Netscape Server Application Programming Interface (NSAPI)


• Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages


• SHTML & JavaScript


• Web Application Interface (WAI)

• CGI Processor
• NSAPI Engine


• Java Virtual Machine (JVM)


• JavaScript Virtual Machine

• LiveWire Database Service
• Security & Access Control


• Session Management Service


• File System Service


• Mail Service

• How Enterprise Server is Configured
• Enterprise Server Configuration Files
• Single-Server Configuration
• Multiple-Server Configuration

• Netscape Enterprise Server Core
• Java Runtime Environment


• Java and Servlets


• ServerSide JavaScript Database Connectors


• Web Publishing


• WAI


• SNMP

• alias contains the key and certificate files for all Netscape servers.
• bin contains the binary files for the server, such as the actual server, the Enterprise Administration Server forms, and so on. In addition, this directory includes the following subdirectories:

• https/install contains files needed for migrating server settings and default configuration files needed for backward compatibility.
• docs is the server's default primary document directory, where your server's content files are usually kept. If you are migrating settings from an existing server, this directory doesn't appear until you finish the migration process.
• extras contains the log analyzer and log analysis tools.

• The flexanlg directory contains a command-line log analyzer. This log analyzer analyzes files in flexlog format.
• The log_anly directory contains the log analysis tool that runs through the Server Manager. This log analyzer analyzes files in common log format only.
• httpacl contains the files that store access control configuration information in the generated.server-identifier.acl and genwork.server-identifier.acl files. The file generated.server-identifier.acl contains changes you make using the Server Manager access control forms after saving your changes; genwork.server-identifier.acl contains your changes before you save your changes.
• https-admserv contains the directories for Enterprise Administration Server. This directory has the following subdirectories and files:

• For Unix, this directory contains shell scripts to start, stop, and restart the server and a script to rotate log files.
• conf_bk contains backup copies of the server's configuration files.
• config contains the server's configuration files: admpw, cron.conf, dsgw.conf, dsgwfilter.conf, dsgwlanguage.conf, dsgw-orgperson.conf, dsgwserarchprefs.conf, magnus.conf, magnus.conf.clfilter, mime.types, ns-cron.conf, obj.conf, obj.conf.clfilter, servers.lst. Working copies are kept here. For more information on magnus.conf and obj.conf, see the NSAPI Programmer's Guide for Enterprise Server 4.0.
• logs contains any error or access log files.
• startsvr.bat is the script that starts the Server Manager. The Server Manager lets you configure all servers installed in the server root directory.
• stopsvr.bat is the script that stops the Server Manager.
• https-server_id are the directories for each server you have installed on the machine. Each server directory has the following subdirectories and files:

• ClassCache contains classes and Java files, generated as result of the compilation of JavaServer pages.
• conf_bk contains backup copies of the server's configuration files.
• config contains the Enterprise Administration Server configuration files.
• logs contains the Enterprise Administration Server log files.
• search contains the following directories: admin and collections
• SessionData contains session database data from MMapSessionManager.
• startsvr.bat is the script that starts the Server Manager. The Server Manager lets you configure all servers installed in the server root directory.
• stopsvr.bat is the script that stops the Server Manager.
• jvm1x.conf is the Java 1.x virtual machine configuration file.
• servlets.properties/rules.properties are the configuration files for servlets.
• manual contains the online manuals for the product.
• include contains header files.
• plugins contains directories for Java, search, and other plugins. This directory has the following subdirectories:

• content_mgr contains directories for your server's content.
• htaccess contains server plugin for .htaccess access control and htconvert, an .nsconfig to .htaccess converter.
• include contains various include files.
• jar contains .jar files.
• lib contains shared libraries.
• nsacl contains information for your server's access control lists.
• nsapi contains header files and example code for creating your own functions using NSAPI. For more information, see Netscape's DevEdge online documentation web site at:
  http://developer.netscape.com/library/documentation/index.html.
• samples/js contains the Application Manager and the samples for server-side JavaScript. Note that this is available only if JavaScript was installed.
• search contains information for your server's search plugins.
• snmp contains information for your server's SNMP plugins.
• setup contains the various Enterprise Server setup files.
• userdb contains user databases and related information.
• wai contains information and sample code for using the Web Application Interface (WAI). Note that this file is available only if WAI was installed.

• call
• restart is the script that restarts the Server Manager.
• start is the script that starts the Server Manager. The Server Manager lets you configure all servers installed in the server root directory.
• startconsole launches a browser to the Enterprise Administration Server page.
• stop is the script that stops the Server Manager.

http://myserver.mozilla.com:12345

• Preferences
• Global Settings


• Users and Groups


• Security


• Cluster Mgmt (Cluster Management)

• Accessing the Server Manager
• Using the Resource Picker
• Wildcards Used in the Resource Picker

1. Install and start your Enterprise Server.

Enterprise Server displays the Enterprise Administration Server Servers page.

2. In the Manage Servers area, select the desired server and click Manage.

Enterprise Server displays the Server Manager Preferences page, as shown in the following illustration:

Figure 1.1    The Enterprise Server 4.0 Server Manager

• Turn Enterprise Server on/off
• Server settings


• Performance tuning actions


• Global MIME types


• Network and error settings


• Dynamic configuration files


• Access Control Lists (ACL)


• Encryption settings


• Stronger Ciphers

• Programs
• Servlets


• Security


• Status


• Styles


• Content Mgmt


• Web Publishing


• Search

1. If necessary, edit your master.ini file to allow the Quality Feedback Agent to send data through your firewall to Netscape. For more information, see Editing master.ini.
2. Edit magnus.conf to enable the Quality Feedback Agent (plus any optional parameters) for your Enterprise server. For more information, see Editing magnus.conf.

1. If you are using an HTTP proxy, or both an HTTP and SOCKS proxy, open the file master.ini in the server_root/bin/https/bin directory.
2. Add the following three lines of code to your master.ini file, using your proxy host name, domain, and port:

UseUserHTTPProxyInfo=1

UserHTTPProxyHost="yourproxy.yourdomain.com"

UserHTTPProxyPort=xxxx

UseUserSOCKSInfo=1

UserSOCKSHost="yourproxy.yourdomain.com"

UserSOCKSPort=xxxx

• TalkbackMaxIncidents: If the server crashes more often than this number within a time interval, the Quality Feedback Agent will be turned off automatically. The default is 5.
• TalkbackInterval: The interval used by the parameter above, in seconds. The default is 86400 seconds (24 hours).