Table of Contents
Introduction
Launching
Logging
HTTP Protocol Support and Server-Side Includes
Rock Solid Security
Extensions
Scripting
Other Features
Protocols
Platforms
NCSA Compatibility
Introduction
PowerWeb Server++ has been written in C++, implemented with the latest design patterns philosophy.It is operating system and GUI independent and abstracts the notion of multiple protocols to allow multiple services to share a single server and a single code base.
Dynamic thread management using our SCREAM performance object technology brings you unparallelled performance, and takes full advantage of multiple CPU servers.
Launching
32-bit Multi-threaded:
32-bit Multi-threaded architecture which requires no forks.
Dynamic Threads:
Limitations of inetd are surpassed through dynamic thread launching. PowerWeb's thread manager avoids forks, multiple processes and unnecessary system overhead by allocating threads on a demand basis, keeping a cached dynamic pool of threads to service requests.
Multi-Homed Server:
Different directory roots for different IP addresses provides for a multi-homed server.Logging
Multi-Threaded Logging:
Multi-threaded logging for individual services overcomes traditional Unix syslog and NT event log limitations.
Common Log Format:
The CERN/NCSA common log format is supported.
Rotating Logs:
Log files can be cycled or archived on request.
Customised Logs:
Normal (hit) log entries can be customized through API scripts.
Multiple Logs:
Multiple logs can be used for different types of hits or for output in different record formats.
Non-Hit Log Entries:
API scripts can generate non-hit log entries such as comments.
API Logs:
API scripts can create their own log entries.
Performance Logs:
Dynamic Performance measurement logs can be queried at any time through your browser.HTTP Protocol Support and Server-Side Includes
Browser Cache Optimisation:
Automatic response to If-Modified-Since allows browser cache optimisation
Browser Feature Optimisation:
PowerWeb Macros serves different documents or changes actions based on User-Agent header, for browser optimisation.
Dynamic Serving:
PowerWeb Macros serves different documents or changes actions based on Accept header, or URL for dynamic document serving.
Server-Side Includes:
PowerWeb Macros provides a Superset of server-side includes.
HTML Future Protection:
PowerWeb Macros based on HTML comments prevents conflicts with future HTML extensions.
Force Processing:
The Powerweb Server++ can force the processing of server-side includes.
HTTP Headers:
Automatically include any HTTP headers for HTML or non-HTML documents (without using CGI).
Access Server Variables:
Access to server state variables from CGI, API scripts, and Web Macros.
Server Push:
Send dynamic documents or images with server push.
Proxy Server:
PowerWeb Server++ can act as an HTTP proxy server on your firewall, or as a normal HTTP server, or both.Rock Solid Security
Templates
Unified Security:
PowerWeb Server++ unifies the management of secure access to multiple-protocols through a centralised user interface, to simplify administration and ensure consistency.
Templates:
Administrators use templates to allow reuse of security rules across many resources.
Level Security:
Selectively Enable/Disable all levels of security.
Resources
Resource Security:
Security rules are applied to a resource, which can be defined as disks,directories or individual files that match wildcard patterns.
Resource Definition:
Resources are protected uniformly regardless of the protocols used to access them
Pervasive Security:
Can allow/deny based on physical paths inside or outside the document hierarchy.
Authentication
Dynamic Management:
User databases and authentication realms can be dynamically managed without restarting services.
Validated Authentication:
Security is enforced by requiring a matched user name and password.
Multiple Security Realms:
Protect sites through multiple user databases and authentication realms.
Access Control
Rule Ordering:
Security rules can be any combination, in any order, of allow and deny.
Rule Combinations:
Deny or allow access by any combination of username, domain name and/or IP address.
Restrict Hosts/Domains:
Deny or allow access by host and/or domain name.
Restrict IP Addresses:
Deny or allow access by IP address.
Hierarchies:
Security Rules are applied to both document and data hierarchies based on any of the above conditions.
Customisation:
Customise file-level security through scripts.
Inherited Security:
Hierarchical permissions model with inheritance; can specify separate permissions for each method/URL combination, and URLs inherit default permissions hierarchically.
Restrict Access Method:
Allow/deny access according to protocol, access method, and sub-method.
Filtering:
All requests can be filtered by a script to which any kind of security can be added.
Location:
Security rules and databases can be kept inside or outside of the protected directory.Extensions
Multi-Page Forms:
Consolidates data entry across multiple forms in multiple documents.
Automatic Forms:
Processes form submittal automatically, storing the results in a database, or forwarding them to another server for processing.
Forms Data Entry Processing:
PowerWeb Server++ automatically creates server variables, integrated into Web Macros and APIs, for easy processing of forms without writing scripts. PowerWeb Server++ decodes all the data entry fields for you. There is no need to decompose the POSTed arguments, or to decode the escape sequences.
Wizards:
Create documents based on templates and styles with wizards.
Built-in Imagemaps:
Processes image maps internally, avoiding the overhead of CGI-based image map programs, without requiring any changes to existing HTML documents.
Imagemap Configuration:
Supports directly specifying Imagemap configuration files within the URL, avoiding the need to maintain a global configuration file for all imagemaps.
Long Document Names:
Store documents with long filenames, or with FAT 8.3 filenames. Users specifying a long filename automatically access the equivalent FAT 8.3 file if PowerWeb Server++ is running on a FAT partition.
Slashes in Document Names:
Path names can use either Unix style / or DOS style \ to separate directory names.Scripting
Unique Flexibility:
With PowerWeb, you can write extensions in CGI, API libraries, or in Web Macros.
Language Independence:
CGI and API scripts can be written in any language, such as Perl, C, C++, Rexx, Visual Basic.
API Scripts:
API Scripts extend PowerWeb Server++ as though part of the original product. The high performance and tight integration encourages the development of advanced server systems such as Web servers coupled with a database.Other Features
Browser Interfaced:
GUI-based setup, configuration, administration and maintenance.
Easy Installation:
Quick-start easy installation without editing complex configuration files.
Local or Remote:
Any server configuration, administration and maintenance can be run locally or remotely, while the server is running.
Performance Measurement:
Real-time performance and throughput measurement tools.
File-type Customisation:
Apply script or actions based on output file type, either through server configuration or through Web Macros.
MIME-type Customisation:
Apply script or actions based on MIME content-type through Web Macros.
Automatic URL Correction:
Automatically corrects directory and welcome URLs without a trailing slash.Protocols
Protocols supported:
HTTP
HTTP Proxy
POP3
FTP
Protocols to be supported:
SMTP
Gopher
Search Engines
Platforms
Platforms supported:
OS/2 Warp
Platforms to be supported:
NT 3.51x
AIX 4.1x
Solaris
OS/400 3.1x
MVS Open Edition 5.1x
NCSA Compatibility
PowerWeb Server++ supports the features of the UNIX NCSA httpd server, including:HTTP Standard:
Compatible with Web browsers using HTTP/1.0.
CGI Compatibility:
Supports forms through CGI/1.1 and CGI/1.0 with both METHOD=GET and METHOD=POST.
Directory Indexing:
Provides automatic on the fly directory index generation in a variety of styles.
Imagemaps:
Imagemaps are fully supported (also sometimes called clickable images).
Access Control:
Documents are subject to access control.
Audit Trail:
An audit trail is kept of all accesses.
Aliases:
Aliases allow users to see a unified directory structure, even if documents are distributed across multiple network drives.
Redirections:
Redirections allow administrators to move documents to another server without affecting existing references in other documents.
Server-Side Includes:
PowerWeb Server++ implements a superset of the NCSA server-side includes.
Common Log Format:
The common log format is supported.