Build Your Own Web Site in Less Than an Hour

Build Your Own Web Site in Less than an Hour

Setting up an HTTP server and defining a basic home page
When I created a Mosaic home page for the Rocky Mountain WindowsNT User Group (RMWNTUG), I was prepared to deal with the on-going issuesof supporting and enhancing it. I was, however, totally unprepared forthe deluge of questions that followed. Where did I get the software? Howdo my scripts work? What kind of system did I set it up on? Would Iencourage others to use the Windows NT platform for Hypertext TelnetProtocol (HTTP) servers? Is an HTTP server the same thing as a WorldWide Web (WWW) server?

The problem, it seems, is that although there is a lot ofinterest in using Windows NT as an HTTP server, there is a basic lack ofinformation with which to do so. With this in mind, this article aims tohelp would-be HTTP server administrators. It covers my recommendationsfor the underlying hardware, how to set up an HTTP server using theEuropean Microsoft Windows NT Academic Center (EMWAC) server Version0.96, and finally, how to define a basic home page.

The Hardware You Really Need
Take any manufacturer's recommended minimum hardwarerequirements for an operating system or software package with a grain ofsalt. For example, according to Microsoft, the minimum hardwarerequirements for Windows NT version 3.5 are: a 25-MHz 386DX processor,12MB of memory, and 75MB to 90MB of available hard disk space. However,for practical use, you really need at least a 33-MHz 486DX processor,16MB of memory, and 100MB to 125MB of available hard disk space. Havinga Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) or Peripheral ComponentInterface (PCI) bus doesn't hurt either.

Let's look at the requirements for an EMWAC HTTP server. I'velearned not to generalize by saying that all servers need xmegabytes of memory, a y-type processor, or zmegabytes-or gigabytes-of hard disk space. Instead, I prefer to makerecommendations based on the anticipated use of the server. For 25 to 50users a day, a suitable server should have at least 16MB of memory,roughly 25MB of free hard disk space, and a 33-MHz 486 processor. For 50to 200 users, a server should have 20MB to 32MB of memory, roughly 50MBto 100MB of available hard disk space, and a 66-MHz 486DX2 or 60-MHzPentium processor. Finally, a server with 200 or more users a day shouldhave 32MB to 64MB of memory, 200MB or more of unused hard disk space,and a 66-MHz to 90-MHz Pentium or dual-Pentium processor configuration.

With each of these configurations, you also need an Internetconnection, and depending on how you make that connection, your hardwarerequirements will vary. For direct connections to the Internet, you needa Network Interface Card (NIC). Choose a reliable card from the HardwareCompatability List (HCL). To connect to the Internet through an InternetService Provider (ISP), you need the necessary communications hardware,modem, or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) modem-for ISDNlines with higher throughput than conventional phone lines. The softwarefor connecting to these ISPs is contained in another Windows NT service,the Remote Access Server (RAS), which provides Point-to-Point Protocol(PPP) and Serial-Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) interfaces to the ISP.Consult the ISP for the best method of connecting to that server.

How to Set up the Server
The first thing you need is a copy of the EMWAC HTTP serversoftware. This software is a "freeware" package developed atthe European Microsoft Windows NT Academic Center in Edinburgh, UK. Theserver sponsoring the HTTP software can operate in a local TCP/IPnetwork environment, or it can be connected to the Internet where it canfunction as a WWW server. Please note, however, that Internet attachmentis not part of the EMWAC package. If you want to connect to theInternet, you need to implement RAS for SLIP or for PPP. As analternative, you can use an external LAN gateway to attach to theInternet. I personally use a direct connection to the Internet.

You can find the EMWAC HTTP server software in a number ofplaces including over the Internet and from several bulletin-boardsystems. I got my copy from the EMWAC WWW Server. The least painful way,however, is to get the EMWAC HTTP server from the CD-ROM disk that comesin the Windows NT Resource Guide. You can purchase this bookalone, or you can purchase it as part of the four-volumeWindows NT Resource Kit. If you do not own a copy of theWindows NT Resource Guide, I strongly recommend you buy one. Itis full of worthwhile information, and the CD contains lots ofsupplemental programs and information.

After you get the software, you should determine the scope ofyour server. How much information are you going to provide? Is yourserver for internal use on a local network, or are you going to attachit to the Internet and make it available as a WWW server? Myrecommendation is to assign a whole drive to your server. I set up a250MB+ partition for HTTP and FTP services. This configuration helps meto limit external access to the server to just that partition. I set upthe Access Permissions so that the 'guest' account-the account for usersof the WWW server-has access to that partition and does not have accessto the remaining partitions. Thus, a user who gains access to the servercan only access the partition that contains the HTTP server and notcritical system or data files.

Once you've determined your requirements, extract thedocumentation files from the software package. The precise proceduredepends where you got the package from; for example, you may need to"unzip" it from an archive file or expand it from a compressedformat. Once you find the documentation, you should print it and readthrough it; it contains useful information about setting up image maps,basic forms, and Area Information Server (WAIS) searches. When you'reready to set up the server, extract or expand the following files andcopy them to your SYSTEM32 directory:

Typethe following command at a Windows NT command prompt:

You've done it! That wasn't so painful, was it? Ofcourse, there are few minor details to take care of, but technicallyyour EMWAC server software is installed and ready to go.

Next, access the control panel. You should see a new icon forthe HTTP server. Click on it to start the server. You should see severaledit boxes and a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) list box.The first edit box you need to adjust is the one called Data Directory.It's probably set to C:HTTP. This directory is the central part of theserver, and all of your pages and data will reside below it. Change itto point to the drive and directory you've allocated for your HTTPserver.

Another option dictates how logging is handled. If your serveris only for internal use, you may not want to enable logging. On theother hand, if external Internet users will access your server, loggingis a good idea. It gives you a record of who accessed your machine andwhen. You can specify where the log files should reside, or you can usethe default setting, which is your Windows NT directory. After you makeyour changes, exit the HTTP control applet. Then type the followingcommand at a Windows NT command prompt:

(Yes, the quotation marks are necessary.) Your HTTPserver is now open for service.

How to Define a Basic Home Page
Now that you have the server software operating, you need tocreate one or more Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) documents forclients to view. You should start by creating a default document, calledthe home page. For the EMWAC server if no page is listed in theUniversal Resource Locator (URL), the server looks for a file called"default.htm." Store this document under the name "default.htm"in the directory you specified as your Data Directory. To create yourfirst home page, you need to know a few basic HTML tags:

These tags should provide enough control for you toget your first home page up in about five minutes. Here is my first one,MyFirst.HTM.

This is my first home page for the EMWAC HTTPServer.

You can also use the optional and tags to delimit the start and end of the document within the file, asin MySecond.HTM.

I haven't noticed any problemswhen I leave out the , tags, so I guess it all comes down to a matter of taste.

You might also want to make "hot links" to other pagesor other WWW servers. Hot links require the use of the following HTMLtag:

The URL defines both the type of service (e.g.,HTTP, FTP, or Gopher) and the exact file reference. You can see how aURL comes into play in MyThird.HTM.

When this page appears, you can point and click anywhere in the phrase "RMWWindows NTUG HomePage" to initiate a new HTTP link. As you can probably tell by now, HTML is a powerful but somewhat complex language. If you would like more information on HTML, I suggest you browsehttp://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLQuickRef.html.

Now you have your HTTP server and a basic home page, and you'reready to go! Believe it or not, that's all there is to it. As usual, thehard part isn't in the doing; it's in knowing what to do. See you on theNet!