An Introduction to ASP.NET Web Programming - The hardware and software components for web applications
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Figure 1-2 shows the basic hardware and software components that are required for a web application. To start, a web application is a type of client/server application, which means that the functions of the application are split between a client computer and a server computer. The client and server computers are connected to one another via the Internet, and they communicate with each other using HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
To access a web application, you use a web browser that runs on a client computer. By far the most popular web browser is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, but two alternatives are Mozilla Firefox and Opera.
The web application itself is stored on the server computer. This computer runs web server software that enables it to send web pages to web browsers. Although many web servers are available, the two most popular are Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (or IIS) and The Apache Software Foundation’s Apache HTTP Server, which is usually just called Apache. For ASP.NET applications, though, the server must run IIS.
Because most web applications work with data that’s stored in a database, most server computers also run a database management system (or DBMS). Two popular database management systems for ASP.NET development are Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. Note, however, that the database server software doesn’t have to run on the same server computer as the web server software. In fact, a separate database server is often used to improve an application’s overall performance.
Although this figure shows the client and server computers connected via the Internet, this isn’t the only way a client can connect to a server in a web application. If the client and the server are on the same local area network (or LAN), they can connect via an intranet. Since an intranet uses the same protocols as the Internet, a web application works the same on an intranet as it does on the Internet.
Components of a web application
Description
Web applications are a type of client/server application. In that type of application, a user at a client computer accesses an application at a server computer. In a web application, the client and server computers are connected via the Internet or via an intranet (a local area network).
In a web application, the user works with a web browser at the client computer. The web browser provides the user interface for the application. The most popular web browser is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, but other web browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Opera may also be used.
The application runs on the server computer under the control of web server software. For ASP.NET web applications, the server must run Microsoft’s web server, called Internet Information Services, or IIS.
For most web applications, the server computer also runs a database management system, or DBMS, such as Microsoft’s SQL Server. The DBMS provides access to information stored in a database. To improve performance on larger applications, the DBMS can be run on a separate server computer.
The user interface for a web application is implemented as a series of web pages that are displayed in the web browser. Each web page is defined by a web form using HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, which is a standardized set of markup tags.
The web browser and web server exchange information using HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
Figure 1-2 The hardware and software components for web applications
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 This article is excerpted from chapter one of Murach's ASP.NET 3.5 Web Programming with VB 2008, written by Anne Boehm (Murach, 2008; ISBN: 1890774472). Check it out today at your favorite bookstore. Buy this book now.
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