Windows Server Administration/Web Services

This lesson covers web services. Activities include installing and configuring Internet Information Services (IIS) with web sites and virtual directories, SSL/TLS encryption, and FTP publishing.

Objectives and Skills

Objectives and skills for the Understanding Server Roles portion of Windows Server Administration Fundamentals certification include:

• Understand Web services: IIS, WWW, and FTP; separate worker processes; adding components; sites; ports; SSL; certificates

Readings

1. Wikipedia: Web server
2. Wikipedia: Hypertext Transfer Protocol
3. Wikipedia: HTTP Secure
4. Wikipedia: Transport Layer Security
5. Wikipedia: Public key certificate
6. Wikipedia: File Transfer Protocol
7. Wikipedia: Internet Information Services

Multimedia

1. YouTube: How to Setup or Configure IIS(Web Server) Server in Windows Server 2019
2. YouTube: Website configuration for beginners in Windows Server 2019
3. YouTube: Web Server 2019 – IIS 10 - Hosting Single Website on IIS Server
4. YouTube: How to create an IIS virtual directory website in Windows Server 2019
5. YouTube: How to Install & Configure FTP Server on Windows Server 2019
6. YouTube: PKI Bootcamp - What is a PKI?

Activities

1. Review Install and Configure IIS Web Server on Windows Server 2019. Add the web server role and configure web and FTP services.
2. Add a web site.
3. Review How To Configure Virtual Directory on Windows IIS Server 2019 Add a virtual directory to the web site.
4. Add a second web site and configure host headers so that both sites are active.
5. Configure access security on the second web site so that it is only available as an intranet web site.
6. Use a web browser to view certificate information for an HTTPS connection.
7. Use the Internet to search for SSL certificate vendors and compare prices and certificate options.
8. Use IIS to build a certificate request for a secure web site.
9. Configure FTP access to publish content to one of the web sites.

Lesson Summary

• The term web server may refer to either the hardware (the computer) or the software (the computer application) that helps deliver web content that can be accessed through the Internet.

• The primary function of a web server is to process client requests for web pages using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

• Web server content may come from either static files on the server or dynamic content generated from databases.

• Web servers also support receiving content from clients through submission of web forms and uploading of files.

• The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems, and is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

• Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a widely used communications protocol for secure communication over a computer network, with especially wide deployment on the Internet. Technically, it is not a protocol in itself; rather, it is the result of simply layering the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on top of the Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) protocol, thus adding the security capabilities of SSL/TLS to standard HTTP communications.

• HTTP URLs begin with "http://" and use port 80 by default. HTTPS URLs begin with "https://" and use port 443 by default.

• Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet.

• SSL/TLS uses asymmetric cryptography for authentication of key exchange, symmetric encryption for confidentiality and message authentication codes for message integrity.

• Public key certificates (also known as a digital certificate or identity certificate) use a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity to verify that a public key belongs to an individual. The digital signature is provided by a trusted certificate authority.

• FTP uses either clear-text authentication or anonymous connections.

• FTP has two connection modes: active and passive. Both modes use TCP port 21 for communication. Active mode uses a separate port for data transfer. Only passive mode works through most default firewall configurations.

• Internet Information Services (IIS) is Microsoft's web server software application and supported extension modules for use on Windows platforms.

• IIS components are added and removed through Server Manager - Add or Remove Roles or Features.

• IIS has a modular architecture. Modules, also called extensions, can be added or removed individually so that only modules required for specific functionality need to be installed.

• IIS supports application pools that allow web sites and web applications to be assigned to separate worker processes to improve reliability and manageability.

Key Terms

Active Server Pages (ASP)

Microsoft's first server-side script engine for dynamically generated web pages.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

A standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet.

hyperlink

A reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

The main markup language for creating web pages and other information that can be displayed in a web browser.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

An application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems, and the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

PHP

An open-source, server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language.

proxy server

A server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers.

server-side scripting

A technique used in website design which involves embedding scripts in HTML source code which results in a user's (client's) request to the server website being handled by a script running server-side before the server responds to the client's request.

style sheet

A file that defines the visual layout (style) for a web page, separate from the markup (i.e., HTML or XHTML) of the page's semantic content and structure.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

A specific character string that constitutes a reference to a resource, also known as a web address.

user agent

Software that is acting on behalf of a user, such as a web browser.

virtual hosting

A method for hosting multiple domain names, with separate handling of each name, on a single server or pool of servers.

web cache

A mechanism for the temporary storage (caching) of web documents, such as HTML pages and images, to reduce bandwidth usage, server load, and perceived lag.

web crawler

An Internet robot that systematically browses the World Wide Web, typically for the purpose of Web indexing.

website

A set of related web pages served from a single web domain.

World Wide Web (WWW)

A system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet.

Review Questions

Click on a question to see the answer.

1. The term web server may refer to either _____ or _____ that helps deliver web content that can be accessed through the Internet.

   The term web server may refer to either the hardware (the computer) or the software (the computer application) that helps deliver web content that can be accessed through the Internet.
2. The primary function of a web server is to _____ using the _____ (protocol).

   The primary function of a web server is to process client requests for web pages using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
3. Web server content may come from either static _____ or dynamic _____.

   Web server content may come from either static files on the server or dynamic content generated from databases.
4. Web servers also support receiving content from clients through _____ and _____.

   Web servers also support receiving content from clients through submission of web forms and uploading of files.
5. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol for _____, and is the foundation of data communication for _____.

   The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems, and is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.
6. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a widely used communications protocol for _____, with especially wide deployment on _____. Technically, it is not a protocol in itself; rather, it is the result of _____, thus adding the security capabilities of _____ to _____.

   Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a widely used communications protocol for secure communication over a computer network, with especially wide deployment on the Internet. Technically, it is not a protocol in itself; rather, it is the result of simply layering the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on top of the Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) protocol, thus adding the security capabilities of SSL/TLS to standard HTTP communications.
7. HTTP URLs begin with _____ and use port _____ by default. HTTPS URLs begin with _____ and use port _____ by default.

   HTTP URLs begin with "http://" and use port 80 by default. HTTPS URLs begin with "https://" and use port 443 by default.
8. Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), are _____ protocols that provide _____.

   Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet.
9. SSL/TLS uses _____ cryptography for authentication of key exchange, _____ encryption for confidentiality and _____ for message integrity.

   SSL/TLS uses asymmetric cryptography for authentication of key exchange, symmetric encryption for confidentiality and message authentication codes for message integrity.
10. Public key certificates (also known as a digital certificate or identity certificate) use _____ to bind a public key with an identity to verify that a public key belongs to an individual. The _____ is provided by _____.

    Public key certificates (also known as a digital certificate or identity certificate) use a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity to verify that a public key belongs to an individual. The digital signature is provided by a trusted certificate authority.
11. FTP uses either _____ authentication or _____ connections.

    FTP uses either clear-text authentication or anonymous connections.
12. FTP has two connection modes: _____ and _____. Both modes use TCP port _____ for communication. _____ mode uses a separate port for data transfer. Only _____ mode works through most default firewall configurations.

    FTP has two connection modes: active and passive. Both modes use TCP port 21 for communication. Active mode uses a separate port for data transfer. Only passive mode works through most default firewall configurations.
13. Internet Information Services (IIS) is Microsoft's _____.

    Internet Information Services (IIS) is Microsoft's web server software application and supported extension modules for use on Windows platforms.
14. IIS components are added and removed through _____.

    IIS components are added and removed through Server Manager - Add or Remove Roles or Features.
15. IIS has a modular architecture. Modules, also called _____, can be added or removed individually so that only modules required for specific functionality need to be installed.

    IIS has a modular architecture. Modules, also called extensions, can be added or removed individually so that only modules required for specific functionality need to be installed.
16. IIS supports _____ that allow web sites and web applications to be assigned to separate worker processes to improve _____.

    IIS supports application pools that allow web sites and web applications to be assigned to separate worker processes to improve reliability and manageability.

Flashcards

• Test your understanding of this lesson.
• Test your understanding of the key terms.

References

Subject classification: this is an information technology resource.

Type classification: this is a lesson resource.

Completion status: this resource is considered to be complete.

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