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Web hosting services at CERN. Alex Lossent – CERN IT/IS Hepix Fall 2005. Agenda. Presentation of the service Demo Service infrastructure Recent achievements Future. Agenda. Presentation of the service Demo Service infrastructure Recent achievements Future. CERN Web Services.
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Web hosting services at CERN Alex Lossent – CERN IT/IS Hepix Fall 2005
Agenda • Presentation of the service • Demo • Service infrastructure • Recent achievements • Future Alex Lossent
Agenda • Presentation of the service • Demo • Service infrastructure • Recent achievements • Future Alex Lossent
CERN Web Services • Mandate • Provide a managed infrastructure for CERN users to publish web content • Provide users with authoring and publishing tools • Reduce “locally (un-)managed” web servers • CERN IT/IS Group (mail, Windows environment) • 3 tasks • Operate the central web hosting infrastructure • Provide self-service site management interface • User support Alex Lossent
Figures • Infrastructure • 25 production servers • Hosting > 7000 web sites • Serving ~ 2’000’000 requests/day • People • Helpdesk provides 1st & 2nd level support • 1.5 “FTE” • Students and associates Alex Lossent
CERN Web Services • Self-service site management interface • On-line documentation • Site creation, deletion • Management of permissions & access restrictions • Management of site & folder properties • script/CGI execution • Visibility (internal/world-visible) • Require HTTPS • http://cern.ch/web Alex Lossent
Demo • Self-service site creation Alex Lossent
Agenda • Presentation of the service • Demo • Service infrastructure • Recent achievements • Future Alex Lossent
Service infrastructure • Windows (2003 Server) + Linux (SLC3) • Runs on top of CERN’s Windows & Linux server environment • Monitoring, HW/SW maintenance • Different server roles • Hosting servers (11) • Gateways to distributed file systems (4) • Infrastructure support (6) • redirectors, administration, search engine • “Customized” hosting servers (5) Alex Lossent
Support for web applications • Various technologies are provided for web application development • ASP, ASP.NET, Perl, PHP • Supported on central Hosting Servers • Databases: MS Access, Oracle (IT/DES) • AFS folders: PHP, CGI (Perl etc.) • Java/servlet web application hosting • Operated by IT/DES • Access control with NICE accounts/groups Alex Lossent
Authoring • Supported authoring software • Frontpage 2003, Dreamweaver • Visual Studio .NET for ASP.NET applications • Several ways for authors to access site files • Direct file access • WebDAV • Web interface • FPSE Alex Lossent
User recommendations • Recommended technologies are: • Centrally hosted web sites • Authoring with FrontPage 2003 • Dynamic content with ASP (VBScript) • Efforts focused on supporting that environment • Also supported: Dreamweaver • Static content Alex Lossent
About URLs • Web sites are published as http://www.cern.ch/mySiteName • This is translated to http://mysitename.web.cern.ch/mySiteName • Why? • Many web sites & servers • No virtual hosting so as to support HTTPS • Web sites are 1st-level folders of a physical web server • Web server’s name abstracted with DNS alias • “Web redirectors” are in charge of the translation • Flexible implementation for integration of non-central sites • Support for external DNS names Alex Lossent
DNS zones http://www.cern.ch/web Web namespace 302 Redirect Web browser http://webservices.web.cern.ch/webservices Web redirectors Redirectors Web servers Alex Lossent
Agenda • Presentation of the service • Demo • Service infrastructure • Recent achievements • Future Alex Lossent
Migration to Windows2003 • Many improvements over Windows2000 • Simple “upgrade” was not possible • Tedious migration task • Transparent for users Alex Lossent
Support for PHP • Popular technology • Many useful applications already exist • PhpBB, wikis… • PHP4 • A few problems • Bugs in the Windows port • No version upgrades on SLC, only security fixes • Version compatibility Alex Lossent
Java/servlet web hosting • Provide a central service and limit “locally managed” servers • Service operated by IT/DES • Tomcat 5.5, EJB not supported • Multi-hosting with site isolation • Integrated with central web services • Managed from the same web interface • NICE authentication • Production since September 05 • ~10 production applications + test/dev • half migrated from existing servers • 5 servers allow ~200 applications Alex Lossent
New webservices site • Consistent look & usage with other IT/IS services • Technology upgrade • ASP.NET/SOAP vs. ASP/VB6 • Complete documentation rewrite • Simpler, easier access to some features • Security Alex Lossent
Agenda • Presentation of the service • Demo • Service infrastructure • Recent achievements • Future Alex Lossent
What’s next? • Web-hosted collaboration tools • “e-groups”: forum, mailing list, news, shared workspace for file exchange… • Sharepoint, WWF, custom solution? • Support for authentication with certificates • Improved search engine • Support for “External users” Alex Lossent