Technology is a big part of our lives today and we have become completely dependent on it. Through the years, technology has helped us in the workplace, at homes and even in the streets for our own entertainment. We are going to see how a dedicated server does its job to make our lives easier.
The Background of Web Servers
The idea of having a web server was first brought to light by a scientist by the name Sir Tim Berners in 1989. Due to the information-sharing problem that they had, it prompted action cause. This idea’s main objective was to ease information access. All this later led to the rise of the World Wide Web which was first known as CERN HTTP.
There are two kinds of operating systems that the web servers perform within. A good web server can either be incorporated with kernel- mode and userspace. On the other hand, userspace has to ask for permission before completing a request for information.
Functions of a Web Server
Though web servers perform one primary function to store, process and deliver some of the information pages for the people in interest. The communications of these web pages are through HTTP. It prompts the communication bypassing forward a request. There are two other tasks they perform which include:
- It does the full implementation of the HTTP by submitting web form and uploading of web files.
- It monitors the devices that connect to the system including printers, webcams and routers.
- Scripting of the behaviour of various files separately.
Causes of a System Overload in Web Servers
In technology, systems face various problems that hinder the kind of performance that it will give. Reasons for this may involve causes by the client or the system itself. We will discuss some of these issues for common knowledge.
1. Excess in the web traffic
The number of the users in the web traffic may be legitimate though the speed may be slower or due to the number of browsers using the system. As all these users log in the system at the same time, the process may be a little bit slower.
2. Dos attack
Commonly known as the Distributed Denial of service. These attacks come from internet hacks that cause an intrusion in the system. It causes abnormal performance of the web servers. It comes from the users’ simple requests involving the file requests and the web pages uploaded.
3. Computer worms
Malwares sent to systems to destroy sites and slows down most of the operations. They come up in the web pages mostly as adverts so that when the users click to take a look, it spreads all through the system to alter the performance.
Symptoms of an overload and how to reduce it
There are common ways in which you can detect there is an overload in your system. Making simple observations will help to reduce this issue.
- Search requests taking longer to load.
- receiving Http error codes in your computer.
- Automatic reset of the web servers.
All these problems have a solution in the least. You can decide to manage the user traffic by putting firewalls, HTTP traffic managers and bandwidth management. The use of different domain names and also making those domains to separate the files from their sizes. Lastly, add more hardware to complement on the performance level.
Tips to Develop a Good Web Server
All through this article we have seen what a web server entails; we have gone through its history and seen the challenges that come with it. It’s time we talk about the steps that one should take to make a good web server for comfortable web experience.
1. Choosing hardware to start with
Deciding on the best hardware for your system plays an important role in how it will eventually perform. The hardware should effortlessly host several users. Consider the best hosting company for all your hosting needs.
2. Optimise on a good operating system
The choice of a good OS system depends on the cost-effectiveness you want it to be and also the ability you are going to have in payments of the licenses. Microsoft is the major provider for the operating system either as Linux or windows.
3. Connection suited for the users
Due to this kind of web traffic, Internet connectivity is a key component to make the uploading of the website data to be much faster. The speed of the connection will attract the number of users and essentially be beneficial to you as a web server owner.
4. First set up and server configuration
After handling all the hardware equipment and making sure it is ready, you will need software that will keep the operations in check. It will depend on the operating system you choose for the whole operation. These software may include: Apache, Lighttpd or NGINX. Using more firewalls to block the unwanted users will also come in handy.
5. Putting up a good domain name
It’s important to use a name that can easily be identified by the users. An easy IP address referenced to your server. To perform your tasks, you first have to purchase the domain name and register it for full functionality. Make sure the server has relevant DNS entries (Database that has a human-friendly IP address).
6. Have a web server that hosts the right way
The system that you build should have simple and basic HTML pages. Make more cost-effective and lastly always use software that will help in the monitoring of the operations in the web pages.
Quick Summary
It takes huge responsibility to come up with a good server that can satisfy the needs of the users. However, I am confident that going through these guidelines, you will be capable of putting up a web server that meets all the desired needs.