Chapter 20

Administering Intranet and World Wide Web Sites

This chapter shows you how to

• Change activity logging on your system to use an ODBC database
• Display data from Internet Information Server 2.0's counters with Performance Monitor
• Add dynamic database capabilities to your Web pages with the Internet Database Connector
• Use Microsoft dbWeb for enhanced Web-based query features
• Set up and use Microsoft FrontPage 1.1 for Web management and content creation

Bringing your intranet or Internet site online after installing and setting up Internet Information Server (IIS) 2.0 is only the first step toward making your new system a success. You must consider many factors in order to achieve the objective of providing accurate and timely information to your site's users. As the site administrator or Webmaster, you need up-to-date details on your site's activity and its demands on your system. This chapter concentrates on two basic areas: Activity logging and distribution of activity reports, and generating Web pages with tools that are included with IIS 2.0 or available for no-charge downloading from Microsoft's Web site.

Logging to an ODBC Data Source

Chapter 19, "Setting Up the Internet Information Server," describes how to set up logging for your intranet or Internet server to a text file. As you amass information on the usage of your site, log files in text format become increasingly difficult to analyze. Although you can import text log files into an Excel worksheet or Access table, appending log records directly to a database table is a simpler and less error-prone process.

Following are the basic steps to create a logging database and query the IIS 2.0 log files to find the information you want:

1. Create a database devoted to logging operations.
2. Add a table with the structure required for IIS 2.0 logging.
3. Establish an ODBC system data source to connect to the database.
4. Change the logging option for each of your services to the ODBC data source.
5. Write SQL queries that return the information required to analyze usage of your site.

The following sections describe these steps in detail, or provide references to information in previous chapters that relate to these steps. Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 and Access 95's Jet 3.0 databases are used as examples, but you can use any client/server or desktop database system for which you have a 32-bit ODBC 2.5 driver. The examples assume that you have at least some familiarity with SQL Server 6.x and/or Microsoft Access.

Creating the Logging Database

Following are brief recommendations for creating the logging database:

• For SQL Server databases, create a new device, such as Logging.dat, to contain the database. Don't install user databases in the Master.dat device. Unless you plan to accumulate data over long periods of time, a device size of 10M to 25M should suffice. If you expect a very active Web site, allocate 100M to save a week or so of data. You can use the entire capacity of Logging.dat for your logging database. Be sure to turn off transaction logging for the database. You can use your SQL Server administrator account to create the device and database, but it's a good idea to add a new database user account and a password for the logging operation. Chapter 22, "Running Microsoft SQL Server 6.5," describes how to create new SQL Server devices and databases (with and without transaction logs), and to add SQL Server user accounts.
• For Jet 3.0 databases, you must install Access 95 or Visual Basic 4.0 on your server to provide the Jet libraries. If you want to implement Jet 3.0 database security, Access 95 is required to provide the System.mdw file that provides security features. Don't turn on Jet security until you prove the logging system is operational. Create an Access database, such as Logging.mdb, in a separate subfolder of InetPub. You also must install the 32-bit ODBC driver for Jet 3.0, which is a component of Microsoft Office 97. Make sure that you have the required license for each component you install.

Adding the Logging Table

Internet Information Server 2.0 requires a logging table with a specific structure corresponding to the fields of the text version of the log described in Chapter 19, "Setting Up the Internet Information Server." A single logging file includes records for all IIS 2.0 services.

Table 20.1 lists the column information for the logging table for SQL Server and Jet data types. The Integer size in the table applies only to the Jet Number data type. Null values are allowed in each column. IIS 2.0 returns Null values in the LogDate field; the LogTime field includes date and time information in string format.

Table 20.1 Table Structure for Logging Table

Don't create indexes on the table; indexes slow appending of new records. The improved query performance delivered by indexes doesn't warrant the impact of multiple indexes on your Web site's performance.

Creating a SQL Server Table.

Listing 20.1 shows the SQL Server query to create the LogTable table used in the following sections. The four lines of listing 20.1 beginning with if exists delete an existing version of the table before creating the new table.

Listing 20.1 The SQL Server Query to Create the Logging Database

/****** Object: Table dbo.LogTable ******/
if exists (select * from sysobjects where id =
   object_id('dbo.LogTable') and sysstat & 0xf = 3)
   drop table dbo.LogTable
GO
CREATE TABLE LogTable (
   ClientHost char (50) NULL ,
   UserName char (50) NULL ,
   LogDate char (12) NULL ,
   LogTime char (21) NULL ,
   Service char (20) NULL ,
   Machine char (20) NULL ,
   ServerIP char (50) NULL ,
   ProcessingTime int NULL ,
   BytesRecvd int NULL ,
   BytesSent int NULL ,
   ServiceStatus int NULL ,
   Win32Status int NULL ,
   Operation char (200) NULL ,
   Target char (200) NULL ,
   Parameters char (200) NULL
)
GO

The logtemp.sql query that IIS 2.0 setup installs in \WINNT\system32\inetsrv is a simplified version of the query of listing 20.1. The logtemp.sql query creates a table named inetlog with the varchar, rather than fixed-width char, data type for text columns. Fixed-width fields provide better performance than variable-width fields at the expense of table size.

To execute the query of table 20.1, follow these steps:

1. Launch SQL Enterprise Manager, if necessary, and select the Logging database in the Server Manager window by expanding the tree for your SQL Server, expanding the Databases tree, and then clicking the Logging item.
2. From the Tools menu, choose SQL Query Tool to open the Query window. Alternatively, click the SQL Query Tool toolbar button. The Query tool opens with the Query page displayed for the selected database.
3. Type the content of table 20.1 into the Query text box (see fig. 20.1). You can omit the lines preceding CREATE TABLE, if you want. Alternatively, choose Open from the File menu and browse to the logtemp.sql file to use the query supplied with IIS 2.0.

   
   20.1

   Typing the makelog.sql query into SQL Enterprise Manager's query text box.

4. From the Query menu choose Execute, or click the Execute Query button (with the VCR play symbol) of the Query toolbar. Assuming there are no typographical errors, the Results window displays the message This command didn't return data, and it didn't return any rows.
5. Verify the structure of the newly created table by choosing Tables from the Manage menu to open the Manage Tables window. Select LogTable (dbo) from the Table drop-down list (see fig. 20.2).

   
   20.2

   Verifying the structure of the LogTable table created by executing makelog.sql.

6. Choose Manage from the Logins menu to open the Manage Logins dialog. Select <New User> from the Login Name drop-down list, and then type the user name for the logging account, such as logging. Type a password for the account in the Password text box.
7. Click the Permit column for the Logging database, which automatically makes the Logging database the default for the logging user (see fig. 20.3).

   
   20.3

   Verifying the structure of the LogTable table created by executing makelog.sql.

8. Click the Add button to add the logging user, confirm the password when requested, and then click the Close button to close the Manage Logins dialog.

After you verify that logging of user activity succeeds, you can use SQL Server's security system to assure that only authorized persons can access the Logging database.

See "Establishing Database Permissions," (Ch 22)

You can use Access 95 to create a Jet 3.0 LogTable in an .MDB file (as described in the following section), and then use Access's Save As/Export command on the File menu to export the table structure to the SQL Server database. Before exporting the table, you must create an ODBC data source for the SQL Server database, as described later in the section "Creating ODBC Data Sources for SQL Server Databases."

Creating a Jet 3.0 Table.

Using a Jet 3.0 table eliminates the need to license and administer SQL Server. To create a Jet 3.0 database with a LogTable table, follow these steps:

1. Launch Access 95, preferably with a new System.mdw file, and choose New Database from the File menu to open the New dialog. Click OK to accept the default Blank Database and to open the File New Database dialog.

   

   If you've assigned a password to the Access Admin account, the new database you create has security applied. The System.mdw file that contains account information must also be located on the server. If you use a new System.mdw file, the default Admin user has an empty password, which eliminates the need for the System.mdw file to open the database. You can create a new System.mdw file with Access 95's Workgroup Administrator application.

   

2. Name the file Logging.mdb, and then click the Create button to close the File New Database dialog and create the database. (The file location isn't important at this point, because you can copy Logging.mdb to the server after you create it.)
3. With the Table page of the Database Container active, click the New button to display the New Table dialog. Select Design View in the list and click OK to open the new table in design mode.
4. Assign Field Name, Data Type, and Size values for each column according to table 20.1. You set the Size value in the General field property page (see fig. 20.4). Accept the default No value for the Required and Indexed field attributes. For text fields, set Allow Zero Length to Yes.

   
   20.4

   Specifying the field attributes of a Jet 3.0 logging table.

5. Click the Table View toolbar button, and then click Yes when you're asked whether you want to save the table.
6. Type the table name (Logging) in the Save As dialog and click OK to continue.
7. When asked whether you want to create a primary key field, click No. Your new table appears in Datasheet view.
8. Close Access and copy Logging.mdb to a logging subfolder of the \InetPub folder on the server. If you created or want to create a secure database, copy System.mdw to the same folder.

Setting Up ODBC System Data Sources

The ODBC data source is one of the most common source of problems with logging databases, as is the Internet Database Connector (IDC) described later in the "Using the Internet Database Connector" section. Problems with ODBC data sources are common to SQL Server and other client/server or desktop databases having 32-bit ODBC drivers. Thus, it's important to understand the details of setting up ODBC data sources for access by IIS 2.0 and server applications that run with IIS 2.0.

IIS runs as a Windows NT service, which starts automatically after Windows NT loads. In most cases, the server runs with no local user logged on. In Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95, conventional ODBC data sources are associated with a specific user profile. Thus, a conventional ODBC data source isn't accessible to IIS 2.0 or IIS server applications until the user who created the data source logs on to Windows NT Server.

To solve this problem, Microsoft added ODBC system data sources for 32-bit ODBC 2.5. An ODBC system data source is accessible as soon as Windows NT Server (and SQL Server, if used) starts. ODBC system data sources don't depend on a user logging on to the server. You use ODBC system data sources for logging and for most of the dynamic Web pages you create from information stored in databases.

To create an ODBC system database on the server, follow these initial steps:

1. From the server's Control Panel, double-click the ODBC tool to launch the ODBC Administrator, which displays the Data Sources dialog. Figure 20.5 shows data source names (DSNs) set up by the installation of Microsoft Office 95 Professional Edition, plus a SQL Server data source for the pubs demonstration database. The data sources that appear when launching the ODBC Administrator are user databases, not system databases.

   
   20.5

   ODBC user data sources displayed by the opening dialog of the ODBC Administrator.

2. Click the System DSN button to open the System Data Sources dialog (see fig. 20.6). If you haven't previously defined a system data source, the System Data Sources (Driver) list contains only the LocalServer default ODBC system data source installed by SQL Server.
3. Click the Add button to open the Add Data Source dialog.

   
   20.6

   The System Data Sources dialog displaying the default SQL Server ODBC system data source.

   At this point, the steps to create SQL Server and Jet data sources diverge, as described in the next two sections.

Creating ODBC Data Sources for SQL Server Databases.

To continue creating an ODBC system database for SQL server, follow these steps:

1. In the Add Data Source dialog, select the SQL Server driver in the Installed ODBC Drivers list (see fig. 20.7). Click OK.

   
   20.7

   Selecting the SQL Server driver in the Add Data Source dialog.

2. In the ODBC SQL Server Setup dialog, type the name of the data source-in this case, SQLLogging-in the Data Source Name text box.
3. Type an optional brief description of the data source in the Description text box.
4. In the Server combo box, select (local) if SQL Server is installed on the same server as IIS 2.0. Otherwise, select the server name on which SQL Server is installed, or type the server name in the text box. Accept the (Default) entries for Network Address and Network Library. Leave the Use Trusted Connection check box unmarked, unless SQL Server is installed in another (trusted) domain.
5. Click the Options button to expand the ODBC SQL Server Setup dialog.
6. Type the name of your logging database-in this case, Logging-in the Database Name text box (see fig. 20.8). Specifying the database name is very important to proper operation of your logging system.

   
   20.8

   Completing the entries in the expanded version of the ODBC SQL Server Setup dialog.

7. Click OK to close the dialog and add the new system data source to the System Data Sources dialog (see fig. 20.9). Click Close to exit the ODBC administrator.

   
   20.9

   The SQLLogging data source added to the System Data Sources list.

Creating ODBC Data Sources for Jet Databases.

The process for creating an ODBC system data source for a Jet database is similar to that for SQL Server, but the Access 95 (7.0) ODBC driver presents a different dialog for specifying the database. To create an ODBC system database for Jet 3.0 tables, starting from the open Add Data Source dialog, follow these steps:

1. In the Add Data Source dialog, select the Microsoft Access (*.mdb) driver, and then click OK to display the ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog.
2. Type the DSN-in this case, JetLogging-in the Data Source Name text box and add an optional description of the data source.
3. Click the Options button to expand the dialog. You don't need to change the defaults for Page Timeout and Buffer Size. Make sure that the Exclusive and Read Only check boxes are cleared (see fig. 20.10).

   
   20.10

   Entering the DSN and Description in the ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog.

4. Click Select to open the Select Database dialog. Browse to the \InetPub\Logging folder and select logging.mdb (see fig. 20.11). Click OK to close the dialog and return to the ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog.

   
   20.11

   Specifying the logging .mdb file in the Select Database dialog.

5. If you want to secure your logging database and have copied System.mdw to the \InetPub\Logging folder, select the Database option in the System Database section, and then click the System Database button to open the Select System Database dialog.
6. If you don't plan to secure the database, skip to step 8.
7. Select All Files (*.*) in the List Files of Type list, select system.mdw, and click OK to close the dialog, as shown in figure 20.12. (The Access 95 ODBC driver specifies the earlier .mda extension for system files, rather than .mdw for Access 95's workgroup file.) Click OK to close the dialog.

   
   20.12

   Specifying the Access system (workgroup) file in the Select System Database dialog.

8. Click Advanced in the ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog to open the Set Advanced Options dialog. The default admin user appears in the Login Name text box with an empty Password text box. You change the Login Name and Password entries after using Access 95 to secure the database. Optionally, enter the default folder for the file in the New value for DefaultDir text box (see fig. 20.13). Click OK to close the dialog and return to the ODBC SQL Server Setup dialog.

   
   20.13

   The security settings of the Set Advanced Options dialog.

9. The ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog displays the specified .mdb and .mdw files (see fig. 20.14). Click OK to close the dialog and add the JetLogging ODBC system data source.
10. In the System Data Sources dialog, click Close to exit the ODBC Administrator.

    
    20.14

    The completed ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog.

Specifying the ODBC System Data Source for Logging

Now that you've created the table and the ODBC system data source for logging information, you change the logging instructions for each service. Follow these steps to implement the changes:

1. Launch Internet Service Manager, and then double-click the entry for the WWW Service to open the WWW Service Properties sheet.
2. Select the Logging properties page and type the name of your logging data source (SQLLogging or JetLogging) in the ODBC Data Source Name (DSN) text box.
3. Type the name of the table you created-in this case, LogTable-in the Table text box.
4. Leave the User Name and Password text boxes empty; the user name and password you entered in the ODBC Microsoft Access 7.0 Setup dialog for the data source provide this information (see fig. 20.15). Click OK to close the WWW Service Properties sheet.

   
   20.15

   Changing logging to a SQL Server ODBC system data source on the Logging page of the property sheet for a service.

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for each of the other services your server runs.
6. Test for proper setup of your logging database by displaying Web pages, downloading files by FTP, and using the Gopher service, if installed.

If a user accesses your server by using the file: protocol, the user's actions aren't logged. The client handles this type of URL by conventional network file sharing. Be sure to test your logging database with the appropriate URL prefix for each service.

Writing Sample Queries for Reviewing Logs

The log data can quickly become overwhelming unless you write meaningful queries for analysis. Following are some of the questions that queries against the database can answer:

• What time of day are most people accessing the server?
• What pages are most popular?
• Who is accessing the server (by IP address)?

The sample SQL Server query of listing 20.2 returns summary information for hits against the server, and displays the relative popularity of Web pages. Figure 20.16 shows SQL Enterprise Manager displaying the result set returned by the last three queries of listing 20.2 against entries created by two brief testing sessions.

Listing 20.2 A Sample Transact-SQL Query That Returns Information on Usage and Web Page Popularity

SELECT 'Total hits' = COUNT(*),'Last Access' = MAX(LogTime)
FROM LogTable
SELECT 'Hit summary' = Count(*), 'Date' = SUBSTRING(LogTime,1,8)
FROM LogTable
GROUP BY SUBSTRING(LogTime,1,8)
SELECT 'Time of day' = (SUBSTRING(LogTime,13,2) + ' ' + SUBSTRING(LogTime,18,2)), 'Hits' = COUNT(SUBSTRING(LogTime,10,2))
FROM LogTable
GROUP BY (SUBSTRING(LogTime,13,2) + ' ' + SUBSTRING(LogTime,18,2))
SELECT 'Page' = SUBSTRING(Target,1,40), 'Hits' = COUNT(Target)
FROM LogTable
WHERE   (CHARINDEX('HTM',target) > 0)
GROUP BY Target
ORDER BY 'Hits' DESC

20.16

The result set of the last three queries of listing 20.2, displayed by SQL Enterprise Manager's Query tool.

You can create queries similar to those shown in listing 20.2 for FTP and Gopher services. If you log to a Jet database, you can use Access 95's graphical query-by-design tool to create analytical queries. Access 95's built-in graphing capability also is useful for analyzing usage of your site.

Using SQL Server Web Assistant to Distribute Activity Reports

If you want to distribute usage information for your site, SQL Server 6.5's Web Assistant automates the process. The SQL Web Assistant automatically creates formatted Web pages that contain query result sets formatted as tables. A single page can display the result set from one or more queries. You also can specify the frequency at which the page is updated by a SQL Server 6.5 scheduled task. If you use a scheduled task, you can add a DELETE query after the SELECT queries to maintain records only for a specified period in the logging table. You must have system administrator privileges to use the Web Assistant.

The following steps use the SQL Server Web Assistant to create a Web page, WWWPages.htm, that displays the result of the last query in listing 20.2:

1. From the Start menu, choose Programs, Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, and SQL Server Web Assistant to open the first dialog of the Assistant.
2. In the Login dialog, type the SQL Server Name, Login ID (logging for this example), and the Password (see fig. 20.17). Alternatively, you can use SQL Server's integrated security feature to log on to SQL Server by marking the check box labeled Use Windows NT Security to Log In Instead of Entering a Login ID and/or a Password. Click the Next button to continue.

   
   20.17

   Entering required information in the Login dialog of the SQL Server Web Assistant.

3. In the Query dialog, select the Enter a Query as Free-Form Text option to open the Type Your Query text box. Select your logging database (Logging for this example) in the Which Database Do You Want to Query? drop-down list.
4. Type one or more consecutive SELECT queries in the text box. Figure 20.18 shows the last query of listing 20.2 pasted into the Type Your Query text box. Multiple SELECT queries are allowed; the result of each SELECT query appears in a separate table on the Web page. Click Next to continue.

   
   20.18

   Specifying the query to create the content for the Web page.

   

   It's a good idea to copy and paste a previously tested query into the Type Your Query text box to avoid typographical or syntax errors.

   

5. In the Scheduling dialog, select the frequency at which you want to update the log by choosing On a Regular Basis from the drop-down list and specifying the update interval in the Every text box and interval drop-down list (see fig. 20.19). Intervals include Hours, Days, and Weeks.

   
   20.19

   Specifying the refresh interval for the Web page.

6. Alternatively, you can choose Now in the When Do You Want to Create Your Web Page? drop-down list to generate a Web page immediately. If you specify Now, you create only a single instance of the page. (Running a scheduled task immediately is described later in this section.) Click Next to continue.
7. In the File Options dialog, type the full path to and the name of the file in the top text box. The file must be located in the \InetPub\wwwroot folder or subfolder. If you want to restrict access to the activity report page, specify a subfolder with the appropriate Windows NT group permissions.
8. Select the option button labeled The Following Information. Type the title of the page, which appears in your browser's title bar, and the title for your query result, which appears at the top of the page, in the two associated text boxes (see fig. 20.20). Alternatively, you can specify use of a pre-existing template file to display the result. Click Next to continue.

   
   20.20

   Specifying file options for the Web page.

   

   The File Options dialog lets you add URLs and descriptions, either as a single line or as rows of a table. Additional URLs are useful for linking to other pages, if your report offers multiple pages.

   

9. In the Formatting dialog, select how you want the text to appear (see fig. 20.21). In most cases, the options labeled Insert an Update Date/Time Stamp at the Top of the Page, and Include Column or View Column Names with the Query Results are adequate for the report. Click Finish to display the Finished dialog, and then click Close to close the dialog and terminate the Web Assistant.

   
   20.21

   Setting query text and page formatting options.

If you specified Now in step 5, you can check your Web page by opening the Pagename.htm file with the file://path/Pagename.htm URL in the browser on your server, or from a client with the http://servername/Pagename.htm URL if the file is in the \InetPub\wwwroot folder. Figure 20.22 shows the page created with the values specified in the preceding steps. If you use a multiple SELECT query, each query result set appears in separate tables, separated by a bar.

20.22

The single-query report page created by using the example values of this section.

If you specified a scheduled task in step 5, Web Assistant creates an encrypted stored procedure in the logging database named Web_yymmddhhmmsscc, based on your computer's system time when creating the stored procedure. (The last two digits, cc, are hundredths of seconds.) You must take the following steps to run SQL Enterprise Manager's Managed Scheduled Tasks tool to generate a test copy of your Web activity report:

1. From the Start menu, choose Programs, Microsoft SQL Server, and SQL Enterprise Manager.
2. In the Server Manager window, expand the server item; then expand the Databases item and select the logging database.
3. From the Server menu, choose Scheduled Tasks to open the Manage Scheduled Tasks window. Select the Web_whatever entry for the activity report you just created (see fig. 20.23).

   
   20.23

   Selecting the task to execute immediately in the Manage Scheduled Tasks window of SQL Enterprise Manager.

4. Click the Run Task toolbar button (with the clock and the small green arrow), or choose Run Task from the File menu. Click Yes in the confirmation message box to run the task and create the page.

Using Performance Monitor

As the use of your intranet or Internet server grows, it's useful to determine the extent to which user activity taxes your server's resources. Installation of IIS 2.0 adds to Windows NT Server's Performance Monitor (PerfMon) the counters shown in table 20.2.

Table 20.2 Counters Added by IIS 2.0 to Performance Monitor

In table 20.2, the accumulation of totals begins at system startup.

See "Using Performance Monitor," (Ch 14)

PerfMon's graph views let you display any of the counters in the table 20.2, but most of the counters deserve only occasional checking. Figure 20.24 shows a PerfMon configuration that displays the most important instantaneous and accumulated values for a Web and FTP site. Table 20.3 lists the counters and scaling factors used to create the graph of figure 20.24. Scaling factors are not the defaults; to maintain a readable scale, for example, you must scale the Bytes/sec values by 0.001 to display kBytes/sec. If your site traffic is heavy, change the scaling factors to suit expected full-scale values.

20.24

Monitoring server activity.

Table 20.3 Performance Monitor Key Indicators

Figure 20.24 shows, in relative terms, the activity on your server at a glance. You can see very quickly the number of connections and other important parameters. If you observe the % Usage of the page file growing steadily, check the types of access being completed. If you have an ISAPI application running, the application might have a memory-management problem.

An increasing % Usage of the paging file over time indicates that more virtual memory (the paging file) is being consumed. Typically, additional resources are required to handle the load as more users connect to the server. If the % Usage of your page file is above 80 percent, increase the size of the file. If % Usage continues to rise and you're certain you don't have a resource problem with a CGI executable or an ISAPI extension, consider adding more memory to the system.

Enhancing Your Site with Dynamic Database Access

One of the attractions of intranet and Internet servers for large organizations is that information stored in organization-wide databases can be made easily available on Web pages. A standard Web browser, such as Internet Explorer 3.0, can eliminate the need for most custom decision-support and even some transaction-processing front ends to client/server database back ends. Although sending a fully formatted Web page creates more network traffic than returning query result sets to a custom database front end, you gain the following benefits with Web database techniques:

• Most database users are likely to be familiar with Internet browsing and thus require little or no training to navigate a well-designed set of data-driven Web pages.
• Many browsers operate on Windows, Mac, and UNIX machines, eliminating the need to create three versions of every client/server front end in a multiplatform environment.
• Mobile users easily can access Web pages, either by Windows NT's Remote Access Service (RAS) or, if you choose, via the Internet. Access via the Internet saves the cost of long-distance calls or charges for toll-free phone lines.

You can provide two basic types of database services with the tools included with Windows NT Server 4.0 and SQL Server 6.5:

• Static pages that provide lists in tabular format. Static pages are better suited to intranets, where users expect hard-core information, not entertainment. You can use SQL Server 6.5's Web Assistant, described earlier in the "Using SQL Server Web Assistant to Distribute Activity Reports" section, to create and automatically update static lists.
• Dynamic pages, in which users easily can choose the information they want and obtain more detailed information about a choice. In the database front-end business, this process is called drilling down. Dynamic pages are equally suited for delivery by intranets and the Internet.

You can provide access to databases in several ways-from using the Internet Database Connector (included with Windows NT Server 4.0) to using ISAPI to directly manipulate the database with custom applications. In this chapter, the focus is on the IDC, how it works, and how you use it to create dynamic Web pages.

Using the Internet Database Connector

The IDC uses the Internet Services API (ISAPI) and an ISAPI DLL, Httpodbc.dll, to make the connection between Web pages and ODBC data sources in order to create Web pages based on parameterized (user-defined) queries. Query parameter(s), which determine the content of the resulting Web page, originate in a Web page that includes text boxes or lists for entering query constraints. A Filename.idc file contains the query's SQL statement and parameters to access the ODBC data source. A Filename.htx file provides the template into which the query result is inserted. Figure 20.25 shows the relationship between the components of the IDC.

20.25

The server-side components required to implement the Internet Database Connector.

ISAPI is an extension to IIS 2.0 that provides services similar to CGI executables. The advantage of ISAPI over CGI is that ISAPI DLLs run in IIS 2.0's process space, rather than in the separate process space required for executable applications. Using DLLs rather than EXEs provides a substantial improvement in performance and minimizes Windows NT Server resource requirements.

The following sections are based on the three IDC-based examples supplied with IIS 2.0, which query the pubs database supplied with SQL Server. You must have SQL Server 6.x installed to try these examples, which are located in the \InetPub\wwwroot\samples\dbsamp folder.

Creating an ODBC System Data Source for IDC Files.

Before you can run the three IDC examples, you must create an ODBC system data source with the data source name Web SQL, and specify pubs as the default database. (Creating an ODBC data source is the subject of the section "Setting Up ODBC System Data Sources" near the beginning of this chapter.) Figure 20.26 shows the ODBC SQL Server Setup dialog for the Web SQL data source. You must be logged on to SQL server with the default sa (system administrator) account with no password for the example to work correctly.

20.26

Creating the Web SQL ODBC system data source.

To test your data source, type servername/samples/dbsamp/dbsamp2.htm in your browser's Address text box to display the example that uses a form to provide a user-entered parameter. The parameterized query returns the names of authors and year-to-date sales amounts that exceed the entered value. Figure 20.27 shows dbsamp2.htm, which includes the reference to the IDC file, sample.idc, open in Internet Explorer 3.0.

20.27

The IIS 2.0 database example page that uses a form to pass a parameter to the Filename.idc file.

Accepting the default value, 5,000, for year-to-date royalties results in the sample2.idc page shown in figure 20.28. What appears isn't the content of the sample.idc file, but a page named sample2.idc created by the sample.htx template file. The .IDC and opening .HTM files usually-but not necessarily-share the same file name. The .IDC and .HTX files for the IDC examples are located in the \InetPub\scripts\samples folder.

20.28

The sample2.idc Web page returned with the query result set constrained by the sales amount entered in dbsamp2.htm.

Specifying IDC Query Parameters in Web Page Forms.

You use the HTML <FORM ...> tag with the <INPUT ...> tag to create a text box into which you enter the parameter value for the query parameter specified in the .idc file. Listing 20.3 shows the HTML code of the dbsamp2.htm page that lets you enter a minimum yearly sales amount to serve as the query parameter.

Listing 20.3 The HTML Code of dbsamp2.htm That Implements a Parameterized Query

<HTML>
<HEAD><TITLE>Simple Parameterized Query</TITLE></HEAD>
<BODY BACKGROUND="/samples/images/backgrnd.gif">
<BODY BGCOLOR="FFFFFF">
<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC="/samples/images/SPACE.gif" ALIGN="top" ALT=" "></TD>
<TD><A HREF="/samples/IMAGES/db_mh.map"><IMG SRC="/SAMPLES/images/db_mh.gif" ismap BORDER=0 ALIGN="top" ALT=" "></A></TD>
</TR>
<tr>
<TD></TD>
<TD>
<hr>
<font size=2>
<CENTER>
<H2>Internet Database Connector Example 2: Query Driven by a Form</H2>
</CENTER>
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/scripts/samples/sample2.idc">
<P>
Enter year-to-date (YTD) sales amount: <INPUT NAME="sales" VALUE="5000" >
<P>
<INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" VALUE="Run Query">
</FORM>
</font>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</BODY>
</HTML>

The <FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/scripts/samples/sample2.idc"> line specifies the name and location of the .IDC file, relative to the \InetPub\wwwroot folder. The "sales" element of the Enter year-to-date (YTD) sales amount: <INPUT NAME="sales" VALUE="5000" > line is the name of the parameter, the value of which is returned by %sales% in the .IDC file and by idc.sales in the .HTX template file.

Examining the IDC Source File.

Listing 20.4 shows the content of the sample2.idc file, which has the minimum entries necessary to specify the DSN, log on to SQL Server, specify the .HTX template file to use, and provide the query to return a result set. The parameter that sets the minimum year-to-date sales is %sales%; user-supplied parameters in .IDC files are enclosed by percent signs. You can add a Password: password line after Username:, but the password is clear text and is visible to anyone with access to the folder in which the .IDC file is stored. If you use integrated security to log on to SQL Server, the Username: and Password: entries are ignored. The user ID and password of the anonymous user applies for Internet connections; for an intranet connection, the user's credentials apply. If you must supply a Password: entry to log on to SQL Server, be sure to secure access to the folder in which you store the .IDC file. Security issues are the subject of the later section "Considering User Rights and Database Security."

Listing 20.4 A Simple IDC Source File

Datasource: Web SQL
Username: sa
Template: sample.htx
SQLStatement:
+SELECT au_lname, ytd_sales
+ from pubs.dbo.titleview
+ where ytd_sales > %sales%

The + symbol in the SQL Statement line is the line-continuation character for .IDC files. Elements of SQL statements not on a single line with SQLStatement: must be preceded with the + symbol. Httpodbc.dll parses .IDC files by looking for the ASCII/ANSI carriage return (CR) code, which has a decimal value of 13.

When IIS 2.0 loads an .IDC file, IIS examines the extension and determines the application used for the source file. One of the very powerful capabilities and features of IIS is its capability to use extension resolution to determine how to handle a given request. Files with a .GIF extension, for example, are graphic images, and files with an .IDC extension are IDC source files that associate with Httpodbc.dll. Associations for IIS 2.0's Web service are set up in the following Registry tree location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
     SYSTEM
          CurrentControlSet
               Services
                    W3SVC
                         Parameters
                              ScriptMap

If you add a new association entry with the Registry Editor, make it of the data type REG_SZ and type the associated extension. To correctly map the association, include the period before the extension, as in .idc. For the value, specify the path and file name executed when the extension loads. Provide the path from the root to ensure that IIS can locate the application regardless of the current working folder. Figure 20.29 shows the Registry entry for the .IDC extension in the Windows NT 4.0 Registry Editor.

20.29

Windows NT 4.0's Registry Editor displaying the associated DLL for .IDC files, Httpodbc.dll.

Understanding the Template File.

Listing 20.5 is the HTML code for the simple template file, sample.htx, that's used by the example dbsamp1.htm and dbsamp2.htm files.

Listing 20.5 HTML Source Code to Create the Query Result Page Returned to the User

<HTML>
<HEAD><TITLE>Authors and YTD Sales</TITLE></HEAD>
<BODY BACKGROUND="/samples/images/backgrnd.gif">
<BODY BGCOLOR="FFFFFF">
<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC="/samples/images/SPACE.gif" ALIGN="top" ALT=" "></TD>
<TD><A HREF="/samples/IMAGES/db_mh.map">
<IMG SRC="/SAMPLES/images/db_mh.gif" ismap BORDER=0 ALIGN="top"
ALT=" "></A></TD>
</TR>
<tr>
<TD></TD>
<TD>
<hr>
<font size=2>
<CENTER>
<%if idc.sales eq ""%>
<H2>Authors with sales greater than <I>5000</I></H2>
<%else%>
<H2>Authors with sales greater than <I><%idc.sales%></I></H2>
<%endif%>
<P>
<TABLE BORDER>
<%begindetail%>
<%if CurrentRecord EQ 0 %>
<caption>Query results:</caption>
<TR>
<TH><B>Author</B></TH><TH><B>YTD Sales<BR>(in dollars)</B></TH>
</TR>
<%endif%>
<TR><TD><%au_lname%></TD><TD align="right">$<%ytd_sales%></TD></TR>
<%enddetail%>
<P>
</TABLE>
</center>
<P>
<%if CurrentRecord EQ 0 %>
<I><B>Sorry, no authors had YTD sales greater than </I><%idc.sales%>.</B>
<P>
<%else%>
<HR>
<I>
The web page you see here was created by merging the results
of the SQL query with the template file SAMPLE.HTX.
<P>
The merge was done by the Microsoft Internet Database Connector and
the results were returned to this web browser by the Microsoft
Internet Information Server.
</I>
<%endif%>
</font>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</BODY>
</HTML>

Sample.htx is a standard HTML document. The formatting is Spartan, and most of the HTML tags should be familiar to those of you who have experience with HTML tables. The %au_lname% and %ytd_sales% parameters in the <TR><TD><%au_lname%></TD><TD align="right">$<%ytd_sales%></TD></TR> line specify the field names of the pubs.dbo.titleview view that populate the table columns.

The page is created based on the information that is, or isn't, returned from the query. For example, the following section of code performs conditional testing, examining for an empty set. The dbsamp1.htm page doesn't return a value for the IDC parameter (idc.sales eq ""), whereas the dbsamp2.htm page returns either the default value (5000) or a user-entered value.

<%if idc.sales eq ""%>
     <H2>Authors with sales greater than <I>5000</I></H2>
<%else%>
     <H2>Authors with sales greater than <I><%idc.sales%></I></H2>
<%endif%>

Considering User Rights and Database Security

If you don't implement database security, access via the IDC or any other Web-based application that delivers information from databases can be a wide-open door to your entire database system. Obviously, you must avoid giving any Internet or intranet user system administrator access to your databases. Potential security breaches arise from exposing your databases to users, not through security loopholes in IDC or other Web-based Internet applications. You must protect your databases against unauthorized access by hackers, either on-site or connected via the Internet. Following are basic recommendations for securing your databases for Internet and intranet connections:

• If you allow anonymous Internet connections to your site, grant appropriate (read-only) database permissions to the anonymous user (usually IUSR_servername). Also grant the anonymous user read-only access to the \InetPub\wwwroot folder and its subfolders that contain public information. You also must grant execute rights to scripts folders that contain executable files. Anonymous users who try to access pages for which they have no rights automatically receive an error message.
• For intranet users, enable Windows NT's integrated security for SQL Server. With integrated security, users log on to SQL Server with their network logon credentials, usually as members of the Domain Users group. You assign read-only permissions for database access to the Domain Users group. Jet databases don't offer integrated security, so you must provide a System.mdw file with a user name and password that you specify in the ODBC system data source Setup dialog. System.mdw files are one of the subjects of the "Creating a Jet 3.0 Table" section earlier in the chapter.

See "Establishing Database Permissions," (Ch 22)

Using Microsoft dbWeb

Microsoft's dbWeb 1.1 combines many of the features of SQL Server's Web Assistant and the IDC, and works with any RDBMS or desktop database for which 32-bit ODBC 2.5 is available. dbWeb eliminates the need to write .IDC and .HTX files, and handles graphic images well. dbWeb also makes it easy to create Web pages that include drop-down lists and text boxes for parameterized queries.

The dbWeb application consists of a server-side ISAPI component and the dbWeb Administrator, a Visual Basic 3.0 application that you use to create Web pages containing formatted database reports. Like most other Microsoft Internet-related applications, dbWeb 1.1 is free and downloadable as a 7.7M self-extracting setup file, dbWeb11.exe, from http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/dbweb/dbwins-f.htm. You also can download a dbWeb tutorial in Word 6.0 .doc format from http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/dbweb/.

To install dbWeb 1.1 from dbWeb11.exe, follow these steps:

1. In Explorer, double-click the dbWeb11.exe icon to start the InstallShield setup process. Click Yes when asked whether you want to install dbWeb, click Next in the initial installation dialog, read the license agreement, and then click Accept to open the Choose Destination Location dialog.
2. Accept the default folder for the dbWeb administrative files, C:\dbWeb, or click the Browse button to use a different folder (see fig. 20.30). Click Next.

   
   20.30

   Specifying the directory for dbWeb 1.1's administrative files.

3. The 32-bit ODBC 2.5 drivers are the latest version, so clear the Microsoft ODBC 2.5 check box of the Select Components dialog (see fig. 20.31). You need the remaining components to run and administer dbWeb, as well as to try the sample databases, which are supplied in Jet 2.0 (16-bit) .MDB format. Click Next.

   
   20.31

   Selecting for installation all the components of dbWeb 1.1 except the ODBC 2.5 components.

4. In the Microsoft Internet Information Server Configuration dialog, accept the values in the HTML Document Directory, Script Directory, and Logical Script Path text boxes, as shown in figure 20.32. (Microsoft hasn't yet adopted the term folder in all of its applications.) Click Next to complete the installation.

   
   20.32

   Specifying the directory locations for dbWeb 1.1, with the version of Internet Information Server 2.0 included with Windows NT Server 4.0.

5. Click OK to close the Information message box; then click Yes when asked whether you want to start the dbWeb service (see fig. 20.33). Setup automatically adds three new ODBC system data sources for Jet databases and a dbWeb Administrator choice to the Start menu's Programs group.

   
   20.33

   The final two message boxes for the installation of dbWeb 1.1.

You must change the Startup parameter for the dbWeb service with Control Panel's Services tool from Manual to Automatic, if you want dbWeb to run as a Windows NT service when you run dbWeb as a production service.

If you installed IIS 2.0 using the default Internet publishing directory, \InetPub, you must modify the DBX files that dbWeb uses to specify the location of its sample documents. Follow these steps to make the changes required to run the sample applications:

1. From the Start menu, choose Programs and dbWeb Administrator to launch the dbWeb Administrator application.
2. Double-click the dbnwind icon in the Data Sources window to display the eight individual dbnwind data sources, each of which has one or two Web page(s). The dbnwind data source connects to NWIND.MDB, the venerable sample database of Microsoft Access.
3. Double-click the Category_Products data source to open the editing dialog for the data source. Click the DBX tab to display the page for custom file formats.
4. Replace the \INETSRV\ element of the path statement with \InetPub\, as shown in figure 20.34, and then click OK.

   
   20.34

   Changing the directory for dbWeb HTML pages in the DBX page of the data source editing dialog.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each data source of the dbnwind database. (The dbpubs data sources don't use DBX entries.) Many of the dbnwind data sources require that you correct entries for multirecord and single-record versions of the data source.
6. Close the dbWeb Administrator application.

You access the dbWeb sample pages from a networked browser with the URL http://servername/dbweb/dbwtest.htm. Scroll down to the links to Pubs Examples and Northwind Examples to try the examples (see fig. 20.35). Figure 20.36 shows the page for the Northwind Category_Products data source displaying the first of four Categories table records and part of the Products table for the Beverages category. The Products list corresponds to an Access subform. The Category Listing page is static; no user-entered criteria is accepted.

20.35

Links to the sample dbWeb data sources for the dbpubs and dbnwind databases.

20.36

The dbWeb Categories page created by the Category_Products data source.

Figure 20.37 illustrates a more complex, dynamic query page for the pubs database. You enter query constraints in text boxes with modifiers chosen from standard drop-down lists. Figure 20.38 shows the result of the query of figure 20.37. (The pubs database hasn't been updated for the 510 area code of the San Francisco East Bay region.) If you click a City link, a list of all authors in the same city appear, illustrating the drill-down capabilities of dbWeb pages.

20.37

A dbWeb query page with a user-entered search parameter.

20.38

The result set of the dbWeb query of figure 20.37.

All the sample applications are relatively simple decision-support front ends, some of which offer drill-down capabilities. One of the benefits of using dbWeb is the capability to easily create Web pages for transaction processing, such as adding orders and line items to the Orders and Order_Details table. The dbtutor.doc file describes how to design a dbWeb order-entry form. It's not likely that you'd use dbWeb to establish an electronic commerce Web site, but dbWeb is a remarkably useful tool for demonstrating the database capabilities of IIS 2.0 to members of management who may not be up-to-date on the latest Web technology.

Managing the Content of Your Web Site with Microsoft FrontPage

Windows NT Server 4.0 includes a copy of Microsoft FrontPage 1.1 for IIS 2.0 with a single client license. Like dbWeb, FrontPage 1.1 has two components: a server-side FrontPage Explorer for maintaining the organization of your Web pages, and a client-side WYSIWYG Web page editor for creating HTML files. FrontPage's ease of use makes it a logical tool to create the initial set of custom pages for your Web site.

The initial retail version of FrontPage 1.1 didn't include the ISAPI extension to connect to IIS 2.0. You needed to download a beta version of the IIS 2.0 extension from the Microsoft Web site. The version of FrontPage included with Windows NT Server includes the IIS 2.0 extension, but you must install the extension manually.

Installing FrontPage 1.1 and the IIS 2.0 Server Extension

The Windows NT Server 4.0 setup program doesn't offer an option to install FrontPage 1.1. To install FrontPage from the distribution CD-ROM onto your Web server, follow these steps:

1. After inserting the Windows NT Server distribution CD-ROM and waiting for the splash screen to appear, click the Browse This CD button and double-click the Frontpg folder icon. Print Fpiis.doc, which contains some important information regarding security and other issues when using FrontPage 1.1 with IIS 2.0.
2. Click the Frontpg folder icon (in the Frontpg folder) and review the Fpreadme.txt file, which contains primarily information related to upgrading FrontPage 1.0 installations. Then double-click Setup.exe to begin the setup process.
3. Click the Next button of the first setup dialog to open the Destination Path dialog to set the folder to contain the FrontPage administrative files. Accept the default location, \Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage, or click the Browse button to choose a different location (see fig. 20.39). Click the Next button.

   
   20.39

   Specifying the location of the FrontPage 1.1 administrative files.

4. In the Setup Type dialog, you can select the Typical option, which installs the FrontPage Personal Web Server and the standard extensions (not including the IIS 2.0 extension). To save disk space, select the Custom option (see fig. 20.40) and click Next to display the Select Components dialog.

   
   20.40

   Choosing between Typical and Custom installation options for FrontPage 1.1.

5. You need only the Client Software, because you install the IIS 2.0 extensions to use IIS 2.0, rather than the Personal Web Server, later in this procedure. Clear the Personal Web Server and Server Extensions check boxes (see fig. 20.41); then click Next.

   
   20.41

   Selecting only the Client Software for an IIS 2.0 installation.

6. In the Select Program Folder dialog, accept the default Microsoft FrontPage program folder or select an existing program folder for the FrontPage menu (see fig. 20.42). Click Next.

   
   20.42

   Selecting the program folder for the FrontPage menu.

7. The Start Copying Files dialog (see fig. 20.43) confirms your prior choices. Click Next to complete the installation. When InstallShield has completed copying files, click Finish to close the last installation dialog.

   
   20.43

   Confirming your installation choices in the Start Copying Files dialog.

8. Navigate with Explorer to the \Frontpg\Iisext folder and double-click Iisext.exe to start the setup program for the IIS 2.0 extensions. Click Next to close the Welcome dialog and open the Ready to Transfer Files dialog that confirms the installation path (see fig. 20.44). Click Next to install the files.

   
   20.44

   Confirming the installation location for the IIS 2.0 extensions for FrontPage 1.1.

9. When the Setup Complete dialog appears, make sure that the Run Server Administrator Now check box is marked, and click Finish to launch Server Administrator. Click OK when each message box shown in figure 20.45 appears.

   
   20.45

   Determining the server name and TCP/IP address the first time you start FrontPage's Server Administrator.

10. In the Server Administrator dialog, click the Install button to open the Configure Server Type dialog. Select MS Internet Information Server from the list, as shown in figure 20.46. (If you selected the Custom configuration, the other extensions shown in fig. 20.46 aren't available.) Click OK to open the first of two Server Configuration dialogs.

    
    20.46

    Selecting IIS 2.0 as the FrontPage server type.

11. In the first Server Configuration dialog, click the Browse button and navigate to the location of the servsupp (server support) subfolder of the folder in which you installed the FrontPage administration files. The default value for the location of the required servers.cnf file is C:\Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\serversupp\ (see fig. 20.47, top). Click OK to open the second Server Configuration dialog.

    
    20.47

    The Server Configuration dialogs for setting the location of the server configuration file (top) and the TCP/IP port number for IIS 2.0 (bottom).

12. In the second Server Configuration dialog, type the TCP/IP port for IIS 2.0, usually 80, the default value (refer to fig. 20.47, bottom). Click OK to display the Confirmation Dialog shown in figure 20.48. Click OK to install the IIS 2.0 extension. The FrontPage Server Administrator dialog appears as shown in figure 20.49.

    
    20.48

    Confirming the settings for Server Type, Server Port, and Document Root for the IIS 2.0 extension.

    
    20.49

    The Server Administrator dialog after setting up the IIS 2.0 extension.

13. Click the Security button to add your Windows NT user ID to the list of Administrators for the default Web, <Root Web>, in the Administrator Name and Password dialog. Type and confirm your password (see fig. 20.50), and then click OK to return to the FrontPage Server Administrator dialog.

    
    20.50

    Adding a password for your user ID to enable administration of the FrontPage Web site.

14. Click OK when a message confirms your addition to the Administrators list, and then close the Server Administrator dialog.
15. FrontPage 1.1 requires Basic (Clear Text) authentication. If you haven't specified Basic authentication in the Services page of Internet Service Manager's WWW Service Properties sheet, you receive the message shown in figure 20.51.

    
    20.51

    The message indicating that you haven't enabled the Basic (Clear Text) authentication required by FrontPage 1.1.

16. Run Internet Service Manager and open the WWW Service Properties sheet. Verify that the Basic (Clear Text) password check box is marked. If you mark the Basic check box, the message shown in figure 20.52 explains the security consequences of your action. Click OK to close the WWW Service Properties sheet, and then exit Internet Service Manager.

    
    20.52

    The message that explains that enabling the Basic (Clear Text) authentication option may compromise the security of password transmission.

Experimenting with FrontPage Explorer and Editor

The organization of Web sites and the generation of Web content is beyond the scope of this book, but you can gain an idea of the capabilities of the FrontPage Explorer by using it to map the .HTM files supplied with IIS 2.0 and those added by any other Web applications you've installed, such as dbWeb. FrontPage automatically organizes your Web pages into a hierarchy based on their contained hyperlinks to other pages at your site, as well links to other sites. The FrontPage Editor lets you edit existing Web pages and create new pages in a graphical context.

To create a view of the sample IIS 2.0 Web pages in FrontPage Explorer and run the FrontPage Editor, follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, choose Programs, Microsoft FrontPage, and FrontPage Explorer to open the Explorer application.
2. Choose Open Web from the File menu to display the Open Web dialog. Click List Webs to display the <Root Web> entry in the Webs list (see fig. 20.53).

   
   20.53

   Displaying existing FrontPage Webs in the Open Web dialog.

3. With the <Root Web> entry selected, click OK to open the Name and Password Required dialog. Type your administrator name and password, assigned in step 13 of the preceding section (see fig. 20.54). Click OK to open the <Root Web> in FrontPage Explorer (see fig. 20.55). A list of pages appears in the Outline View pane, and a map of the hyperlink relationships of the pages appears in the Link View pane.

   
   20.54

   Logging on to FrontPage Explorer as an administrator.

   
   20.55

   FrontPage Explorer's view of the <Root Web> with IIS 2.0 and dbWeb sample pages.

4. Double-click one of the icons for a local Web page, such as Disclaimer, to open the FrontPage Editor (see fig. 20.56).

   
   20.56

   FrontPage Editor displaying a Web page from the IIS 2.0 sample site.

5. From the editor's window, choose HTML from the View menu to display the HTML code for the page in the View HTML dialog (see fig. 20.57). You can't edit the HTML code in this dialog; the FrontPage editor generates all HTML code.

   
   20.57

   Displaying HTML code in FrontPage Editor's Generated format.

FrontPage provides a set of templates that you can use to learn the basics of Web content generation, as well as to provide a starting point for the design of production pages. The list of templates shown in figure 20.58 appears when you choose New Web from FrontPage Explorer's File menu. Select the Learning FrontPage template if you want to try the tutorial included in the FrontPage help file.

20.58

A list of the templates and wizards included with FrontPage 1.1.

From Here...

This chapter provided an introduction to the techniques used by professional Webmasters to establish and distribute activity logging data using SQL Server 6.5 and its Web Assistant add-in. The Internet Database Connector and Microsoft dbWeb examples demonstrated that you can automatically create Web pages from existing information stored in your organization's databases. The chapter closed with instructions on how to install Microsoft FrontPage 1.1 and the required IIS 2.0 extensions, plus a brief description for getting started with FrontPage.

For content related to the subjects discussed in this chapter, see the following chapters:

• Chapter 18, "Managing Remote Access Service," explains how to configure Windows NT Server 4.0's RAS component to support dial-in access to Web pages by mobile users.
• Chapter 19, "Setting Up the Internet Information Server," covers the initial installation and configuration of the Internet Information Server and its services.
• Chapter 22, "Running Microsoft SQL Server 6.5," describes how to install and set up SQL Server 6.5 and establish database security applicable to Web sites.

DISCLAIMER

© 1996, QUE Corporation, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing USA, a Simon and Schuster Company.