How do users access web sites?
Web browsers
Browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer provide an easy method of accessing and viewing information stored as web documents on different servers.
Web servers
Store and present the web pages accessed by web browsers.
Web browsers are used to access the information on the WWW that is stored on web servers.
Web servers are used to store, manage and supply the information on the WWW. The main web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator or Communicator. Browsers display the text and graphics accessed from web sites and provide tools for managing information from web sites.
Static web page
A page on the web server that has fixed content.
Dynamic web page
A page that is created in real-time, often with reference to a database query, in response to a user request.
Transaction log files
A web server file that records all page requests
The browser-web server communications are based on the protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP. A request from the client PC is executed when the user types in a web address, clicks on a hyperlink or fills in an online form such as a search. This request is then sent to the ISP and routed across the Internet to the destination server using the mechanism described in the section on protocols. The server then returns the requested web page if it is a static (fixed) page, or if it requires reference to a database, such as a request for product information will pass the query on to a database server and will then return this to the customer as a dynamically created web page. Information on all page requests is stored in a transaction log file which records the page requested, time it was made and the source of the enquiry. This information can be analysed to assess the success of the web site and make improvements as appropriate.