icrosoft's forthcoming Web server and browser aim to solve two critical business problems: server reliability and software distribution.
Microsoft posted on its Web site last week a beta version of its Internet Information Server 4.0 that integrates Microsoft Transaction Server 2.0. The combination will let users run IIS 4.0 and other applications on the same machine without fear that one troublesome app will crash the entire server.
MTS 2.0 lets applications run in a separate memory space from the Web server-so if an application becomes unstable, MTS ensures that IIS 4.0 and other applications have enough computing resources to keep running. Microsoft also provides the Microsoft Management Console to let administrators manage IIS and MTS from a single point.
MTS 2.0 monitors transactions performed by Active Server Pages-reusable components consisting of HTML and simple scripts. That means Web developers do not have to know languages such as C or C++ to write back-end applications that c
an be monitored by MTS.
"The Transaction Server is a boon for the development and deployment of complex Web applications," says Harry Fenik, an analyst with Zona Research Inc. in Redwood City, Calif. "Otherwise, Webmasters must understand network topology and authentication systems."
IIS 4.0 also supports failover clustering through integration with Microsoft Clustering Server. Users can host two identical Web sites. If one machine fails, the other takes over.
A new feature in Microsoft's forthcoming Internet Explorer browser is also aimed at enterprises. Administrators will be able to use the push technology features in IE 4.0 to install and update Java applications on users' PCs. Channels in the users' IE 4.0 browserscan also be used to distribute Windows applications and HTML.
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icrosoft's forthcoming Web server and browser aim to solve two critical business problems: server reliability and software distribution.
