Windows Web Server

If you have IIS 6.0 installed on your Windows Server 2003 server, but haven’t configured it yourself then you could be missing out on the opportunity to optimize it to run faster as well as getting to grips with how windows web server works.

You might find that certain parts of your website that you are serving to the world wide web with IIS aren’t working properly due to interfering settings which have been set as default by IIS. For example some classic ASP applications require the use of parent paths which are disabled by default on installation of IIS 6.0; permissions is another factor which might require manual setting in order for a website to be able to function correctly under IIS 6.0

To start configuring IIS 6.0, you will first need to open the IIS Manager by navigate to ‘Start > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager’.

The first thing that you will want to configure in IIS is the setup of your web server; if you are only hosting one website on your Windows Web Server 2003 server then you might just want to change the properties of the existing default website. However, if you plan on hosting more than one website on your web server, you will want to setup multiple websites with different file roots to ensure that they are able to run under unique domains – something that would not be possible with one single website.

To create a new website, you will first need click on ‘Web Sites’ in the left pane then select ‘Action > New > Website’ from the top menu. The website creation wizard should then launch.

The first option that you will need to set is the Name/Description of the website that you want to create on your web server. The text that you enter now is what will appear in the left hand pane under ‘Web Sites’ once you have created your website.

Next, you will have to enter the following three details in relation to your new website on your web server:

• IP Address – it is suggested that you choose the IP address you want this and other websites to be hosted on, otherwise they will appear on all IPs that your web server uses
• TCP Port – use this option if you want to run your website off another port besides the default port 80; it is recommended that you don’t change this unless you now what you are doing
• Host Header - if you plan on hosting more than one website on one IP address, then you should enter the domain name related to your new website (i.e. eukhost.com) in this box.

The next step is to select the root/home directory of your new website. This can be any folder physically accessible on your web server, whether it be a local folder or a network accessible folder.

Ensure that the check box labeled ‘Allow anonymous access to this Web site’ is ticked otherwise external visitors won’t be able to gain access to your website at all.

After that you will need to set the appropriate read/write settings for your new website – in most cases you will only need to set read permissions. If you then click the ‘Next’ button near the bottom of the window to move to the next step. Upon creation of your website, click the ‘Finish’ button near the bottom of the window to exit setup.

You will also want to configure the FTP service correctly to allow you to connect to your web server and upload files to it from any remotely located internet connected computer.

By default, there is already an FTP site setup for you – this is called ‘Default FTP Site’; this means that you won’t need to setup another FTP site for your needs. The only things you will need to configure are the required permissions to ensure that no malicious attackers will be able to compromise your web server’s security.

The first thing you will need to do is select ‘Default FTP Site’ from the left hand pane, and then navigate to ‘Action > Properties’ from the top menu.

The first setting that you will want to configure is the ‘Security Accounts’ tab, since this is where you will set the required permissions for your FTP space, as well as setting who will be allowed access and who won’t be allowed to access your private web server.

You will first want to uncheck the first checkbox labeled ‘Allow Anonymous Connections’; you should do this since leaving your FTP space open to anonymous users could mean that it your web server’s security could be easily compromised.

Next, you will want to specify the directory in which you want to be directed to when you connect to your web server via FTP. By default you will be directed to ‘C:\inetpub\ftproot’ when you connect to your private server via FTP. We want to set this to ‘C:\inetpub\wwwroot’ so that any files we do upload via FTP go straight into our website directory so that they can be served by IIS Web Server.

We also want to select the checkbox labeled ‘Write’ since by default the ‘Default FTP Site’ only allows people that connect to it to browse through any accessible directories, rather than allowing them to upload any content on your windows web server.

By enabling the ‘Write’ option, you will be allowed to upload any content to any FTP accessible directories, instead of only being able to browse them on your windows web server.

The last option that you should set, especially in the case that you have a static IP address and will be the only one accessing your windows web server via FTP, is to block any other IP addresses from connecting to your windows web server via FTP apart from yours.

If you select ‘Denied Access’, then click on the ‘Add’ button and enter your IP address, your computer will be the only one able to access your windows web server via FTP server.

Once you have saved all your settings, the last thing to do will be to create yourself an FTP user account on the windows web server which can be done by creating a regular user account and assigning it to the appropriate group.

That’s it! You have now configured IIS Web Server to allow you to upload files into your web space and to serve pages from your website to the general internet!

Web Server

IIS (Internet Information Services) 6.0 is Microsoft’s web server that comes supplied as standard with Windows Server 2003. IIS is a collection of services designed to allow you to run a web server on your Windows server the way you want it to be.

For example IIS comes with support for ASP.NET web software applications, and is the only web server that supports ASP.NET as well as a built in SMTP email server and the option to allow you to install support for additional programming languages if needed.

IIS is the Apache web server’s main rival, and is gradually gaining ground within the private server world; although unlike Apache IIS will only run on the Microsoft Windows operating system meaning that it isn’t compatible with any other systems i.e. Mac OSX and Linux.

If you have a Windows XP Pro computer, then you may want to install IIS 5.1 locally so allow you to test web applications without the need to upload them to a live web server. If you have a Windows Server 2003 server then you may want to install IIS 6.0 so that you have a live environment in which you are able to host your web based applications.

IIS 7.0 is available for both Windows Vista client machines and servers running Windows Server 2008; this means that you could develop and test locally and then upload your web application into a similar environment.

For our first example we will be installing IIS 6.0 on a Windows Web Server 2003 to enable us to host web applications written in classic ASP in a live environment so that they can be viewed from the internet.

In order to install IIS 6.0, you will first need to navigate to ‘Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs’. From there you will need to select ‘Add/Remove Windows Components’ from the left hand menu.

The Add/Remote Components wizard should then launch, presenting you with a variety of options of what you are able to install to extend the capabilities of your Windows Server 2003 machine. If you select ‘Application Server’ then click the ‘Details’ button near the bottom of the window, a window should open allowing you to select what other applications to install; one of these should be ‘Internet Information Services’. If you select ‘Internet Information Services’ then again click the ‘Details’ button near the bottom of the window, you will be able to select more in depth options for the installation of IIS; these include:

• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) – if you intend on uploading files to your web server from remote locations, and from multiple locations, then you might want to consider installing the FTP service as it will allow you to upload all types of files from any internet connected computer or server that is able to function with FTP
• Frontpage Extensions Server 2002 – if you have designed a website with specific functionality on Microsoft’s Frontpage website builder program, then you will need to install this service to ensure that your website is able to function correctly
• Internet Information Services Manager – it is important that you choose this option as you will need this program in order to manage your installation of Internet Information Services
• Send Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) – if you intend on sending emails from any web applications that you have coded using either the ASP or ASP.NET programming languages then you will need this service to ensure that your emails are sent
• Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) – if you plan on hosting a newsgroup on your Windows sever, then you will need to install the NNTP service to ensure that it is able to function correctly
• World Wide Web Publishing (WWW) – the WWW service is the service that is used by IIS to serve requested web pages to client machines when they make requests for pages to your web server.

Once you have selected the appropriate options based on your requirements by checking the related boxes, you can continue installation by ensuring that your Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM is in the CD drive of your server, or that it is accessible by your server via the network. If you click the ‘Next’ button on the open windows, your installation will proceed and you will be notified on completion of installation.

On completion, click the ‘Finish’ button to exit the installation wizard.

Once installed, you will be able to publish any web applications or pages that you have designed into a live environment, and depending on the connection that your server has, should also be able to view them from the internet.

The first thing you will want to do on completion of installation is to configure IIS to work and perform in the way you want it to. Just as long as you selected it during installation, you should have access to the IIS manager that provides many different options for you to choose from.

You can access the IIS manager by navigating to ‘Start > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager’.

The manager itself looks like this:

To create any websites, you will need to navigate to the ‘Web Sites’ option on the left hand pane, where all your existing sites will also be displayed. If you right click on ‘Web Sites’ you should be presented with the site creation wizard.

By default, a website named ‘Default Website’ is created during the installation, and its root in most cases is ‘C:\inetpub\wwwroot’; however, when you create your own websites you can choose where you want the website’s root to be.

That’s it! You should now be able to view your documents on the world wide web just as long as your server has a public IP address, and that you have setup IIS web server correctly.

MS Exchange 2007 Hosting

Having built on the success of its predecessor, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Exchange Server 2007 is an enterprise class communication suite deployed by organizations large and small to enable their employees to communicate with each other in an organized manor that was previously not possible with existing enterprise collaboration suites.

Because Exchange Server 2007 is much more powerful and has a many more features than Exchange Server 2003 did, both the hardware and software requirements are higher than they were for Exchange Server 2003, meaning that you need a pretty powerful server to drive Exchange Server 2007. The minimum software requirements for Exchange Server 2007 are:

• Windows Server 2003 SP1 or Windows Server 2003 R2
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.x
• Microsoft Management Console 3.0
• Windows Powershell
• Active Directory
• Active Directory Application Mode (also known as ADAM).

Along with the minimum software requirements, there are also basic hardware requirements that your server will need to meet in order for you to be able to install Exchange Server 2007 on it; these are:

• 64 Bit AMD or Intel Xeon Processor
• 2GB RAM
• 1.2GB free disk space on the disk that you want to install Exchange Server 2007 on
• 200MB free disk space on the system disk
• a DVD drive accessible either locally or over a LAN.

If you are sure that your server meets the minimum requirements both software and hardware wise for Exchange Server 2007, you are reading to install it on your desired machine.

If the server that you want to install Exchange Server 2007 on doesn’t have Active Directory installed on it, or is not part of a Windows domain then you will need to either install Active Directory or join your server up to a local domain of your choice.

Installing Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 machine is a simple job, but you will need to ensure that you have access to either your Windows Server 2003 CD or the I386 folder of the CD. If you are sure that you have access to either one or the other, you need to navigate to ‘Start > Run’. In the text box appears enter ‘dcpromo’, which should launch the Active Directory and DNS server installation wizard.

Once the installation wizard launches, click the ‘Next’ button near the bottom of the Window twice to navigate to the first option screen.

On the first option screen, you have two options to choose between:

• ‘Domain Controller for a New Domain’ – if you want to create a new domain controller for a new domain, whether you want the new domain to be the child of an existing one, select this option
• ‘Additional Domain Controller for an Existing Domain’ – if you already have a domain running locally and want Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 to form a part of this domain, select this option – this will also mean that you will have at least two domain controllers running in your existing domain.

For our example, we have chosen the first option since we are creating a standalone Microsoft Exchange Server that will not be part of any existing domain.

Once you have selected the appropriate type of domain controller, in our case we have selected the first option, you will need to select the appropriate type of domain in relation to what kind of Exchange server you want to create:

You are able to choose between three different types of domain, meaning that there will be an option to suit almost every need when it comes to adding an Exchange server to a setup; these are:

• ‘Domain in a New Forest’ – if you don’t have a local Microsoft Windows domain already, then you will need to select this option as it will allow you to create a new domain without the need for an existing domain
• ‘Child Domain in an Existing Tree’ – if you already have a local domain, then you will want to select this option as it will allow you to create a sub/child of the existing domain
• ‘Domain Tree in an Existing Forest’ – if you already have 1 or more local domains but don’t want your new domain to be a child of any of them, then select this option as it will allow you to create a new domain but without the need for it to be reliant on any existing domains.

Once you have selected what type of domain you want, you can then proceed to naming it. You should make sure that the domain you enter is the one that you want Exchange server email delivered to. For example we want our new Exchange server to be able to receive email to ‘@eukhost.com’ addresses, so for this case we will enter ‘eukhost.com’ as our domain.

If you then click the ‘Next’ button twice to reach the DNS testing screen, confirming the NETBIOS name and the default paths to certain file stores on your way there, you will be nearing the end of your new Active Directory installation.

If you have configured your external DNS beforehand to work alongside your new Microsoft Exchange Server, the installation wizard should begin to build Active Directory for you and at the same time installing the Microsoft DNS service on your server.

If you have not configured your DNS beforehand, then an error message will appear; if you select ‘I will solve the problem later by configuring DNS manually’, the installation wizard should begin to build Active Directory for you as well as install the Microsoft DNS service for you on your server.

Once the installation wizard completes installation, select the ‘Finish’ button to exit the wizard.

You are now reading to prepare your domain for the installation of Exchange Server 2007.

The first thing to do is insert your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 DVD into a DVD drive which you can access on your server – whether it be a local DVD drive or a network accessible one. You will then need to navigate to ‘Start > Run’ and in the text box that appears enter ‘Setup.com /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions’; this command will prepare and set the necessary permissions needed prior to the installation of Exchange Server 2007.

You will then need to prepare the schema for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. To do this navigate to ‘Start > Run’ once again, and enter ‘Setup.com /PrepareSchema’ in the text box that appears. Command prompt should then open running the necessary commands for you:

The final preparation prior to the installation of Microsoft Exchange Server hosting 2007 will be to prepare the domain that you want to use with your Exchange Server. This is done in much the same way, however there are free different options for you to choose from:

• ‘Setup.com /PrepareDomain’ – this option prepares the local domain that your Exchange Server is related to, or is a controller of
• ‘Setup.com /PrepareDomain:FQDN’ - you can use this option if you want to target a single domain in particular
• ‘Setup.com /PrepareAllDomains’ – if you run a large domain forest then you can use this option if you want to prepare the entire forest for Exchange Server 2007.

Once all the preparations have been made, you can proceed to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 itself.

Once you insert your Exchange Server 2007 DVD, you will be presented with the Exchange Server 2007 welcome screen.

Since our server has already been configured, we want to choose Option 4 (‘Install Microsoft Exchange’) to enable us to install the main program.

Once you have accepted the Microsoft license agreement and selected your choice for error reporting, you will need to select the type of Exchange Server 2007 installation you want to have.

You have two options to choose from in the installation wizard:

• Typical Exchange Server Installation – this option will install all the required components to allow you to run a standard installation of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, if you don’t have the biggest amount of knowledge of Exchange Server then you should select this option
• Custom Exchange Server Installation – if you are an advanced administrator who knows that they’re doing then you should select this option.

The Exchange Server 2007 installation will then perform readiness checks on your server to ensure it is capable of running Exchange Server 2007 with ease.

The Exchange Server wizard will then move on to installing the required components and files to ensure that Exchange Server 2007 is able to run and function with ease on your server, just as long as your server has passed the necessary readiness checks.

Once the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 installation wizard completes, click the ‘Finish’ button at the bottom of the window in order to exit the setup wizard.

That’s it! You have now installed Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 on your server and are now ready to use the enterprise communication system to receive email and manage appointments, as well as take advantage of many of the other features that Exchange Server 2007 offers you.

Microsoft Exchange Server Hosting

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 is one of the most popular enterprise email platforms which allows employees of large organizations to access their email on the move whether it be by using their mobile phone or PDA or over the internet using the Outlook Web Access application that accompanies Exchange Server.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 is most commonly installed on a Windows Server 2003 private server platform. The private server that you want to use to host your Microsoft Exchange system will need to meet the following software requirements before you can proceed with installing it:

• Windows Server 2003 operating system
• Active Directory
• .NET Framework 2.x
• IIS 6.0
• World Wide Web Publishing Service
• SMTP Service
• NNTP Service.

Your dedicated server will also need to meet the following hardware requirements in order for you to be able to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2003:

• 550MHz or faster processor
• 512MB RAM
• 500MB free disk space on the disk that you want to install Exchange Server on
• 250MB free disk space on the system disk.

Installing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 on a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 machine is a simple task, and starts by ensuring that you have the necessary pieces of software installed on your server.

In order to install IIS and the other necessary components that come with it to enable you to run Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, you will need to navigate to ‘Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs’.

Ensuring that you have your Windows Server 2003 installation CD inserted into the CD drive of your server, select ‘Add/Remove Windows Components’ from the menu on the left hand side. You will then need to select ‘Application Server’, and from there you will need to click the ‘Details’ button near the bottom of the Window.

You will then be presented with another window where you will need to ensure that both ‘ASP.NET’ and ‘Internet Information Services’ are selected for installation; after that select ‘Internet Information Services’, and once again click the ‘Details’ button located near the bottom of the window. In the new window ensure that the check boxes for ‘World Wide Web Publishing Service’, ‘NNTP Service’ and ‘SMTP Service’ are selected.

After that, you will need to click the ‘OK’ button on all the windows related to the installation that you have open, which will in turn mean that all the required components will be installed on your server.

Once you have installed all the required Windows components, you can progress to installing the Active Directory and DNS services on your server.

In order to install both services, you will first need to ensure that your Windows installation CD is in the CD drive of your server – if you previously installed required Windows components then it should already be there.

After that you will need to navigate to your start menu and select ‘Run’. In the window that opens you will need to type ‘dcpromo’ – this should then launch the Active Directory installation wizard, which will install the DNS service as well if it isn’t already.

Once you enter the Active Directory installation wizard, you will need to click the ‘Next’ button twice to arrive at the first screen where you need to choose certain options.

The first second screen is where you select what kind of Active Directory installation you want to perform.

For a new Microsoft Exchange Server installation, it is recommended that you select ‘Domain Controller for a New Domain’ as this ensures that you are creating a new domain which doesn’t yet exist in your Exchange Server setup, and that all the chosen options are the defaults.

If you select ‘Additional Domain Controller for an Existing Domain’ then your server will join an existing domain, but will act as a master along side an existing server meaning that you could use it as either a primary or secondary Microsoft Exchange Server.

For now we will select ‘Domain Controller for a New Domain’.

After that, you will be asked which type of domain you want to create for your new Microsoft Exchange Server. You are able to choose between 3 different options:

• ‘Domain in New Forest’ – this will create an independent domain which is unable to interact with any other domains that you might have created in other forests – choose this option if this is the first domain that you are creating
• ‘Child Domain in an Existing Tree’ – use this option if you are already operating a domain but want to utilize another domain within your existing one
• ‘Domain Tree in an Existing Forest’ – if you don’t want your domain to be a child of an existing domain but want it to be alongside other domains you have already created, then you can place it in the same forest as existing domains.

For now we will select ‘Domain in New Forest’ since we are creating a new Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 setup.

You will then need to enter the FQDN that you want to use for your new Microsoft Exchange Server setup. In this case, we want to be able to receive mail to ‘@eukhost.com’ addresses, meaning that we will enter ‘eukhost.com’ as our FQDN.

Once you have done that, click ‘Next’ until you reach the DNS test, leaving the option defaults as they are unless you feel you have to change them.

You will only reach the DNS test screen if you haven’t setup your DNS correctly to work with your new Exchange server. If you have set it up correctly, then the installation wizard will go on to configure the Active Directory and DNS services.

Once the Active Directory and DNS services are setup correctly, you are ready to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 on your private server.

Ensuring that your Exchange Server 2003 CD is in the CD drive of your server, you will need navigate to ‘Start > Run’ and run the following two commands (one after the other) to prepare the domain that you want to use for your Exchange Server:

• setup /forestprep
• setup /domainprep

Note: If you have more than one domain controller in the domain that you want to use your Microsoft Exchange Server in, you will need to run ‘setup /forestprep’ on each domain controller.

You will then need to run ‘setup’ on its own which will in turn install the complete Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 package off the CD for you. On starting the setup program, you will be presented with the following options that you can choose before continuing with the setup:

The most important components for you to install are ‘Microsoft Exchange Messaging and Collaboration Services’ since this is the actual Microsoft Exchange program and service, as well as ‘Microsoft Exchange System Management Tools’ since you will want to be able to manage your Exchange Server 2003 setup.

After that you will be asked to enter an organization name; in this case you should enter your business’s name since its what the setup will be shown as in the Microsoft Exchange Server System Manager after installation.

After that you will be asked to review your installation; after you click the ‘Next’ button on that pane, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 will begin to install.

On completion of installation, click the ‘Finish’ button to exist the setup wizard.

Using ASP.NET Enterprise Manager

ASP.NET Enterpise Manager is a web based database management system designed specifically for the management of Microsoft SQL databases through a web browser, without the need for any desktop database management systems such as Microsoft’s SQL Server Management Studio. ASP.NET Enterprise Manager is included as default with an installation of Plesk for Windows, meaning that if you are a customer who uses Plesk based Windows hosting, you will most likely have used ASP.NET Enterprise Manager at least once to manage a Microsoft SQL database that you have hosted under your web hosting account. The ASP.NET Enterprise Manager application itself is an open source one meaning that if you run your own stand alone Microsoft SQL database server, you have the ability to install this program on your server so that you can remotely manage your databases from any internet connected location in the world, just so long as you have access to a web browser.

The application is based on the Microsoft ASP.NET programming framework, which along with Microsoft SQL Server itself makes a very good combination of tools for developers who wish to build their websites and applications to run in a Windows based hosting environment. The main functions of ASP.NET Enterprise Manager are similar to those of PHPMyAdmin, which is a similar application designed for the administration of MySQL databases from a web browser; this means that if you are a multilingual developer who likes to develop using both MySQL and PHP along with ASP.NET and MSSQL then you will have no problems with managing the databases that you have created for your websites and applications through your web browser, although you might also be using a desktop database management system - although that is dependent on your requirements. In a Plesk environment, using ASP.NET Enterprise Manager is fairly easy since it will already have been setup for you by your web host, and Plesk makes it a breeze to launch since all you have to do is select the necessary web admin icon which should be located next to the database name on the database management screen, although this will be discussed at a later stage.

ASP.NET Enterprise Manager has only been designed for the web based management of Microsoft SQL databases, which is indicated by its name; it is because of this reason that it can only be run in Windows based web hosting environments since other operating systems such as Linux aren’t able to run ASP.NET based web pages or scripts for the main reason that ASP.NET is a Microsoft application, thus meaning that it can only be run on Microsoft operating systems. If you do want to setup your own installation of ASP.NET Enterprise Manager in order to manage your stand alone Microsoft SQL database server, then it is easy to setup since all you have to do is upload the necessary files and configure the necessary permissions; once thats done all you need to do is configure the application to work with your databases, and you can then start administrating and managing them from the comfort of your web browser from any internet connected location in the world, giving you freedom as to where you can manage them. The actual layout and structure of the ASP.NET Enterprise Manager application is based around and is similar to that of Microsoft’s desktop MSSQL database management application, which means that if you are used to using the desktop version then you will have no problems adjusting to the new web based interface that you will be provided with once you have it up and running.

Since the application is an open source one, there is no official line of support available for it; this means that if you are looking to install it yourself but don’t feel that you have the appropriate amount of knowledge, you should try and avoid doing so since you could end up damaging the server in which you want to set the application up - in this case you should just stick with using Microsoft’s desktop application to manage your Microsoft SQL databases that you have created and are using within your web hosting environment. If you feel that you need certain help with one specific feature of the ASP.NET Enterprise Manager, then your web host should be more than willing to help you out; if they are unable to, then you should consider looking at the manual for Plesk in the case that you are hosted on a Plesk based Windows hosting server.

Launching ASP.NET Enterprise Manager From Plesk Control Panel

Plesk provides ASP.NET Enterprise Manager as standard with the Windows version of its control panel to allow people who are using the control panel to manage and host their websites which need to be hosted within a Windows based hosting environment to manage their Microsoft SQL databases on the fly that they might need to power the backends of their websites or applications that are based on either the classic ASP or ASP.NET programming frameworks, both of which were produced by Microsoft. Launching ASP.NET Enterprise Manager from Plesk is a relatively easy task; to begin with, you will need to select the ‘databases’ icon from the hosting control panel for the domain that contains the database that you want to administrate:

You will then be presented with the following screen:

You will need to scroll down to the database management section, where several different details of the databases that you have created for the domain concerned are displayed; these different details are:

• type (circled red) - this is the system that the database concerned is based on, for example if you have created a MySQL database then you will see a dolphin symbol listed in this column and a smaller icon labeled ‘SQL’ if you have created a database that is based on the Microsoft SQL server database system
• name (circled green) - this is the name that you have chosen to give the database concerned, you will need to specify the database name for example in a dynamic web page or script that has been written in a scripting language such as PHP to enable the script or web page to interact with the database
• database server (circled blue) - this is the server on which your database is hosted, in most cases this will be the local server on which your entire web hosting account is located, meaning that interactivity between your scripts and databases should be easily achieved
• web admin (circled purple) - if you select the icon in this column then it will take you to the web based management panel for the type of database that you have select - PHPMyAdmin will be launched if its a MySQL database and ASP.NET Enterprise Manager will be launched if the chosen database is a Microsoft SQL based one.

In order to launch ASP.NET Enterprise Manager so that you are able to administrate a Microsoft SQL based database, you will need to find a database that has the Microsoft SQL symbol by it (see above); you will need to then select the web admin icon for the database concerned. This should then load ASP.NET Enterprise Manager for you, where you can then start to administrate the database that you have decided to load ASP.NET Enterprise Manager for.

As you have just seen, launching the ASP.NET Enterprise Manager from Plesk is a very simple task, which means that you can easily manage your databases from anywhere in the world as long as you have the internet; you will also need to make sure that you are able load Plesk from the location that you’re at first, since Plesk runs on an unfamiliar port for most routers which means that it might be blocked and won’t allow you to access it.

The ASP.NET Enterprise Manager Homepage

Once you have launched ASP.NET Enterprise Manager for the Microsoft SQL Server database the you want to administrate, you will need to select the appropriate database from the left hand pane so that you can start managing the different aspects of it:

You will then be taken to a page where you can choose to manage one of four different aspects related to the running of your MSSQL database:

• tables (circled red) - tables are the things that hold the fields for your database, and what will eventually contain the individual records for each different database entry, although in some situations you might only need to have one record dependent on what you want to use the actual database or table for
• views (circled green) - these are different factors that are related to the running of your database, unless you are an advanced user you will not need to touch these since they could effectively corrupt your database is not dealt with correctly
• users (circled blue) - you will need to setup user accounts for your database so that it can be accessed by your scripts and web pages that have been built using either the classic ASP or ASP.NET programming frameworks, both of which have been designed and produced by Microsoft
• stored procedures (circled purple) - these are designed to make dynamic web pages built using either the classic ASP or ASP.NET programming frameworks load faster, since they work in a way that allows the actual needed SQL query to be stored and then loaded when requested by either a dynamic web page or script.

It is evident that ASP.NET Enterprise Manager provides you with many tools that you can use to manage your MSSQL databases through your web browser. The functions that are provided are almost as powerful as those that are provided by Microsoft’s desktop database management system, although if you are a more professional user you will probably be using the desktop management program because of the extended features that it provides.

With the different factors that ASP.NET Enterprise Manager is able to provide you with, you are able to make sure that you can effectively manage and configure your database to work in the way that you want it to on the fly through your web browser using the web based control panel that you have been provided with by ASP.NET Enterprise Manager.

Creating a New Table

Whilst managing your MSSQL database, you will probably be wanting to create new table so that you can easily expand the functions of your ASP.NET or classic ASP based website or application, which can be easily done if you know what sort of functions you want to add to your website and that you know how to use a database in conjunction with it. In order to create a new table, you will first need to select the icon labeled ‘tables’ from the ASP.NET Enterprise Manager homepage for the database that you want to create the table for:

You will then need to select the ‘new table’ option which is located under the ‘tables’ option within the left hand panel of ASP.NET Enterprise Manager:

You will then be prompted to enter the following details:

• table name (circled red) - you will need to give your new table an identifiable name, this is because you will most likely want to be able to access it from your classic ASP or ASP.NET based web pages or scripts, and in order to do this you need to ensure that your table’s name is easily identifiable
• columns/fields (circled green) - you might want to take this chance to create the necessary fields which you might want to ensure that you are able to store the necessary details within your table and database - although creating a proper field will be discussed later on.

Once you click ’save table’ you should then be redirected to a page which should hopefully tell you that your table has been successfully created. Once you have created your table, you can then go on to the creation of fields so that you are able to organise the data that you have stored in your new table effectively, thus allowing you to edit or delete an existing database record if you feel the need to if it happens to be fraudulent - i.e. entered in by a spammer or some sort of malicious program that has managed to gain access to your database.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ASP.NET Enterprise Manager provides you with many features that you can use to effectively manage your MSSQL databases whilst on the fly, since you can easily view and manage your database and its contents through your web browser from any internet connected location, allowing you to manage your databases from anywhere in the world - whether it be on the top of Mount Everest using a mobile phone or on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! ASP.NET Enterprise Manager’s integration with the Plesk control panel allows you to create your databases from within the Plesk control panel, and then edit and manage them through the ASP.NET Enterprise Manager meaning that you can easily create your databases on the fly as well, meaning that you can easily expand your website whilst you are on the move from any internet connected location in the world.

As mentioned previously, ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL databases make a good combination for developers who wish to build websites and applications that they want to host within a Microsoft Windows based hosting environment. Although both programs will only run on the Windows operating system, they are both freely available for use meaning that resources to help you to learn the different features of both are widely available for viewing and download. You will however require a Windows Server or Windows XP Pro license in order to have the IIS web server if you want use Microsoft SQL server and ASP.NET on your own dedicated server; these aren’t needed in a shared hosting environment since your web host will have purchased the Windows server license for the server on which you are hosted, thus meaning that you don’t have to worry about any sort of licensing costs unless you want to purchase a commercial application for use within your website.

You can download the free Microsoft Visual Web Developer from http://asp.net/ if you wish to learn and use ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL server but don’t have the funds to spend on a more professional program such as Microsoft Visual Studio. If you feel that you have the necessary knowledge and don’t require any sort of WYSIWYG editor or an editor which gives you hints and tips with your coding, then you can stick with the Notepad program that is included with Windows as standard - if you feel that this is too basic then you can always give jEdit a try. If you wish to view material related to teaching you ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL server then you can take a look at http://asp.net/ in general, since this site contains many different video tutorials with the main aim of teaching novices these two powerful programs in order to breed a new generation of knowledgeable programmers.

Reseller Package, VPS Server and a Dedicated Server

The great question which many resellers face when setting up, or when the time comes to upgrade is which type of platform they should be upgrading to; for some resellers it might just be convenient to upgrade their current reseller package, but for larger resellers it may be high time that they upgraded to a VPS Server or Dedicated Server since they have outgrown Reseller Hosting packages. Reseller Hosting packages are hosted in more or less the same environment that normal shared hosting packages are, which is not always the best thing for resellers as they are restricted to what they can control; with VPS servers and dedicated servers the reseller has full access to the root of the system and control any aspect of their hosting they want - the difference between the two being that a VPS is virtual and hosted on a node with several other VPS, whereas a dedicated server is a completely single physical server.

Reseller Hosting Packages

Reseller accounts are accounts which allow resellers to create accounts meaning that they have the ability to host multiple domains and clients. As mentioned previously, they are normally hosted within a shared environment meaning that they are open to the elements that can cause downtime within a normal shared environment - this puts reseller accounts at a disadvantage when compared to a VPS server or a dedicated server. However, unlike VPS and dedicated servers, reseller accounts are relatively cheap meaning that anyone can become a web hosting these days - this fact is also what is fueling something which is known as the ‘kiddie host market’.

Reseller Hosting is perfect for you if you are new to the concept of web hosting and don’t require custom server modifications or if you only want to start out small and grow from there. With most hosts you have the option to upgrade your reseller package to a VPS or dedicated server at any time without any downtime which ensures if you grow out of your reseller account then you can upgrade to a dedicated environment without causing yourself or your customers any trouble.

VPS Servers

VPS Hosting stands for ‘Virtual Private Server’ hosting and is seen as a separate server by you and any other computer on the internet, but in reality it is actually a virtual environment hosted on a node (main) server with several other VPS. They are seen by many as the step in between a cheap reseller account and a costly dedicated server - however, costs for VPS can vary greatly. By having a VPS you have your own server, more or less, meaning that you can add programs and features as you like within your own environment without being at the mercy of other users; this can prove to be an advantage for some resellers since they might require special security settings which they’d never be able to get set on a reseller account - but which they will be able to set in a VPS environment.

A VPS is perfect for you if you require a dedicated environment but are not able to afford a dedicated server or if you have outgrown your standard reseller account and have no choice but to upgrade to a dedicated environment. If you are using a control panel such as cPanel then you should be able to get all your data and websites moved over without causing any downtime or hassle to your customers.

Dedicated Server

A Dedicated Server is the last step within the reseller ladder, as it is at the top of the chain. A dedicated server is actually a physical server and the resources of the machine are not shared with anyone else - the opposite being the case for both reseller accounts and VPS servers. Bring a physical server allows dedicated servers to have their hardware upgraded at anytime without any limits, whereas with VPS servers you can only upgrade the system resources by a certain amount since you are limited by the resources of the node. By having a dedicated server you have greater flexibility in all areas since you are able to do things such as overselling - something which you’d not really be able to achieve within a VPS environment or on a reseller package; the bandwidth allocation is also much greater than anything you’d receive on a lower-level package.

You should only really buy a Dedicated Server if needs be since they can be either very expensive or very cheap. If you need the assurance that your system resources are not going to be shared with anyone then by all means go with a dedicated server, but if you are only a small company or are not hosting sites in a serious way then you should consider either a reseller hosting package or a VPS server.