Server Technologies

Here at Cnx Web Solutions we are proud to be able to say that we are one of the few companies in Cornwall that can provide web hosting on our own servers, in house. Many companies claim that they are able to provide the same service but in fact co-locate worldwide. By far the greatest advantage of hosting with us is that we have direct physical control over what software is running, maintenance, back-ups and security.

The following page outlines some of the more well-known technologies that we employ to serve our websites.

What is a web server?

Often used to describe one or more computer systems that are connected to the internet via a dedicated connection. Almost any computer can be made to act as a web server but running UNIX based systems are preferred as they offer a greater level of security and have a proven stability record throughout the development of the World Wide Web. Cnx Web Solutions use the UNIX variant LINUX exclusively as the operating system on all of our servers.

What is Apache?

Apache is a collaborative attempt at developing an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) server more commonly known as a web server.

What does server side mean?

A server side process is one which runs on the webserver that holds the website the user is viewing and, can involve any of the scripting languages and database systems we have available to us. We always recommend using server side processes as they do not necessarily require any input from the client side (the machine on which the user is browsing the internet) unlike HTML, XHTML and Javascript which is processed directly within the web browser and depends entirely on the capabilities of that browser. Therefore server side processes are not dependent on the browser you are using.

What is a back-end?

A common term used to describe any scripting used to process input from the user and return content or a response on a website. At Cnx Web Solutions we make extensive use of back-end systems to add greater depth to the users experience. Many of our clients use back-end scripting and interfaces to modify and update their website content.

What is PHP

PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is an extensive scripting language especially suited to web based development. Many of our clients sites use PHP to construct pages and allow complex interactive elements in the form of image galleries, forums and updateable areas.

What is MySQL?

My Structured Query Language is a database management system allowing data to be input, stored and retrieved. Examples include, secure login areas with multiple users, forums and updatable areas.

What is a development server?

As part of the process of designing and developing a website we place each stage of the process on our development server. Doing this ensures that the client is able to see the website's progression in the same format as when the site will eventually go live. By using a real web server to host the developing site we are able to make full use of server technologies and the scripting languages associated with them.

What is SSL?

Secure Sockets Layer was invented by Netscape to allow the transmission of private documents and information via the internet securely. SSL works by using a key (essentially a password or algorithm) to encrypt the data being transferred over the connection. In the same way the receiving computer must also have access to that key to decrypt the information being sent. Thus any information sent over the internet is secure. In the unlikely event of anyone intercepting this information they will be unable to read it.

What is modSSL?

A cryptographic technology used in conjunction with SSL and Apache to provide high strength security for trading over the internet.