How does the Web work?

  1. How does the Web work?
    1. Servers are computers connected to the Internet which have publicly accessible files. The owners of these machines allow users to view and copy certain files. Servers "listen" on the network for requests from browsers. Different programs are assigned to different "ports" on a server so that applications such as ftp/telnet/http can all run simultaneously.
    2. Clients are software programs which allow users to view the public files on Internet servers.
    3. Mechanics
      1. The browser sends a request for a document to a server, the server replies as best it can. The server is configured to respond in different ways to different types of requests.
      2. Requests to web servers are in the form of a URL - Uniform Resource Locator- which is the "address" of a document on a server.
      3. Browsers have different capabilities. Consider this when you design.
      4. Many browsers work with helper applications to display sound, video, or graphic files.
  2. File naming conventions
    1. All files served through the web are named with a suffix which indicates what type of file it is. These suffixes correspond to MIME types, which is a standard for sending multimedia files via electronic mail.
      1. Example: myvacation.mov = a QuickTime movie
      2. Example: mypicture.jpg = a JPEG file
      3. Example: mypage.html = an HTML document
    2. The suffix on a file indicates to the server how it should be transmitted (binary, ASCII, etc.), and to the browser how it should be processed.
      1. Sometimes the browser handles a file itself, as with an in-line image or a plug-in.
      2. Sometimes the browser uses a helper application, as with RealAudio files.
    3. New file types can be created, but the server and browser need to be configured to properly handle them.
  3. Creating a manageable directory structure.
    1. Your directory structure is how your organize the files on your site, and it will dictate the way you construct your links between files.
    2. Create a directory structure which works both locally on your home computer or disk, and on the server.
    3. I prefer to have one top level folder which is equivalent to the public_html folder in my account on the server. I put all my html documents in this folder. Also in this folder are sub-folders organized by data type. For example: gif, jpeg, mov, dcr, etc.
    4. Don't put spaces or special characters in the names of your folders or files.
    5. Get into the habit of uploading your files to the server regularly, and making backups of your work.

    Building Web Sites - ITP Winter 1999 - Mike Cosaboom, Instructor
    mc39@acf2.nyu.edu