Server View: A Webmaster's view of the server

The WebHub System, including a WebHub Application Server, runs constantly in order to serve page requests as they come in -- 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.

WebHub Architecture - Detailed Overview - 166k PDF File

Surfer

A web browser is the ultimate thin client. You can run a web browser on virtually any operating system, from Macintosh to Microsoft Windows 3.1/95/NT, and even to Linux/Unix. By using WebHub, developers ensure that their software is available to people using any of those platforms.

Further options, especially on an Intranet, include:

• A browser plus a Java applet
• A browser plus a JavaScript application
• A custom browser
• A custom application that includes some browser features

Internet/HTTP

The Internet runs on a protocol called TCP/IP. These days TCP/IP support is build into most operating systems, including Windows 95/98/NT. HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) runs on top of TCP/IP, typically on port 80. It is the protocol which enables a surfer to communicate with a web server. HTTP connections can be made over the Internet (public) and corporate (private) intranets.

Web Server

In an interactive WebHub site, the web server software runs on Microsoft Windows NT and can be provided by any vendor.

WebHub System

The WH system includes the WebHub runners, the Hub, and one or more application servers. As a WebHub VCL developer you'll be creating custom application servers.

Database

Thanks to Delphi, custom WebHub application servers can connect to virtually any desktop or SQL database.

Other

Other components include email, ecommerce, and other custom processes that you might access through D-COM or CORBA.

WebHub Separates User Interface from the Program Logic

When multiple developers or site designers are involved in the creation of a site it can be challenging to work simultaneously on the project. WebHub's teamwork-friendly design allows team members to work on the site together without risking lost work or interfering with each other. For example, design team members can effect page layout changes (edit chunk files) without affecting the application server (programming logic). Keeping the user interface separate from the program logic makes for a much cleaner design, and allows you to protect the security of your program logic by making it accessible only to those who need it. This invaluable flexibility also cuts down your site development time and maintenance time enormously.

Internet Developers

Because each page is created dynamically (using server-side processing in a compiled (not interpreted) application), the web "site" can change to meet the needs of the active surfer. You can include or exclude entire sections of pages based on surfer preferences and/or based on browser capability.

WebHub also provides extremely strong security -- essential for any site that provides "members-only" services or handles electronic commerce.

Intranet Developers

Regardless of the client side decision, use WebHub on the web server to quickly provide requests for information. WebHub is a multiuser state machine, and as such, it can be used to build middleware for a variety of intranet systems and situations.

Intranet clients include MCI, BellSouth, Lockheed-Martin, and the State of Washington Department of Information Services.

Site type flexibility

With WebHub you can re-use your HTML code among static, CD-ROM, and dynamic sites without starting over! The page aliasing feature in WebHub allows you to define your pages one time and then create links as needed for static, CD-ROM or dynamic sites. When you change your site mode you don't need to change anything inside the HTML.

With WebHub you can also divide up the HTML files to be worked on as needed by project team members. This affords you the flexibility and teamwork options needed for larger projects.