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by William Robert Stanek
Although you could design many types of intranets using today's technology, this chapter focuses on using the hypermedia capabilities of the World Wide Web to set up an intranet publishing operation. The Web's power lies in its diversity, and its handling of hypertext objects enables cross-platform solutions. With intranet publishing, you can easily set up a mini-Internet in your company. Your mini-Internet-or intranet-can be available to the outside world or just to those in the company.
Millions of people browse the World Wide Web; if you're reading this book, odds are you're one of them. The Web is a networked information system based on hypertext, which allows you to navigate through networked resources at the click of a button.
Beneath the system of hypertext documents and the wonderful graphical interface that makes it all work is a complex network-the Internet. The Internet is a global network of millions of computers. Many different technologies are used on the Internet to find, send, and retrieve information:
Trillions of research dollars went into developing the Internet and the tools that make it work, some of which was paid for with your tax dollars. So wouldn't it be nice to put this technology to work for you and your company? This is where intranets come in.
An intranet is a network within an organization that adapts Internet technologies for use in its information infrastructure. The most common Internet technology used in organizations is the Web's hypertext system. For this reason, many developers associate Web publishing on an internal network with intranets.
Ideally, your intranet will use many different Internet technologies, including Internet e-mail, FTP, telnet, and Web services. You might be wondering why you should use all these Internet services. After all, most networks are set up for file transfer with FTP, remote host logins, and e-mail. However, your internal network probably uses commercial software designed for a specific operating system, and this software probably isn't completely user- and administrator-friendly.
Take e-mail, for example. Most networks use an e-mail system. In a large organization, mail gateways and servers are needed to transfer e-mail from one area of the network to another. These gateways and servers are responsible for translating or encapsulating the protocol of the e-mail software so that your messages are readable on the receiving end.
Maintaining this maze of servers and gateways is the responsibility of the network administrator. When the system fails, as it inevitably does from time to time, users may lose mail and the administrator may lose sleep. By using an e-mail system designed for the Internet, you can end the nightmare. Users on any platform, be it UNIX, Mac, or Windows 95, can use the same software to send and receive messages, but best of all, you eliminate the need for e-mail servers.
Intranet publishing is the practical application of Web publishing to a real-world business problem-publishing on the corporate network. A business reality is that company databases tax resources in both labor costs and real-money terms. Even the best conventional database tools have high learning curves. Another reality is that sometimes you just don't have two to four weeks to train new personnel on using the database, and companywide databases are growing in size and complexity.
Databases aren't the only part of the company that grows as the company grows. The paper trail of documents-brochures, information packets, and policies-also grows with the company. Maintaining an ever-growing paper trail is costly and personnel-intensive. Every time there's a product release, product update, or press release, documents must be distributed to support personnel and other key people in the company. This costs money.
Other problems stem from this paper trail. For example, the customer support department might be misinforming customers based on data that's days or weeks old. To better serve customers, employees need the most current information, and what they really need to stay current is a metaindex of company resources and documents in a format that allows them to easily search for and retrieve information in an instant. However, a companywide metaindex of resources and documents would be astronomically expensive using conventional means. Publishing these documents electronically on an internal network is a nonconventional solution that would drastically reduce costs and save countless hours.
Extending the usefulness of the World Wide Web to corporate networked environments is a cost- and time-effective business solution. The Web's facilities don't have high learning curves-in fact, there isn't much of a learning curve at all if the facilities and tools are a part of the company's infrastructure.
The only thing intranet publishing requires is that you install and configure two things: Web server communications and Web browser communications. Popular server software is examined later in the chapter section "Web Server Software," and popular browsers are examined in Chapter 9 "An HTML Toolkit: Browsers, Converters and Editors."
| Managing Browser Licenses on Your Intranet |
If you choose a commercial browser, such as Netscape Navigator, you must pay a licensing fee for each copy of the browser used at your site. There are several ways you can find out the number of licenses you need to buy. You could buy a license for each computer on your network. Although software companies love this model, few network administrators follow it. Under most circumstances, all the computers in a company aren't running the browser. The trick, then, is to determine what percentage of the users on the network are running the browser at the same time. In a typical network environment, where the intranet documents aren't critical to the corporate mission, probably only 20-25 percent of users will be using the browser at any one time. Therefore, on a 500-node network, you could start with 100 to 120 licenses for the browser of your choice. To make sure that only the number of browsers you've bought licenses for are running at any one time, you should set up a license server, which tracks the number of licenses in use and denies access to the browser software when needed. When the number of users exceeds the license count, your license server should display a message stating that no licenses are currently available and the user should try again in a few minutes. The license server should also log the number of disallowed accesses with a timestamp; with these server logs, you can periodically re-evaluate your license needs. Setting up and managing a license server might seem like a hassle, but it can save you and your company thousands of dollars. If the browser software you chose costs $35/license, a 500-node network using 120 licenses will save over $13,000. |
With intranet publishing, you can supply a metaindex of documents, access to company databases, and much more. You can directly publish existing documents or convert document formats to the HTML format, which has the advantage of being dynamic. People don't have to rummage through a paper trail or learn the commands to interface with the company database. With HTML, all they have to do is click on links to find a related reference. To perform a database search, they just need to enter a word or two at a prompt. Some of the types of documents you can network-publish include the following:
Policies
Standards
On-the-job training documentation
Online help manuals
User manuals
Department/company memos
Project descriptions, goals, and contacts
News releases
Trip reports
Employee recognition awards
Company mission, goals, and objectives
Company background and history
Company forms
Company product and sales information
Company telephone directory
Office and key personnel rosters
A common misconception about the Web is that you must be on the Internet to set up a Web server. This simply isn't true. The company doesn't have to be connected to the Internet to take advantage of Web tools. The Web server doesn't have to be linked to the Internet, and company personnel don't need to get on the Internet to make intranet publishing a reality within the company.
Several books about the Web and the Internet specifically-and mistakenly-state that a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connection to the Internet is an absolute requirement for setting up a Web server. It's true that an Internet connection would help in getting Web server software because that software is widely available on the Internet. However, this software, the installation instructions, and manuals can be downloaded from any Internet account and then loaded onto the company network.
A more accurate statement is that if the company wants to use the Internet and take advantage of the World Wide Web, there must be some kind of connection to the Internet. The company doesn't have to be connected to the Internet or any part of the Internet to set up a Web server for use within the company.
The federal government and a growing number of large corporations have private intranets that take advantage of Internet and Web technologies. What these private intranets allow on their networks is their business; therefore, what you provide on your network is your business.
When you set up a Web server, you tell it what domain, or structure, you want it to operate in. You can include or exclude links to the outside world as you see fit. You can even include or exclude divisions within the company. It all depends on how you set up the Web server and the permissions you grant or deny.
You have probably heard the term paperless office before. Don't cringe. Although this eventuality isn't outside the realm of possibility, this isn't a lecture on how Web publishing can help make the office paperless. The truth is that publishing company documents on an intranet won't eliminate the paper trail, but it can help dramatically reduce it. It can streamline the update and correction process and distribute large amounts of up-to-date information throughout the organization. The decision to intranet-publish ultimately comes down to simple economics:
The costs are negligible for incorporating Web publishing into an existing network. Often a network already has a workstation capable of carrying the additional load as the Web server. The Web server doesn't have to be a dedicated machine, especially for small networks or networks with limited personnel using the Web server.
Usually, you won't need a full-time Web server administrator. Existing networks already have, or should have, a system administrator who can handle the additional duties as the Web server administrator. Web servers are easy to administer once they're set up and running.
Although using an existing workstation isn't always possible, the good news is that the Web server doesn't have to be a power machine. Web servers serving thousands of users are running on network-configured computers with Intel Pentium processors.
Publishing company documents on an intranet can reduce print costs and other associated costs significantly. Printed documents quickly become outdated. Technical manuals, company policies, and other important documents are expensive to maintain and reprint. With intranet publishing, there aren't any print costs, and maintaining Web documents is easier than maintaining printed documents.
A point-and-click interface environment doesn't have a high learning curve; as a matter of fact, you can even automate the updating of documents. Time savings for easy maintenance and use add up to big money savings over traditional alternatives. The savings also extend to personnel. Your company can realize these savings in personnel in the fewer hours spent building, searching, and maintaining company documents. Ease of use means that finding information is less frustrating for workers, and a less stressful environment is good for the company and its workers.
Ease of use also means that new employees can become productive company assets sooner. Using a Web browser, such as Mosaic, new employees with little training could make retrievals from the company's Oracle database on the first day of the job. To do this, they would access a Web page with a fill-out form or query box like those discussed in Chapter 27, "Form Creation and Design." After typing in the information they wanted to retrieve, users would simply click the submit button; soon afterward, the retrieved information would display on their screens.
Intranet publishing is an efficient way to make sure company information is distributed throughout the organization. Putting a document on the company Web can offer instant access for all personnel, several departments, or an individual department. Web documents are easier to maintain, produce, index, and use-which means cost efficiency.
If cost efficiency is a big consideration for the company (and it should be), consider a company with global offices. These offices are probably already connected through a Wide Area Network (WAN) or have some kind of dial-up access to the Internet. Despite the ease of use of electronic mail, company documents flow back and forth through conventional mail every day because some types of documents aren't suited for posting to e-mail. Posting a 500-page policy manual by e-mail to all company personnel would probably bring the network to a screeching halt. Even if it didn't, the people who should be reading the policy manual wouldn't because of the message's form.
With intranet publishing, the policy manual would be an interactive, indexed document that personnel could easily search for references that affect their departments' operations. More important, the entire manual wouldn't have to be mailed and re-mailed to a dozen global or regional offices.
The organization of your intranet is extremely important to its success. Over the years, three organizational models have developed for information systems like your intranet: centralized, decentralized, and a combination of the two.
The three organizational models are really driven by the types of computers used at an organization. Following the centralized model, all computer resources are centered in one location and under the management of one organization. When you think of centralized computing, think of mainframes and computer centers.
With the introduction of file-server and client-server computing, most organizations moved away from the centralized model toward a decentralized one. In decentralized computing, computer resources are spread throughout the organization and are under the management of the departments where they're located. When you think of decentralized computing, think of high-power workstations and servers.
After the big move to decentralize computer resources and dismantle massive computer centers, many managers had a rude awakening to the anarchy decentralized computing can cause. Imagine an organization where each department sets the rules and decides the standards-like what hardware and software to purchase and how that hardware and software should be set up. Then imagine the nightmare of trying to support the range of software and hardware installed in an organization the size of AT&T.
Because of the lack of control in decentralized computing, many organizations are moving to the happy middle ground of a mixed computing model. In this mixed model, a centralized IS (information systems) management sets broad policy, such as the direction and purpose of key computing initiatives, and the individual departments are free to work within those guidelines.
As you discuss setting up an intranet with management, keep the three computing models in mind. Although your organization may currently use a specific model, you can apply any of the models to the design of your intranet and should encourage management to choose the model that will best serve your organization. Ideally, the final decision will be based on the need for control and who is responsible for the intranet resources.
Following a centralized model, a specific department in the organization is responsible for the intranet. This same department is responsible for the setup, design, and administration of your intranet servers and for creating the needed publications based on user requests.
With a centralized model, there's usually a formal approval process for new publications and services. For example, if the Human Resources department wants an indexed database of employee files, a formal request is required. Once the request is approved, the intranet developers would work with Human Resources to create the database and the associated HTML search forms. The problem with centralized control and formal approval processes is that they put creativity and timeliness in thumbscrews. Can you imagine having to get formal approval to change the dates in an intranet-published memo?
Following a decentralized model, each department within the organization is responsible for its section of the intranet. All departments that want to create intranet services must set up, design, and administer their own intranet servers. Each department is also responsible for creating the publications and services used by the department.
When you use a decentralized model, you cut out the formal approval process for new publications and services, so anyone can create intranet resources. Greater freedom and few controls mean that new services can be set up quickly by anyone who wants to do so; however, these seeming advantages can also lead to abuse of the intranet resources. Who do you blame when someone publishes potentially offensive material or when the usefulness of the intranet deteriorates because so much junk has been created?
By adopting elements of both the centralized and decentralized model to fit the organization's needs, you can balance the need for strict control with the need for creative freedom. For example, you could create an intranet with a centralized Web server that links departmental servers. The IS staff would be responsible for maintaining the central server and updating links to resources throughout the organization, and the individual departments would be responsible for maintaining their own servers. To make sure the intranet is not abused, one person in each department could be responsible for the department's intranet resources.
After considering the organization style for your intranet, you should examine the tools you'll need to develop the intranet. A tool is anything that supports the task you're working on. The tools for unleashing your intranet's power are based on the existing tools for the Internet itself, which includes protocols, resource tools, and information services.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the foundation of the worldwide Internet. To ensure your intranet operates the same as the Web it is based on, you should install TCP/IP on your network. Using TCP/IP, you will be able to access documents using Internet protocols, such as HTTP and FTP.
A protocol is a set of rules for programs communicating on the network. It specifies how the programs talk to each other and what meaning to give to the data they receive. Without TCP/IP setting the rules for your network communications, you can't use Internet technologies to their fullest potential.
The good news is that if your organization already has access to the World Wide Web, you may already have the necessary TCP/IP structure in place. Additionally, TCP/IP is built into some operating systems, including Windows 95, Windows NT, and most variants of UNIX.
If you have an operating system without built-in TCP/IP and don't have TCP/IP installed, you'll need to buy TCP/IP software. Fortunately, TCP/IP software is widely available from software vendors. For example, if you want to install TCP/IP on a Macintosh, you can get the software directly from Apple or third-party vendors.
| Note |
If you plan to use a commercial browser, check to see whether the software package includes the necessary TCP/IP software. |
Tools are an essential part of any operation. Resource tools give you the means for sending and retrieving information. The three most basic tools of intranetworking are the following:
e-mail: Electronic mail is a great way to communicate. Think of e-mail as a way to send letters to anyone in the company instantly. Many e-mail programs allow delivery of mail to single users or groups of users. Some e-mail programs even offer ways to automate responses. Most browser packages are packaged with e-mail software.
FTP: File transfer protocol supplies the basic means for delivering and retrieving files around the network. The files can be text, sound, or graphics. FTP provides a springboard for many information-based approaches to retrieving information. Many higher level tools that have friendlier interfaces use FTP or a similar protocol to transfer files. Just about every browser currently available supports FTP.
telnet: telnet lets you remotely log in to another system and browse files and directories on that remote system. Telnet is valuable because it's easy to use and basic to the network. When you telnet to another computer, you can issue commands as though you were typing on the other computer's keyboard. On some platforms, like UNIX, telnet is a built-in resource. On other platforms, you need a telnet tool.
The basic resource tools are indispensable when used for the purpose for which they were designed. They are even the basis for many high-level resource tools, but they simply weren't designed for the advanced manipulation of the wealth of information available on the Internet. This is why dozens of information resource tools have been designed to manipulate networked data.
Here's a list of high-level resource tools you might want to use on your intranet:
Archie: A system to automatically gather, index, and serve information on the Internet. Archie is a great tool for searching your intranet's file archives. Once you set up Archie services, users can access Archie resources with their browser.
Gopher: A distributed information service that enables you to move easily through complex webs of network resources. Gopher uses a simple protocol that enables a Gopher client to get information on any accessible Gopher server. Most browsers directly support Gopher.
Listserv: An automated mailing list distribution system. Users can subscribe to listserv lists that you set up on the intranet, which lets them read e-mail posted to the list or post e-mail to the list. Once you set up a listserv server, users can join lists and participate in lists by using standard Internet e-mail software. Most browser packages include e-mail software.
Usenet: A bulletin board system of discussion groups called newsgroups. Users can participate in newsgroups posting messages to the group and can read messages posted by other newsgroup members. Once you set up a newsgroup server, users can browse newsgroups and post information by using a newsgroup reader. Most browser packages include a newsgroup reader.
Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS): A distributed information service for searching databases located throughout the network. It offers indexed searching for fast retrieval and an excellent feedback mechanism that enables the results of initial searches to influence later searches. WAIS servers are best accessed with CGI scripts, which allows users to search WAIS databases by using their browsers.
An intranet without Web services is like a world without water. The key to the World Wide Web is HTTP, which offers a means of moving from document to document or indexing within documents. Getting to documents published on your intranet involves communication between browsers and servers.
In a browser, such as Netscape Navigator, the HTTP processes are practically transparent to the user. All the user really has to do is activate links to move through your Web presentation. The browser takes care of interpreting the hypertext transfer commands and communicating requests.
| Tip |
To reduce time spent on training and support, you might want to select a single browser package for use on the intranet. Before selecting a specific browser package, however, you should make sure its developer has versions for all the operating systems in use on your network. If the developer doesn't, you might want to consider another browser. |
The mechanism on the receiving end, which is processing the requests, is a program called the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Daemon (HTTPD). A daemon is a UNIX term for a program that runs in the background and handles requests. The HTTP daemon resides on your Web server.
Table 3.1 lists some of the most popular server software and the operating systems the servers are available for. To get a better understanding of which servers are the most widely used on the Web, examine the table shown in Figure 3.1; it shows the responses to a recent survey about server use on the Web.
Figure 3.1 : Server software used on the Web.
| Note |
The August 1996 NetCraft Web Server Survey is the most comprehensive, current, and honest survey of server use I have found. NetCraft gathered the results of its survey directly from over 342,000 Web servers by polling each server with an HTTP request and compiling the results. |
| Server Software | |||||||
| Apache | |||||||
| CERN | |||||||
| Microsoft IISX | |||||||
| ncSA | |||||||
| Netscape | |||||||
| Communications | |||||||
| Commerce | |||||||
| Open Market | |||||||
| O'Reilly WebsiteX | |||||||
The best server software for you is most likely the software that will run on the workstation you plan to use as the network's Web server, but several factors come into play that could change your mind. The four primary factors are
The installation team's level of expertise will be a major determining factor in your choice of server. To configure for specific types of platforms, and primarily UNIX platforms, some Web server software must be compiled from source code. This is good if you have an experienced team capable of setting parameters within the code to optimize for the intended system. Having the source code also means you can easily trace down and correct bugs and create enhancements to the existing code.
However, having the source code does you no good if you can't optimize and compile it. Therefore, if you don't have an experienced team, or are looking for an easy solution for your intranet publishing operation, you should look at server software that doesn't need to be compiled or optimized.
The Web server's reliability is the second major determining factor in choosing a server. Examine carefully how the company plans to use the Web server. The projected nature of its use will help drive your decision. Some server software is continually updated and improved, and some platforms have a variety of support tools. Both are especially true for UNIX platforms, but not necessarily true for other platforms.
UNIX systems are the lifeblood of the Internet, so naturally some of the best server software is for UNIX systems. Because UNIX server software has been around longer, most of the bugs have been worked out, and the software is usually being continually improved. These factors make UNIX the most used operating system for Web servers. (See Figure 3.2.)
Figure 3.2 : Web server operating systems.
The type of support needed to maintain the Web server is the third major determining factor in choosing your server. The primary reason for opting to use commercial Web server software is software support. If you believe the organization will need software support to keep the operation alive, commercial software is the best choice. Freeware software is generally provided on an as-is basis. The creators ask that if you improve the software or fix bugs, you send them the updates.
| Note |
Because software support may play a major role in your decision to buy Web server software, you should also know about other options, such as hiring a software support firm to give your company technical support. Software support firms are a $100 million-a-year niche of the computer industry and are growing in number. They specialize in offering technical support for a wide range of products and are positioned well to replace many traditional help desk centers. Several of the early software support companies have been tremendously successful because of the strong need in the business community for prompt, reliable, and accurate technical support. As the Internet and the World Wide Web grow, these companies will undoubtedly start to support key Internet and Web software applications. |
Security is the fourth major determining factor in choosing your server. Web server software that lacks adequate security constraints can put the company's network in jeopardy. This factor is critically important when the company plans to connect to the Internet.
Using the security mechanisms built into most server software, you can restrict access to intranet-published information, which allows you to selectively send out information within the company. For example, financial data could be accessible only to personnel in the finance department. You could further restrict access by adding login names and passwords. In this way, corporate financial records would be available only to those who need to use this information.
This section examines server software. For UNIX platforms, there are dozens of possibilities, but only the most popular server software is described here. Until recently, there was only one good choice for the Windows NT environment, but this has changed. There are now many excellent commercial and freeware choices for Windows NT.
For other platforms, there's generally only one choice in server software. Having only one choice of server software for your Macintosh or Windows 3.1 system doesn't mean the quality of the server software is poor. Quite the contrary-the quality of the software is often quite good.
| Note |
Some servers can proxy serve documents, which means company personnel could get to the Web past an existing firewall, and the outside world could get Web documents on the firewall but shouldn't be able to get past the firewall. A firewall is a workstation that shields the internal network from the outside network-the Internet. It's the only machine that's directly connected to the Internet. This is a good way to minimize unauthorized access to the company network. |
The Apache HTTPD server runs on UNIX platforms and is free. Because Apache is a plug-in replacement for ncSA's Web server Version 1.3 and 1.4, it's very popular. Apache is designed for speed and reliability and fixes security problems found in ncSA HTTPD. Some of Apache's features include the following:
You can learn more about Apache HTTPD and get the source code at this address:
http://www.apache.org/
CERN HTTPD runs on UNIX platforms and is one of the most popular kinds of server software. It is well-maintained freeware with excellent documentation. One of CERN Web server's best selling points is that it can also be run as a caching proxy server. The server caches recently or frequently retrieved documents to improve response time; its features include the following:
You can learn more about CERN HTTPD and get the source code at this address:
http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Daemon/Status.html
Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) is a powerful option for intranets using Windows NT servers. The main server is an integrated HTTPD, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Gopher server with a graphical installation utility that lets you completely install the product in less than 10 minutes. IIS is optimized for performance, speed, and reliability. Currently, you can also get free trial versions of IIS from Microsoft's Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/. Some of the features include the following:
You can learn more about Microsoft IIS at this URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/BackOffice/InfoServ/default.htm
ncSA HTTPD runs on UNIX platforms. ncSA's server was designed to be fast and have a low overhead, which means it's not taxing on the system. This server software is freeware and is rich in features. The current version is 1.5.x; here are some of its features:
With ncSA HTTPD, you can make the server more secure by limiting access to server directories. You can learn more about ncSA HTTPD and get the source code at this address:
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/Overview.html
Netscape offers several commercial server software packages for UNIX and Windows NT platforms. They include the following:
Netscape claims that its server software offers increased performance over the competition and can easily be integrated with commercial or custom applications. The software tends to have higher overhead than other HTTP servers, but it definitely makes up for this by reducing response times and making better use of the communications bandwidth. Netscape servers are also some of the most secure in the world. You can learn more about Netscape servers at this site:
http://home.mcom.com/comprod/server_central/index.html
The Open Market WebServer is a commercial server for UNIX platforms and comes in two versions: standard and secure. The Open Market Secure WebServer offers simultaneous support for both the Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (S-HTTP) and the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Some of Open Market's features include the following:
You can learn more about Open Market servers at this URL:
http://www.openmarket.com/segments/servers/
O'Reilly Website is an award-winning commercial server that runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT platforms. This server features many advanced utilities for Windows 95/NT environments and is designed for ease of use. Website is an integrated server package that includes an HTML browser, HTML editor, and a comprehensive book; here are some of its features:
You can learn more about O'Reilly Website at this address:
http://website.ora.com/
WebStar is a server for the Macintosh and, as you might expect, it's one of the easiest Web server software packages to install. This server is great for use on small networks and has one of the lowest fees of any commercial server. The most recent version includes support for CGI scripts. WebStar is based on the commercial version of the original Web server for the Macintosh called MacHTTP.
You can purchase this software from StarNine Technologies Incorporated, and it has a 30-day evaluation period. After the evaluation period, you must register the server or stop using the software. You can find information on WebStar at this address:
http://www.starnine.com
| Note |
If you have a Macintosh running A/UX, there's a version of CERN's HTTP server that will run on your system. The CERN HTTP server was featured in the section "CERN HTTPD." |
WinHTTPD is a server for the Windows 3.1 operating system; it installs easily and has low overhead. Just like WebStar, WinHTTPD is a good choice for use on small networks and has a low fee. The server software was ported from ncSA's server. Its features include the following:
You can purchase WinHTTPD from City Net Express, and it has a 30-day evaluation period. After the evaluation period, you must register the server or stop using the software. More information on WinHTTPD can be found on the Web at this site:
http://www.city.net/win-httpd/
After you've selected a platform and server software, you should decide on a domain name for the Web server. During the installation process, you'll have to enter a domain name for the Web server. Common domain names for Web servers begin with www, such as this one:
www.yourhostname.com
If the company has decided to connect the server to the Internet, the network must have a unique identifier and domain name. You must register with the Internet Address Naming Authority (IANA), also called the InterNIC. Your company can select any domain name as long as it's unique. The InterNIC charges for domain name registration. If you plan to register a domain, check with the InterNIC for current registration prices.
Each computer connecting to the Internet must have a unique IP address. The requirement may mean changing the IP address on computers you plan to connect to the Internet. Getting IP addresses from the InterNIC is a three-part process:
hostmaster@internic.net
Domain name registration for ROOT, EDU, GOV, COM, NET, and ORG domains is also a three-part process:
hostmaster@internic.net
| Caution |
Beware of people trying to sell registration services on the Internet. Ultimately, these individuals must go through the InterNIC to register your domain. These individuals offer easy-to-use fill-out forms for processing your registration and charge fees ranging from $100-$500. As you have seen, the submission process isn't difficult-and certainly not worth $500. |
| Note |
The InterNIC is a very busy organization. Not only do they supply detailed explanations with registration forms, they include several sources to find more information with each of their forms. Refer to these sources of additional information before sending inquiries to the InterNIC. If you have a unique situation that's not covered in either the IP or domain registration forms, such as registering as an Internet service provider, you can find a list of registration forms supplied by the InterNIC here: http://rs0.internic.net/templates.html |
Now that you know intranet basics, you have everything you need to develop a plan that takes you through creating and carrying out your intranet. The best way to start is to break the plan down into a series of steps, which makes developing the intranet more manageable. Here are four steps you should follow:
In this step, try to figure out what you need to finish the intranet design and setup; start by examining the intranet's purpose, scope, and audience.
Your statement of purpose should identify these factors:
When you examine the scope for the intranet, think in terms of size and focus. Will the intranet be companywide? What types of documents, files, and software will be permitted on the intranet?
Your audience for the intranet is your customer base. Your customers could include all company employees, employees in specific departments, or employees in a single department.
Here's a preliminary plan for an intranet in a specific department:
Intranet for Sales Department
| Purpose: |
Give support to the regional sales department. Services include record searches of the customer databases, sales computation, order processing, and inventory checks. |
| Scope: |
25 computers in the sales department. All resources will support and promote regional sales. Limited human resource data will be available to management staff. |
| Audience: |
All personnel assigned to the regional sales department. |
After determining the purpose, scope and audience, examine your reasonable expectations for the completed intranet, then translate these needs, goals, and purposes into requirements for the intranet. The basic needs for any intranet are the software development tools that help you build the necessary intranet services. Software tools for carrying out your intranet were examined earlier in the section "Intranet Development Tools."
You should think beyond your software needs and look at your hardware needs, too. Many types of computers are on the market. The IBM pc and pc compatibles have many generations of computer systems based on different chip sets. Some pcs are based on the 80286, 80386, and 80486 chips. Other pcs are based on Intel's Pentium chips. The same is true for Macintoshes-you might choose from a whole line of PowerMacs. There's even a Powerpc, a cross between a Mac and a pc. UNIX systems come in many configurations, from Sun Microsystems' popular SPARC workstations to Silicon Graphics workstations.
Very often, the best platform for your intranet services is the platform you're most familiar with because different computer platforms use different operating systems. If you're unfamiliar with the operating system, you'll have a more extended learning curve as you study both the operating system and the software your intranet runs.
Here's a sample plan for hardware and software requirements:
| Hardware |
Web server: Existing 486DX/100MHz in system administration area |
| Software |
Web server: Microsoft IIS for Windows NT |
Next, you should consider time, budget, and personnel constraints. If you have only six weeks to set up the intranet, you might need to hire other team members to get the intranet finished on time. In this case, hiring a specific number of extra team members would be one of your requirements.
Here's a sample plan for the initial time, budget, and personnel
requirements:
| Duration |
Setup and installation: 30 days |
| Budget |
$5,000 |
| Personnel |
Management and planning: 1 |
If you have a $5,000 budget, you will have to scrutinize every aspect of the budget to keep costs down. In this case, you will probably be selective about the development tools you buy and hire outside help only as needed. If the budget constraints are so severe they would affect the intranet's success, you should make sure your superiors are aware of the situation and possibly make a case for getting a larger budget.
After you determine your requirements for the intranet, then start planning it. An essential part of planning is determining how long the project is going to take and the steps needed to carry you through the project. For this reason, the planning step can also be a reality check for constraints or requirements.
For example, say you determine it will take a minimum of three months to finish the intranet and install all the necessary services, yet the deadline for project completion given to you by management is 30 days away. Something would have to give, and you would have to work hard to manage perceptions and expectations of the intranet. You might have to renegotiate the deadline, hire more team members, or eliminate certain time-intensive parts of the intranet.
The more complex your intranet, the more involved your planning will be. The plans for a small intranet could be very basic, such as a list of steps with deadlines for completion written down in a notepad. The plans for a large intranet could be rendered in detail with a project-management tool like Microsoft Project.
Ideally, your deadlines won't be carved in stone. The best planners use windows for project steps, such as five days for planning or two weeks for preliminary design. There could be hundreds of steps, with several steps being performed simultaneously, or a handful of steps, with each step being performed one after the other. Some steps would be dependent on other steps, meaning they couldn't be started until certain other aspects of the intranet were finished. Other steps wouldn't depend on any other steps and could be performed at any time during the intranet's development.
| Tip |
Part of your planning should include scheduling necessary training on the intranet and promoting the intranet to company employees. If you don't sell the employees-your customers-on the intranet, your intranet won't succeed. One way to help sell the intranet is to develop focus groups; they get your customers involved with the development process. Continued involvement in the intranet through its development and after its setup ensures an intranet that customers want. This involvement makes sure they have a solid investment in an intranet they will want to promote and support. |
The design step is one of the most critical steps. During this step, you take your plans to another level of detail by determining how and where the intranet's hardware and software will be set up. For example, will the intranet's main Web server be located in the computer department? How will the software be distributed?
Use this step as a reminder to sit down with your system administrators and network personnel. You should discuss how you plan to install the hardware and software for the intranet. If there are any misgivings about the intranet, it's better to hear about them before you begin installation. If there are great ideas for improving the planned intranet, you definitely want to consider them before installation.
| Tip |
For a small intranet, you might be inclined to skip this step, but don't. During this step, you may discover something you overlooked in planning. |
Part of your design may be to use a specific section of the current network as a "test bed" before you deploy the intranet companywide. To do this, you install the intranet services in a specific department or office. The users in this group are then given access to the intranet for a testing period. Based on the outcome of the testing, you would either continue with the intranet's companywide installation or revise your plans accordingly.
Ideally, your intranet team will work closely with the test group. During installation and when users start using the new services, you should make sure someone is on hand to answer questions and problems that might come up. This individual or group from your intranet team should take notes and make daily progress reports. Based on the input, you could modify your plans as you go through the various phases of the implementation for the test group.
The implementation step tends to be the longest step in developing your intranet. During this step, you install your intranet services based on the requirements, plans, and designs you created.
| Note |
Don't stop trying to enhance your plans once you have your intranet blueprint. The key to building a better intranet is to improve your ideas. |
Managing your new intranet can be frustrating at times, especially when you're first trying to install and configure the server. The important thing to remember is that your intranet can pay off in huge dividends. The time and money savings alone for intranet-publishing company user and technical manuals make intranet publishing worthwhile. Not only could the documentation be maintained so that it's always up-to-date at a lower cost than the original publishing and distribution of the manuals, but employees can search the entire text of manuals in an instant and at the touch of a button.
Although intranet publishing can bring dramatic improvements in the accessibility of information within the company, part of the problem with any project is that people often have unrealistic expectations or mismatched perceptions. The process of setting up your intranet publishing operation is no exception. The best thing you can do is to remember the following:
This is your first intranet publishing operation, so it should be a learning process. Don't expect all the pieces to fall into place in a day-it simply won't happen. Give yourself and the project a fighting chance, and manage your expectations to help the project become a success. Remember, your expectations might not match those of your superiors.
Before you start to set up the Web server, keep the following in mind:
Never let your thoughts about the complexity of the project overwhelm you. Your perceptions about the project play a deciding role in whether you'll ever finish the project, so convince yourself you can do this.
Often, people forget that sometimes you need to take a breather. You can't possibly try to do everything all at once, so set up your intranet publishing operation one step at a time. Begin by planning your course of action, and slowly progress from platform selection to server installation.
One of the first things you should do is make sure your goals are realistic. They should take into account both the complexities of the project and the possible setbacks. Your goals should be clear and relevant to the problem at hand-setting up the Web server and a networking publishing operation. As you set goals and milestones for each stage of the project, remember to provide flexibility. Never give yourself deadlines you can't meet, and if possible, give yourself a window for project completion.
When you finish the project, remember to adopt a companywide policy about using and publishing information on the network. The key is to not only adopt a policy, but also to communicate it throughout the organization. Make sure company personnel know the following information:
To create an intranet, you need to set up basic networking protocols, like TCP/IP, and services like the WWW. Once you have selected the basic tools you need to create the intranet and considered how you will organize the intranet, you can map the intranet through completion.
Intranet publishing is a cost-effective and time-saving way to publish company documents. To set up a intranet-publishing operation, you need to install and configure a Web server; it could be one of your existing network workstations or a new workstation you buy specifically for the task. Although you must be on the Internet to take advantage of the Web's information resources, you don't have to be on the Internet to take advantage of the features offered by Web servers and browsers.
