NIH Enterprise Architecture Home

Web Server Brick

Description

Web servers are software that serve as engines which run websites. Through a Web listener, they accept HTTP (non-encrypted) and HTTPS (encrypted) connections from Web browsers. The Web server may return HTML based Web pages and other files directly to the browser, or may invoke additional software that performs processes such as database interaction and generates the returned HTML or files.
Brick Information

Tactical

(0-2 years)

Strategic

(2-5 years)

  • Apache
  • Microsoft Internet Information Server
  • Apache  
  • Microsoft Internet Information Server

Retirement

(To be eliminated)

Containment

(No new development)

 

  • Neon Shadow
  • Netscape Enterprise Server
  • Other

Baseline

(Today)

Emerging

(To track)

  • Apache
  • Microsoft Internet Information Server
  • Neon Shadow
  • Netscape Enterprise Server
  • Other
  • Evolving open source products

Comments

  • The products designated for use are intended for applications running on server class machines. Smaller, locally used applications designed to support no more than 10 users are not covered by these specifications.
  • Evolving open source products are "Emerging" because open source developers have done a better job of modularizing their software, making it more feasible to combine components in order to produce a desired solution.
  • Apache and MS Internet Information Server are Tactical/Strategic only when running on any of the operating systems/platforms designated as Tactical or Strategic in the Server Platform Brick.
  • Tactical and Strategic products were selected to leverage NIH's investment in products that are a proven fit for NIH's known future needs. Leveraging baseline products in the future will minimize the operations, maintenance, support and training costs for new products.
  • Some baseline products have been designated as Containment. These products are either not as widely or successfully deployed at NIH, or they do not provide as much functionality, value, or Total Cost of Ownership as low as the selected Tactical and Strategic products.

Time Table

This architecture definition approved on: May 25, 2005

The next review is scheduled in: TBD