System and method for configuring and administering multiple instances of web servers

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to configuration and administration of system components using World Wide Web (WWW) technology. In particular, this invention provides a plurality of instances of web server, with one of them being preconfigured for this administration function to allow web browsers to configure web-configurable components.

2. Background Art

The IBM AS/400 system traditionally uses 5250 terminal protocol to configure and administer system components, such as start or stop a server, change functional attributes, authorize users, and so forth. This 5250 terminal protocol requires a 5250 terminal or 5250 emulator that is known as a green screen display. A graphical user interface (GUI) presents to a user a much more user-friendly interface than a green screen display, and there is a need in the art to provide a graphical user interface for system configuration and administration functions.

It is quite common today for any system to have a web server that hosts some site or sites. Such sites provide web content that is made available to web browsers. In general the goals of an enterprise with such a site are typical business goals that pertain to return on investment or customer satisfaction. Typically, such an enterprise has system sites that deal with business applications (such as an electronic shopping mall), or information sites (such as the company's product specifications, or employee benefit plans). These sites share in common the protocols that make web browsing possible. These include use of the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and HyperText Markup Language (HTML), a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) that allows system administrators to write dynamic web applications, and the content itself, that is the HTML files, images, java applets, wave (audio) files, or other multimedia resources known to (that is, accessible by) browsers.

Some servers have the ability to manage other servers. However, systems today do not have multiple copies of those servers, and there is a need in the art for an administration server capable of managing multiple copies or instances of servers.

Further, there is a need in the art for an administration Internet connection server (ICS) that is a web (HTTP) server for serving a specialized set of applications that provide for configuration and administration of web enabled system components. These system components can be anything on an enterprise or site system that have an application written for and served by an administration server for the purpose of being configured by a web browser.

However, for security purposes, this administration Internet connection server must not share commonality with other ICS HTTP server(s) serving the web content that is made available by the site system to web browsers. Such an administration server preferably allows a user to configure certain aspects of the server, such as access and error logging, or the ability to run secure HTTP transactions (also referred to as HTTPs). However, this administration server must be controlled with respect to serving its content to browsers irrespective of such configuration by the user.

Further, there exists the need in the art to provide an administration Internet connection server (also referred to as an administration server) which is isolated from and therefore does not detract in any way from other, or "normal", HTTP server(s) at the site, and does not impose any requirements that the system use its "normal" web server(s) for what is considered system administration and configuration. It is particularly important that any changes the site makes to configuration of its "normal" HTTP server(s) (good or bad) cannot affect the configuration of the administration server. Furthermore, it is a requirement that any heavily loaded "normal" web server(s) at a site will not affect performance of the administration server, and conversely, the act of using the administration server, that is configuring and administering some system component, will not have any effect of the performance of other HTTP server(s) at the site.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved administration server.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an administration server which serves administration and configuration applications to a browser's graphical user interface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an administration server which serves to a browser capability for administering and configuring web enabled system components.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved administration server which is isolated from other servers at the site.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved administration server which is isolated from other servers at the site such that loading of either does not adversely impact the other.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved administration server which enables the management of multiple copies or instances of servers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an administration server implemented as a browser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, a system and a method is provided for managing a plurality of instances of Internet connection servers. A web browser displays and interacts with a plurality of HTML forms and corresponding common gateway interface binary programs which are provided selectively for creating and deleting instances of servers, associating a configuration file with a server instance, changing server instance start up parameters, and starting, ending, and restarting server instances.

Other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a high level system diagram of the administration server of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a high level system diagram illustrating the a administration server of the invention as one instance of multiple server instances.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the configuration and server instance forms presented by the administration server of the invention at a graphical user interface.

FIG. 4 is a high level system diagram illustrating the main components of the system of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the method of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the *ADMIN site of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the AS/400 tasks page.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the front page, or first page for configuration and administration of ICS in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the general configuration and administration page for adding a new ICS server instance or to manage an existing one in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a server instance page in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a representation of instance parameters in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a representation of configuration and administration in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a basic page.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a confirmation page.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating secure server instance management files and formats.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the format of the start server command.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the format of the end server command.

FIG. 18 is a high level system diagram illustrating server threading.

FIG. 19 is a high level flow diagram illustrating server threading flow.

FIG. 20 illustrates the job structure of the HTTP server of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In accordance the preferred embodiment of the invention, an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) web server is provided for serving browsers. A web server that supports the industry standard HTTP protocol is given a hardened (e.g., read only) configuration. A task page is provided that provides links to any application that can be configured via a browser. This one task page is served by this administration HTTP server. Upon selecting a link to a configurable application, the selected pages which are also served by the administration HTTP server, are used to complete the configuration task. The user interface throughout this process is the browser.

The pages, and forms contained therein, are accessed by a series of links from the tasks page, and provide the graphical user interface (GUI) for configuring and administering those applications. Examples of such applications include internet connection secure server, firewall, net.data, digital certificate manager, net.commerce and net.question. These become a link off of the tasks page and each provides a series of web pages which are traversed to achieve the desired configuration.

In accordance with the invention, forms are designed and implemented so that an internet connection server can be configured. A configuration file for an Internet connection server is built by selecting and entering values upon these forms. One or more copies or instances of the Internet connection server are provided, and these forms are used to manage these multiple instances. The administration server of this invention enables creation, selection and modification of other server instances by leading an authorized user at a browser through a series of GUI forms to accomplish the change, addition, start, stop, or other action.

For example, a plurality of instances of Internet connection servers (ICSs) exist at a site and need to be managed. A form is presented by the administration server listing this plurality of other servers, and the user selects the instance (that is, the other server) he needs to administer (start, stop, change, add, delete). Upon selecting a server and an action, a page is presented or displayed at the browser by the administration server which will allow further configuration, the content of that page depending upon the action selected.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided an administration server that is accessed via a web browser.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, ADMIN server 310 represents an instance of an HTTP server. In this preferred embodiment, there are provided an instance file 318 with one member and a configuration file with one member pair 314, 316 called ADMIN for installation separate and distinct from another instance 311 and configuration file 317 that are also provided for installation, but for a system administrator s use. A global attributes file 325 is provided. Instance file 317 overrides the contents of the config file(s) 314, 316, which overrides the contents of the attributes file 325. Attributes file 325 is referred to as the global attributes file because there is only one file member, used by all server instances; whereas each instance uses a unique instance file member 318 and a particular configuration (config) file member 314 (except admin server 310, which uses 2 config file members 314, 316 ).

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an Internet connection secure server has a default setup that includes two HTTP server instances 310, 311. One instance is the ADMIN server 310 that is required for configuration and the other is DEFAULT server 311. Default server 311 can be started as-is with all of its default settings 317, 319, 321, 323. The server administrator can customize the default server 311 for his own environment and add additional servers as desired.

Referring to FIG. 2 in connection with FIG. 7, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, ADMIN server 310 serves an AS/400 configuration home page 350 that links to other browser configurable products, such as is represented by link 352. In operation, when the user (that is, the system administrator) points his browser (this is analogous to saying as400hostname.domain:2001 ) to the system administration home page, the browser is presented with a page 350 asking what is to be administered or configured, including a hot link 352 to HTTP server configuration pages, or alternatively a different page showing configuration screens for the other products.

Upon selecting link 352, the user is presented initial page 360. Upon selecting configure HTTP servers 362 on initial page 360, the syste