MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),

MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

1. Web Servers

Web server is a computer where the web content is stored. Basically web server is used to host the web
sites but there exists other web servers also such as gaming, storage, FTP, email etc.

Web Server Working

Web server respond to the client request in either of the following two ways:

 Sending the file to the client associated with the requested URL.

 Generating response by invoking a script and communicating with database

Key Points

 When client sends request for a web page, the web server search for the requested page if requested
page is found then it will send it to client with an HTTP response.

 If the requested web page is not found, web server will the send an HTTP response:Error 404 Not
found.

 If client has requested for some other resources then the web server will contact to the application
server and data store to construct the HTTP response.

Page 1
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

Architecture

Web Server Architecture follows the following two approaches:

1. Concurrent Approach

2. Single-Process-Event-Driven Approach.

Concurrent Approach

Concurrent approach allows the web server to handle multiple client requests at the same time. It can be
achieved by following methods:

 Multi-process

 Multi-threaded

 Hybrid method.

Multi-processing

In this a single process (parent process) initiates several single-threaded child processes and distribute
incoming requests to these child processes. Each of the child processes are responsible for handling single
request.

It is the responsibility of parent process to monitor the load and decide if processes should be killed or
forked.

Multi-threaded

Unlike Multi-process, it creates multiple single-threaded process.

Hybrid

It is combination of above two approaches. In this approach multiple process are created and each process
initiates multiple threads. Each of the threads handles one connection. Using multiple threads in single
process results in less load on system resources.

Examples

Following table describes the most leading web servers available today:

Page 2
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

S.N. Web Server Description

Apache HTTP Server

This is the most popular web server in the world developed by the Apache Software Foundation.
1 Apache web server is an open source software and can be installed on almost all operating systems
including Linux, UNIX, Windows, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and more. About 60% of the web server
machines run the Apache Web Server.

Internet Information Services (IIS)

The Internet Information Server (IIS) is a high performance Web Server from Microsoft. This web
2. server runs on Windows NT/2000 and 2003 platforms (and may be on upcoming new Windows
version also). IIS comes bundled with Windows NT/2000 and 2003; Because IIS is tightly integrated
with the operating system so it is relatively easy to administer it.

Lighttpd
The lighttpd, pronounced lighty is also a free web server that is distributed with the FreeBSD
3.
operating system. This open source web server is fast, secure and consumes much less CPU power.
Lighttpd can also run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris operating systems.

Sun Java System Web Server

This web server from Sun Microsystems is suited for medium and large web sites. Though the server
4. is free it is not open source. It however, runs on Windows, Linux and UNIX platforms. The Sun Java
System web server supports various languages, scripts and technologies required for Web 2.0 such as
JSP, Java Servlets, PHP, Perl, Python, and Ruby on Rails, ASP and Coldfusion etc.

Jigsaw Server
Jigsaw (W3C's Server) comes from the World Wide Web Consortium. It is open source and free and
5.
can run on various platforms like Linux, UNIX, Windows, and Mac OS X Free BSD etc. Jigsaw has
been written in Java and can run CGI scripts and PHP programs.

Page 3
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

2. Web Standard

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application-level protocol for distributed, collaborative,
hypermedia information systems. This is the foundation for data communication for the World Wide Web
(i.e. internet) since 1990. HTTP is a generic and stateless protocol which can be used for other purposes as
well using extensions of its request methods, error codes, and headers.

Basically, HTTP is a TCP/IP based communication protocol, that is used to deliver data (HTML files,
image files, query results, etc.) on the World Wide Web. The default port is TCP 80, but other ports can be
used as well. It provides a standardized way for computers to communicate with each other. HTTP
specification specifies how clients' request data will be constructed and sent to the server, and how the
servers respond to these requests.

Basic Features

There are three basic features that make HTTP a simple but powerful protocol:

 HTTP is connectionless: The HTTP client, i.e., a browser initiates an HTTP request and after a request
is made, the client waits for the response. The server processes the request and sends a response back
after which client disconnect the connection. So client and server knows about each other during current
request and response only. Further requests are made on new connection like client and server are new
to each other.

 HTTP is media independent: It means, any type of data can be sent by HTTP as long as both the client
and the server know how to handle the data content. It is required for the client as well as the server to
specify the content type using appropriate MIME-type.

 HTTP is stateless: As mentioned above, HTTP is connectionless and it is a direct result of HTTP being
a stateless protocol. The server and client are aware of each other only during a current request.
Afterwards, both of them forget about each other. Due to this nature of the protocol, neither the client
nor the browser can retain information between different requests across the web pages.

Basic Architecture

The following diagram shows a very basic architecture of a web application and depicts where HTTP sits:

Page 4
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

The HTTP protocol is a request/response protocol based on the client/server based architecture where web
browsers, robots and search engines, etc. act like HTTP clients, and the Web server acts as a server.

Client

The HTTP client sends a request to the server in the form of a request method, URI, and protocol version,
followed by a MIME-like message containing request modifiers, client information, and possible body
content over a TCP/IP connection.

Server

The HTTP server responds with a status line, including the message's protocol version and a success or
error code, followed by a MIME-like message containing server information, entity meta information, and
possible entity-body content.

Page 5
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

3. Searching and Web-Casting Techniques

A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to
distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be
distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is "broadcasting" over the Internet.

The largest "webcasters" include existing radio and TV stations, who "simulcast" their output through
online TV or online radio streaming, as well as a multitude of Internet only "stations". Webcasting usually
consists of providing non-interactive linear streams or events. Rights and licensing bodies offer specific
"webcasting licenses" to those wishing to carry out Internet broadcasting using copyrighted material.

Webcasting is used extensively in the commercial sector for investor relations presentations (such as
annual general meetings), in e-learning (to transmit seminars), and for related communications activities.
However, webcasting does not bear much, if any, relationship to web conferencing, which is designed for
many-to-many interaction

The ability to webcast using cheap/accessible technology has allowed independent media to flourish. There
are many notable independent shows that broadcast regularly online. Often produced by average citizens in
their homes they cover many interests and topics. Webcasts relating to computers, technology, and news
are particularly popular and many new shows are added regularly.

Webcasting differs from podcasting in that webcasting refers to live streaming while podcasting simply
refers to media files placed on the Internet.

4. Basic principles involved in designing a website

The success of any website entirely depends on how its web design is. Whether the designers have taken
the utmost care or not while developing it. Your nicely-designed site which includes usability and utility
determines the success and not the visual design. Since your site is the face of your business and most
potential customers will visit your site before they ever look in on your store, it becomes inevitable to get
your website designed cautiously. Lacking in any aspect could end up demolishing your brand impression.

Web page design is more critical for conversions than you think. Despite using a great conversion boosting
tactic, you may not do much if it looks poor in quality. In fact, website design doesn’t necessarily mean
how it looks like and feels like but is how it works. Even a simple looking website with exceptional

Page 6
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

usability and well-structured typically performs amazingly on Google. User views of such websites are also
higher than those with poor user experience. The performance entirely depends on the effectiveness of the
website.

So, How to Design a Good Website?

Good website design needs a wide range of professionals having expertise in different areas. Their
collective efforts need to put in when there is a critical decision to take place. Here in this article, we’ll
outline the 8 essential principles of a good website design that must be pondered while developing a
website. These design principles will definitely help web designers to develop awe-inspiring designs and to
enhance the usability of a website.

Here is the list of 8-good design principles which will make your website aesthetic, user-friendly, effective,
and engaging:

A. Simple Is the Best

The over-designed website may not work. Putting too many elements on the page may lead to distracting
visitors from the main purpose of your website. Simplicity always works in an effective web page design.
Clean and fresh design of your website not only makes the website appealing but also help the user to
navigate from one page to another seamlessly. Loading a website having design features that do not serve
the purpose may be frustrating. Keep your design as simple as possible so that the visitors can feel it easy-
to-use and can find their ways easily.

Page 7
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

B. Consistency

Consistency in website design matter a lot. Give your attention to match design elements throughout each
of the pages. It can be understood that your fonts, sizes, headings, sub-headings, and button styles must be
the same throughout the website. Plan everything in advance. Finalize the fonts and the right colors for
your texts, buttons, etc, and stick to them throughout the development. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
would come in handy to keep the complete information about design styles and elements.

C. Typography & Readability

No matter how good your design is text still rules the website as it provides users the desired information.
Since search engine crawlers are very much familiar with this data, it becomes an integral part of SEO
activities. You should keep your typography visually appealing and readable for visitors, along with the
tricky use of keywords, meta-data, and other SEO-sensitive elements.
Consider using fonts that are easier to read. The modern sans-serif fonts as Arial, Helvetica, etc. can be
used for the body texts. Make proper combinations of typefaces for each and every design element such as
headlines, body texts, buttons, etc.

Page 8
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

D. Mobile Compatibility

Keeping in mind the ever-growing usage of smartphones, tablets, and phablets, web design must be
effective for various screens. If your website design doesn’t support all screen sizes, the chance is that
you’ll lose the battle to your competitors. There are a number of web design studios or service points from
where you can turn your desktop design into a responsive and adaptive one for all screen sizes.

E. Color Palette and Imagery

A perfect color combination attracts users while a poor combination can lead to distraction. This
necessitates you to pick a perfect color palette for your website which can create a pleasing atmosphere,
thus leaving a good impact on visitors. Enhance users’ experience by selecting a complementary color
palette to give a balanced-look to your website design. Remember to use white spaces as they avoid your
website from visual clutter and mess. Also, avoid using too many colors. 3 or 4 tones for the whole website
are ample to give an appealing and clear design.
The same is the case with images. Don’t use multiple vibrant images

Page 9
 MAHARISHI MARKANDESHWAR (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY),
MULLANA (AMBALA)
Programme: BCA
Course: BCA-302: Web Design Fundamental

F. Easy Loading

No one likes the website that takes too much time to load. So take care of it by optimizing image sizes,
combing code into a central CSS or JavaScript file as it reduces HTTP requests. Also, compress HTML,
JavaScript, and CSS for enhanced loading speed.

G. Easy Navigation

Study shows that visitors stay more time on the websites having easy navigation. For effective navigation,
you may consider creating a logical page hierarchy, using bread scrums, and designing clickable buttons.
You should follow the “three-click-rule” so that visitors can get the required information within three
clicks.

H. Communication

The ultimate purpose of the visitors is to get information, and if your website is able to communicate your
visitors efficiently, most probably they would spend more time on your website. Tricks that may work to
establish effortless communication with the visitors are – organizing information by making good use of
headlines and sub-headlines, cutting the waffle, and using bullet points, rather than long gusty sentences.

Page 10