UNIT - 6

E-BUSINESS MODEL

6.1 WWW ARCHITECTURE

6.1.1 CLIENT SERVER STRUCTURE OF THE WEB

The client–server model is an approach to computer network programming developed at

Xerox PARC during the 1970s. It is now prevalent in computer networks. Email, the World
Wide Web, and network printing all apply the client–server model. Client server architecture
model is shown in the figure 6.1

The model assigns one of two roles to the computers in a network: Client or server. A server
is a computer system that selectively shares its resources; a client is a computer or computer
program that initiates contact with a server in order to make use of a resource. Data, CPUs,
printers, and data storage devices are some examples of resources.

This sharing of computer resources is called time-sharing, because it allows multiple people
to use a computer (in this case, the server) at the same time. Because a computer does a
limited amount of work at any moment, a time-sharing system must quickly prioritize its
tasks to accommodate the clients.

Clients and servers exchange messages in a request-response messaging pattern: The client
sends a request, and the server returns a response. To communicate, the computers must have
a common language, and they must follow rules so that both the client and the server know
what to expect. The language and rules of communication are defined in a communications
protocol. All client-server protocols operate in the application layer.

Fig.6.1: Client server model

Client/Server Database Systems

Client/server systems are constructed so that the database can reside on a central computer,
known as a server, and be shared among several users. Users access the server through a
client or server application: Types of Client-Server Architectures is shown in figure 6.2

Fig.6.2: Types of Client server architecture

 In a two-tier client/server system, users run an application on their local computer,

known as a client that connects over a network to the server running SQL Server. The
client application runs both business logic and the code to display output to the user,
and is also known as a thick client.

In a multitier client/server system, the client application logic is run in two locations:

o The thin client is run on the user's local computer and is focused on displaying
results to the user.
o The business logic is located in server applications running on a server. Thin
clients request functions from the server application, which is itself a
multithreaded application capable of working with many concurrent users. The
server application is the one that opens connections to the database server and
can be running on the same server as the database, or it can connect across the
network to a separate server operating as a database server.

This is a typical scenario for an Internet application. For example, a server

application can run on a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) and
service thousands of thin clients running on the Internet or an intranet. The
server application uses a pool of connections to communicate with a copy of
 SQL Server. SQL Server can be installed on the same computer as IIS, or it
can be installed on a separate server in the network.

Having data stored and managed in a central location offers several advantages:

 Each data item is stored in a central location where all users can work with it.

Separate copies of the item are not stored on each client, which eliminates problems
with users having to ensure they are all working with the same information.

 Business and security rules can be defined one time on the server and enforced
equally among all users.

This can be done in a database through the use of constraints, stored procedures, and
triggers. It can also be done in a server application.

 A relational database server optimizes network traffic by returning only the data an
application needs.

For example, if an application working with a file server needs to display a list of the
names of sales representatives in Oregon, it must retrieve the entire employee file. If
the application is working with a relational database server, it sends this command:

SELECT first_name, last_name

FROM employees
WHERE emp_title = 'Sales Representative'
AND emp_state = 'OR'

The relational database sends back only the names of the sales representatives in
Oregon, not all of the information about all employees.

 Hardware costs can be minimized.

Because the data is not stored on each client, clients do not have to dedicate disk
space to storing data. The clients also do not need the processing capacity to manage
data locally, and the server does not need to dedicate processing power to displaying
data.

The server can be configured to optimize the disk I/O capacities needed to retrieve
data, and clients can be configured to optimize the formatting and display of data
retrieved from the server.

The server can be stored in a relatively secure location and equipped with devices
such as an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) more economically than fully
protecting each client.
  Maintenance tasks such as backing up and restoring data are simplified because they
can focus on the central server.

In large client/server systems, thousands of users may be connected to a SQL Server

installation at the same time. SQL Server has full protection for these environments, with
safeguards that prevent problems such as having multiple users trying to update the same
piece of data at the same time. SQL Server also allocates the available resources effectively,
such as memory, network bandwidth, and disk I/O, among the multiple users.

SQL Server applications can run on the same computer as SQL Server. The application
connects to SQL Server using Windows Interprocess Communications (IPC) components,
such as shared memory, instead of a network. This allows SQL Server to be used on small
systems where an application needs to store its data locally.

Desktop Database Systems

While SQL Server works effectively as a server, it can also be used in applications that need
stand-alone databases stored locally on the client. SQL Server can configure itself
dynamically to run efficiently with the resources available on a client, without the need to
dedicate a database administrator to each client. Application vendors can also embed SQL
Server as the data storage component of their applications.

When clients use local SQL Server databases, one copy of the SQL Server database engine
runs on the client and manages all the SQL Server databases on the client. Applications
connect to the database engine in much the same way they connect across the network to a
database engine running on a remote server.
 Fig.6.3: Desktop Database Systems

6.1.2 E-COMMERCE ARCHITECTURE

World Wide Web (WWW) as the architecture

A web provides the functionality necessary for electronic commerce.

E-commerce depends on the unspoken assumption that computers co-operate efficiently for
seamless information sharing.

This diversity while good for innovation causes problems as the e-commerce applications try
to improve a certain discipline on the computers and networks.
6.1.3 TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE WEB

Information providers (or publishers) run programs (called servers) from which the browsers
(clients) can obtain information. These programs can either be web servers that understand
the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), “gateway” programs that convert and existing
information format to hypertext, or a non HTTP server that web browser can access-
anonymous FTP or Gopher servers.

Web servers are composed of two major parts: the hypertext transfer protocol for transmitting
documents between servers and clients and the hyper text markup language(HTML) format
for documents. The link between HTML tiles and the HTTP servers is provided by the
uniform resource locators (URLs). The key properties of these features will be discussed
below.

Uniform resource locators

The documents that the browsers display are hypertext that contains pointers to other
documents. The browsers let you deal with the pointers in transparent way-select the pointer
and are presented with the text to when it points. This pointer is implemented using a concept
that is central to web browsers: URLs. One way to think about URLs is to use the libraries
and location on a shelf as a metaphor. Take a look at the URL formats below.

FTP: ftp// server. address/complete.file.name

Gopher: gopher://server.adress:port/directory/filename

HTTP: http://server.address: port/homepage.html

Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)

HTTP is a simple request/response protocol that is currently run over TCP and is the basis of
the World Wide Web. In short, HTTP is a protocol for transferring information efficiently
between the requesting client and server. The data transferred may be plain text, hyper text.
Images or anything else. When a user browses the web, objects are retrieved in rapid
succession from often widely dispersed servers. For small documents the limitations to the
response time stem mainly from the number of round trip delays across the network
necessary before the rendition of the object can be started. HTTP does more than transfer
HTML documents.

HTTPD servers

Because information publishing is an important element of electronic commerce,

organizations must learn how to publish information via World Wide Web servers (Called
httpd servers).

6.1.4 BUSINESS USE OF INTERNET, INTRANET AND EXTRANET.

Internet:
  Surf: Point and click your way to thousands of hyperlinked websites and resources for
multimedia information, entertainment or electronic commerce.

 E-mail: Use e- mail and instant messaging to exchanger electronic message with
colleagues, friends and other internet users.

 Discuss: Participation in discussion forums of special-interest newsgroups, or hold

real-time text conversations in website chat rooms.

 Publish: post your opinion, subject matter, or creative work to a website or weblog for
others to read.

 Buy and sell: You can buy and sell practically anything via e-commerce retailers,
wholesalers, service providers and online auctions.

 Download: transfer data files, software, reports, articles, pictures, music and other
types of files to your computer system.

 Compute: log on to and use thousands of internet computer systems around the world.

 Other users: Make long –distance phone calls, hold desktop videoconferences, listen
to radio programs, watch television, play video games, explore virtual worlds. Etc.

Intranet:

 An intranet is a network inside an organization that uses internet technologies(such as

web browsers and servers, TCP/IP network protocols and so on) to provide an
internet-like environment within the enterprise for information sharing,
communications, collaboration and the support of business process.

 An intranet is protected by security measure such as passwords, encryption, and

firewalls, and thus can be accessed by authorized users through the intranet
company’s intranet can also be accessed through the intranets of customers, suppliers,
and other business partners via extranet links.

Extranet:

 Extranets are network links that use internet technologies to interconnect the intranet
of a business with the intranets of its customers, suppliers or other business partners.

 Companies can establish direct private network links between themselves, or create
private secure internet links between them called virtual private networks.

 Company can use the unsecured internet as the extranet link between its intranet and
consumers and others, but relay on encryption of sensitive data and its own firewall
systems to provide adequate security. Thus, extranets enable customers, suppliers,
consultants, subcontractors, business prospects and others to access selected intranet
websites and company databases.