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Web Servers

Answers to Questions about...
Web Servers

8. Can I use one computer to serve several webs?

Yes. The details of multi-homing or virtual hosting, as the technique is called, depend on your operating system. For Unix servers, refer to Dan Pritchett's excellent reference, Two Servers, One Interface. Each flavor of Unix and each httpd implements virtual hosting in its own joyful way, which Dan has dutifully cataloged.

Windows NT can support up to 16 IP addresses on a single network adapter card. (Up to 5 can be added via Control Panel->Network->TCP/IP Protocol->Advanced, the remaining must be added in the Registry.) Instructions for setting up multiple hosts on IIS can be found in a few places: the product documentation; online at Web66, the phenomenal resource for educators; and in a useful how-to article from the Windows Sources magazine (Sep.97).

The article "Creating a Virtual Server with Java Sockets" (Microsoft INteractive Developer, Jan.97) describes an interesting and unorthodox approach to virtual hosting.