Professional Site Server 3.0 [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Nick Apostolopoulos (Author), Steve Edens (Author), Mike Kendzierski (Author), Stephen Howard (Author), Steven Livingstone (Author), Craig McQueen (Author), Marco Tabini (Author), Alex Toussaint (Author), Peter Watt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

The Web is a fast-changing, fast-growing environment, and there are ever-expanding opportunities for businesses to take advantage of. However, producing Web-based solutions in a feasible time-scale is often a challenge. Any Web solution for a business is likely to incorporate a number of different technologies: dealing with data access, mailing, and so on. Applications that draw on all these different technologies can become very complex, but the demands of the Web mean that such applications should also be flexible and scalable. As more and more people become connected to the Internet, and businesses put larger portions of their operations online, your Website may well experience higher volumes of traffic than originally bargained for, and it's essential that your site can keep up with increases in demand.

In this sort of environment, starting from scratch in building a complex, scalable site can be an expensive task. Site Server 3.0 gives you a head start in putting your site together, and building a scalable configuration. Site Server, in essence, is a collection of tools that cover a huge range of functionality: content management, searching and indexing, setting up membership for your site and then personalizing content for those members, and analyzing usage patterns on your site, to name but a few of the options available. With Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition you also have all the tools to create and maintain an online store.

You may not want to use every tool provided with Site Server, or implement every feature, but if you are trying to develop an integrated, dynamic site then Site Server can save you having to start from square one. This book provides an introduction to installing, configuring, and using Site Server, and will help you get the most out of it for your Web site.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

While Microsoft Site Server is a powerful and productive way to build commerce sites, the breadth of the suite's features make it tough to get an immediate handle on the product. Professional Site Server 3.0 is a definitive guide that serves as both a tutorial to Site Server's features as well as an implementation guide.

The authors--a group of experts inside and outside Microsoft--address all of the installation issues, followed by how to manage content and users. Case studies show how to integrate various Web technologies with Site Server and how to deploy public and private commerce sites.

Each section is well-organized and includes plenty of code examples and architectural diagrams. The writing isn't cluttered with formatting gimmicks but is rather a straightforward presentation of essential material. Though developers of all stripes should be able to handle the content, the book is best suited to those already experienced in Microsoft IIS and ASP development.

If you develop Microsoft Web sites, you should investigate Site Server. If you use this powerful tool, you should definitely have this guide on your shelf. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Server/network configuration, security, personalization, membership, administration, content management, site analysis, online storefronts, pipelines, and business-to-business solutions.

From the Publisher

Professional Site Server 3.0 is a comprehensive Site Server compendium aimed at each of the following groups. First, program managers and product managers who are interested in furthering their web endeavors and using all of the available tools and resources that Microsoft provides, or who have already invested in Site Server Commerce and want to use it to its full potential Second, the book will be heavily weighted towards using programming Site Server 3.0 and will appeal directly to developers and consultants who have to implement and solve real-world problems with Site Server. The book will provide readers with real-world examples that they can apply to their own current problems.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1104 pages
• Publisher: Wrox Press; 1st edition (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861002696
• ISBN-13: 978-1861002693
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,825,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anthony (Joey) Bernal is an Executive IT Specialist with Software Services for Lotus. Sr. Certified with IBM as an I/T Specialist, he has an extensive background in the design and development of Portal and Web Applications. He has led the design and development of many web and client-server applications. His technical knowledge, management and methodology skills, leadership, and attitude have contributed to the successful completion of many major WebSphere and Portal projects.

Joey helps to lead the Software Services team in several technical areas include application architecture, performance, and more. Also he assits with many of the cross-brand challenges that leverage WebSphere Portal. By its inherent nature of being a platform to integrate applications, WebSphere Portal projects require significant cross-brand expertise. All WebSphere Portal projects have products from multiple brands, and many have products from all five brands in the solution. Specifically, Joey works to reduce the challenges presented by the cross-brand nature of WebSphere Portal projects, especially on the use of newer technologies such as the integration of WebSphere Portal with Services Oriented Architectures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than the rest, but still lacking...., March 10, 2000

By 

Christopher L. Hansen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Site Server 3.0 (Paperback)

Professional Site Sertver 3.0 from Wrox is the best book that I have read that explains overall what is going on under the hood of SS 3.0. SS is a complex piece of software that integrates with many other MS Back Office solutions, particulalry IIS 4.0 and SQL Server 7.0. The problem is you will need more information than what they give you here due to the complexity of the toolset and configurations.

Ultimately, you will be interested in buying Wrox's Site Server Personalization and Membership to get a more thorough understanding of this critical component. This is a good example of how in depth the material converage should be for each of SS's components.

Last word: This is a great book for now, but ultimately it will leave you in a pinch for more detailed information as you traverse your installation and configuration. Additionall, it lacks coverage in the design of truly scalable enterprise e-commerce architecture using SS, and the interoperability of third-party modular components, say, for instance, if you want to integrate an accounting system, or a different order fulfillment software, or transcation processing outside of MS Wallet (e.g. Transact).

It would be a huge boon to the people using this if publishers would get on the trail of the hottest technology since NT, and publish some in depth Site Server books based on the modularity of its design. Hoping to encompass all of the feature sets in a 1000 page book will leave you feeling like a kid in a candy store with only a nickle in his pocket. -ch

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as many say, March 6, 2000

By 

Charles J. Fennimore - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Site Server 3.0 (Paperback)

I'm working on setting up a corporate intranet web site that will use Site Server primarily for Content Management, Search and Analysis. The book does not adequately explain the process for setting up this type of site. The Membership Server installation is not fully explained and you will probably end up using Access as your database. The example sites that ship with the product are not much help either. The section "Creating a FrontPage Publishing Site" is also lacking necessary detail for this scenario. They try to cover way too much material in one book. Also, there are so many different ways to set up Site Server that you could have a book this size just to cover that topic. Only small sections of this book have been helpful. I'm thinking that when I finish this project I'm going to write my own book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Content, Bad Edit, November 30, 1999

By 

Michael Lynn (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Site Server 3.0 (Paperback)

Site Server has so many facets that it is tough to cover them all without dilluting each. This book contains a good deal of detail about each of Site Server's capabilities. Kudos to the Authors, Jeers to the editors - I have found a tremendous amount of spelling errors. (Than again, reelly, hoo kares abowt that stuff anyweigh? )