authentication
Allows client to make sure they are connected to a secure server, preventing another computer from impersonating the server or attempting to appear secure when it isn't.
authorization
Controls who has access to an entire server or particular files and directories on it. Restrictions can include hostnames and IP addresses.
browser
Software used to request and view World Wide Web material. Also known as a client program.
cache
A copy of original data stored locally so that it doesn't have to be retrieved from a remote server again when requested.
CGI
Common Gateway Interface. An interface for external programs to "talk" to the HTTP server. Programs that are written to use CGI are called CGI programs or CGI scripts. CGI programs handle forms or perform output parsing not normally done by the server.
client
Also see browser.
common logfile format
The common logfile format is the format used by the server for entering information into the access logs. The format is the same among all of the major servers, including the Netscape FastTrack and Enterprise servers.
daemon
A background process responsible for a particular system task.
DNS
Domain Name System. The system used by machines on a network to associate standard IP addresses (such as 198.93.93.10) with hostnames (such as www.netscape.com). Machines normally get this translated information from a DNS server, or look it up in tables maintained on their systems.
DNS alias
A DNS alias is a hostname that the DNS server knows points to a different host--specifically a DNS CNAME record. Machines always have one real name, but they can have one or more aliases. For example, www.[yourdomain].[domain] might be an alias that points to a real machine called realthing.[yourdomain].[domain] where the server currently exists.
document root
A directory on the server machine that contains the files, images, and data you want to present to users accessing the server.
expires header
The expiration time of the returned document, specified by the remote server.
fancy indexing
Fancy indexing provides more information than simple indexing. Fancy indexing displays a list of contents by name with file size, last modification date, and an icon reflecting file type. Because of this, fancy indexes might take longer than simple indexes for the client to load.
file extension
The last section of a file name that typically defines the type of file (for example, .GIF and .HTML). For example, in the filename index.html the file extension is html.
file type
The format of a given file. For example, a graphics file doesn't have the same file type as a text file. File types are usually identified by the file extension (.GIF or .HTML).
flexible log format
The flexible log format is a format used by the server for entering information into the access logs.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. An Internet protocol that allows files to be transferred from one computer to another over a network.
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format. A cross-platform image format originally created by CompuServe. GIF files are usually much smaller in size than other graphic file types (.BMP, .TIFF). GIF is one of the most common interchange formats. GIF images are readily viewable on UNIX, Microsoft Windows, and Apple Macintosh systems.
hard restart
Terminating the process, and starting it up again.
home page
A document that exists on the server and acts as a catalog or entry point for the server's contents. The location of this document is defined within the server's configuration files.
hostname
A name for a machine of the form machine.domain.dom, which is translated into an IP address. For example, www.netscape.com is the machine www in the subdomain netscape and com domain.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language is a formatting language used for documents on the World Wide Web. HTML files are plain text files with formatting codes that tell browsers such as the Netscape Navigator how to display text, position graphics and form items, and display links to other pages.
HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The method for exchanging information between HTTP servers and clients.
HTTP-NG
The next generation of HyperText Transfer Protocol.
HTTPD
An abbreviation for the HTTP daemon, a program that serves information using the HTTP protocol. The Netscape Communications Server is often called an httpd.
HTTPS
A secure version of HTTP, implemented using the secure sockets layer, SSL.
imagemap



A process that makes areas of an image active, letting users navigate and obtain information by clicking the different regions of the image with a mouse. Imagemap can also refer to a CGI program called "imagemap," which is used to handle imagemap functionality in other httpd implementations.
inittab
A UNIX file that lists programs that need to be restarted if they stop for any reason (this ensures a program continually runs). It is also called /etc/inittab because of its location. This isn't available on all UNIX systems.
Internet
IP address
Internet Protocol address--a set of numbers, separated by dots, that specifies the actual location of a machine on the Internet (for example, 198.93.93.10).
ISINDEX
Documents can often use a network navigator's capabilities to accept a search string and send it to the server to access a searchable index without using forms. In order to use ISINDEX, you must create a query handler.
ISMAP
ISMAP is an extension to the IMG SRC tag used in an HTML document to tell the server that the named image is an imagemap.
last-modified header
The last modification time of the document file, returned in the HTTP response from the server.
MD5
A message digest algorithm by RSA Data Security, Inc., which can be used to produce a short digest of data of any size, that is unique with high probability, and it is mathematically extremely hard to produce a piece of data that will produce the same message digest.
MD5 signature
A message digest produced by the MD5 algorithm.
MIB
Management Information Base.
MIME
Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions. This is an emerging standard for multimedia email and messaging.
NIS
Network Information Service. A system of programs and data files that UNIX machines use to collect, collate, and share specific information about machines, users, file systems, and network parameters throughout a network of computers.
password file
A file on UNIX machines that stores UNIX user login names, passwords, and user ID numbers. It is also known as /etc/passwd, because of where it is kept.
protocol
A set of rules that describes how devices on a network exchange information.
public information directories
Directories not inside the document root that are in a UNIX user's home directory, or directories that are under the user's control.
RAM
Random access memory. The physical semiconductor-based memory in a computer.
rc.local
A file on UNIX machines that describes programs that are run when the machine starts. It is also called /etc/rc.local because of its location.
realm
A term used in HTTP and proxy access authorization that helps the user identify what part of the system is asking for an HTTP or proxy user name and password.
redirection
A system by which clients accessing a particular URL are sent to a different location, either on the same server or on a different server. This is useful if a resource has moved and you want the clients to use the new location transparently. It's also used to maintain the integrity of relative links when directories are accessed without a trailing slash.
resource
Any document (URL), directory, or program that the server can access and send to a client that asks for it.
RFC
Request For Comments.
root
The most privileged user available on UNIX machines. The root user has complete access privileges to all files on the machine.
server daemon
The server daemon is a process that, once running, listens for and accepts requests from clients.
server root
A directory on the server machine dedicated to holding the server program, configuration, maintenance, and information files.
simple index
The opposite of fancy indexing--this type of directory listing displays only the names of the files without any graphical elements.
SOCKS
Firewall software that establishes a connection from inside a firewall to the outside when direct connection would otherwise be prevented by the firewall software or hardware (for example, the router configuration).
soft restart
Causes the server to internally restart, that is, reread its configuration files, by sending the process the HUP signal (signal number one). The process itself does not die, as it does in hard restart.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer. A software library establishing a secure connection between two parties (client and server) used to implement HTTPS, the secure version of HTTP.
strftime
A function that converts a date and a time to a string. It's used by the server when appending trailers. strftime has a special format language for the date and time that the server can use in a trailer to illustrate a file's last modified date.
superuser
The most privileged user available on UNIX machines (also called root). The superuser has complete access privileges to all files on the machine.
Sym-links
Abbreviation for symbolic links, which is a type of redirection used by the UNIX operating system. Sym-links let you create a pointer from one part of your file system to an existing file or directory on another part of the file system.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
telnet
A protocol where two machines on the network are connected to each other and support terminal emulation for remote login.
timeout
A specified time after which the server should give up trying to finish a service routine that appears hung.
top
A program on some UNIX systems that shows the current state of system resource usage.
top-level domain authority
The highest category of hostname classification, usually signifying either the type of organization the domain is (for example, .com is a company, .edu is an educational institution) or the country of its origin (for example, .us is the United States, .jp is Japan, .au is Australia, .fi is Finland).
uid
A unique number associated with each user on a UNIX system.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator. The addressing system used by the server and the client to request documents. It is often called a location. The format of a URL is [protocol]://[machine:port]/[document]
A sample URL is http://www.netscape.com/index.html.
URL database
A database in the Netscape cache that contains all the URLs found in the cache, and links them to the cache files. This database can be browsed using the Cache Manager.
URL database repair
A process that repairs and updates a URL database that has been damaged by a software failure, a system crash, a disk breakdown, or a full file system.