ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of how Web browsers and servers operate and details many of the technologies that are prevalent in i*net environments. It provides a concise description of important Web technologies for the reader who does not have an extensive Web programming background. There are two necessary software components required to complete a Web transaction: the Web browser and the Web server. The Web browser is software that resides on a client machine, which could be a personal computer, laptop, personal digital assistant, Web phone, or a specialized appliance. The Web server is a program that runs on a server machine, which is usually equipped with lots of power, memory, and disk capacity to support many concurrent users. HyperText Transfer Protocol is a standard that specifies the format that the Web browser will use to phrase its request and that the Web server will use to format its response.
