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.
Nick Apostolopoulos
Nick Apostolopoulos is a software consultant, developer, and trainer in San Diego, California. His company, A13 Digital Media, specializes in the design and development of Internet and Multimedia solutions, with a primary focus on E-Commerce applications using Site Server. He would like to make the following acknowledgements: To Jeremy Beacock, thank you for giving me this opportunity, in spite of all of the obstacles. To Chris Hindley, Joanna Mason, and Peter Jones, thank you for all of your patience during my struggle to complete this project. I am forever grateful.
Joey Bernal
Joey Bernal. Anthony (Joey) Bernal is the Director of Information Technology at Impact Performance, a performance improvement company based out of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Joey has worked for or provided consulting services to an array of business and government organizations worldwide including Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Price Waterhouse, the U.S. Dept. of Health, the U.S. Forest Service, Firstar, CNS, and Jostens. Joey has a B.S. in Computer Science and has several years experience teaching at the University level. He lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota with his wife Christiane and their 4 children, Daniel, Christopher, Julia, and Oliver.
Steve Edens
Steve Edens is a principle consultant and developer for NetSail Internet Commerce, an Internet Service provider for Microsoft Site Server solutions. Prior to being a founding member of NetSail in 1996, Steve was a Manager and Systems Engineer for IBM for thirteen years focusing on Customer Relationship and Satisfaction systems. Steve teaches Electronic Commerce at the New England Institute of Technology and has a wonderful family with three children. In his spare time, if any, he likes to jog and ride his bicycle.
Robert Howard
Robert Howard is a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft's Developer Relations Group. He advises organizations on how best to implement Microsoft products, and he writes and reviews code and provides technical support to said organizations.
Stephen Howard
Stephen Howard is a Consultant/Developer with Breakaway Solutions, Inc. He is responsible for the development of Internet Applications, primarily using Microsoft technologies. Currently, he is working on an institutional investment research site using Microsoft Site Server. Prior to software development, Stephen pursued a career in telecommunications.
Stephen is originally from the UK although he now lives and works in Philadelphia. He would like to thank Jeff Freedman and Gene Wenning for their invaluable assistance.
Mike Kendzierski
Mike Kendzierski, Director of Internet Services at USWeb/CKS Cornerstone brings extensive experience deploying and developing complex client-server and Internet e-commerce systems. Mike is a regular speaker at technical conferences such as Microsoft Explorer and ASPDevCon on topics ranging from e-commerce systems to systems design and network architecture for high performance web sites.
Mike is also a published technical author with titles including Windows NT and BackOffice technologies such as Site Server and Internet Information Server. When he's not busy wandering the streets of the Upper East Side in NYC, you can find him at Barnes & Noble sipping coffee and reading magazines for free. Mike welcomes e-mail, and can be reached at mkendzierski@att.net.
Steven Livingstone
Steven Livingstone is based in Glasgow, Scotland and specializes in developing distributed web applications for business, as well as the creation of Electronic Commerce stores using Site Server and XML. He also maintains the citix.com and deltabiz.com web sites. He enjoys trying to learn other languages, travel and sport, especially watching Celtic (when they win). He would like to make the following acknowledgements: I would like to thank everyone I know for the patience they have shown while I was writing and my cat Rambo for the important code changes she made whilst constantly walking over the keyboard. I would also like to dedicate my section of the book to my Grandma and my late Grandad, Daniel O'Sullivan, who have always been an inspiration to me. I can be contacted at ceo@citix.com.
Craig McQueen
Craig is a Principal Consultant at Sage Information Consultants, Inc. His role at Sage is to guide clients in their adoption of Internet technologies into their existing business. Recently, he led an E-commerce implementation of Site Server at a major consumer electronics company. Previous to consulting, Craig led the development of two retail Internet products: InContext WebAnalyzer and InContent FlashSite.
Craig has a Master of Science degree from the University of Toronto where he specialized in Human-Computer Interaction. He can code for hours at a time as long as he has good music to listen to.
Marco Tabini
Marco Tabini is an electronic commerce specialist based in Toronto, Canada. He provides custom solution for clients who desire to bring their business online, and writes about electronic commerce and Site Server on various publications. He is the author of "Professional Site Server 3" (Wrox Press, 1999).
Alex Toussaint
Alex Toussaint has been working with e-commerce Web applications for the past five years. He is currently working with Works.com and their new commerce site. Previous projects include sites for Motorola, Ziff Davis, and PCOrder. He also writes technical articles for different web sites including Microsoft MSDN. When not traveling to Brazil or Hawaii he can be seen in Austin, Texas. If you have any questions or comments he can be reached at netoz@yahoo.com.
Peter Watt
Peter Watt is a Principal Consultant in the Microsoft Solutions Group at Optimation, New Zealand's premier technical consultancy company. After a number of years as an IBM mainframe systems programmer, Peter's recent focus has been on the use of Windows NT in large enterprises. He is a specialist in the use of Internet technologies, with a particular interest in Directory Services and Public Key Infrastructures. Peter only tinkers with computers in his spare time. His real job involves trying to keep up with his soul mate Wilma and his five children. He also wants it known that he is the proud owner of a new Jeep Wrangler, and that those things really do go anywhere. You can reach Peter at peterw@optimation.co.nz.
