Interfacing to Databases
Besides the basic Web server software, you may need to install additional software to round out your server’s capabilities. For instance, if you are going to connect to a live database, you will need to install the database software, whether it be Oracle, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, or some other database. Your scenario may call for the server software and database software to reside on a single piece of server hardware, or you may choose to run your database software on a separate box.
Whether your database resides on the same box or a separate one, you will need to be able to interface your Web server software with your database. Fortunately, a standard known as ODBC provides a standard way to interface with most popular databases. Database “middleware” tools such as Cold Fusion provide the glue to connect your Web server to any ODBC-compliant database. If you choose to run a Windows NT server with Active Server Pages under Microsoft’s IIS, you will be able to interface directly with an Access or SQL database. The Toolkit demonstration software assumes this model.
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