Useful Books and Software

• Tomcat is the official reference implementation of Sun's servlet and JSP specifications, and Java developers must test all Web applications on Tomcat to ensure they work as designed
• Boasting more than 40 percent new and updated material, this book covers all the major new features affecting server administration and management
• Explores the additional built-in tools of Tomcat, which help Java developers program more efficiently, and looks at how Apache's other open source servlet/JSP technologies are designed to work with Tomcat
• Features full coverage of Release 6, which supports the latest JSP and servlet specifications: JSP 2.1 and Servlets 2.5
• Addresses solving real-world problems encountered during all phases of server administration, including managing class loaders and connectors, security, shared hosting and clustering, and system testing

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Many of the high-profile attacks on prominent Web sites of the last couple years are a direct result of poor Web site or Web application security.

With more than 65 percent of Web sites using the Apache Web server and the Apache-based open source Web development environment and with the risk of sabotage greater than ever Apache administrators and developers need to know how to build and maintain secure Web servers and Web applications.

Yet most of the currently available Apache books lack detailed information on important Web administration topics like security. Maximum Apache Security details the complex security weaknesses and risks of Apache, and provides hands-on solutions for keeping a Web site secure and buttressed against intruders. It includes up-to-date coverage of both Apache 2.0 as well as Apache 1.3.

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Security is one of the most important factors that Apache administrators need to consider. Determining who is allowed access to what, verifying that people and systems are who they say they are, and eliminating security holes that could allow crackers to gain unauthorized access to a system are all issues that the conscientious web server administrator needs to worry about on a daily basis.

Apache provides many features that can be used to either compromise server security or gather information about a server that the administrator would prefer kept secret. Of course, these features aren't there to create security holes, but the more complex the configuration the more chances we have of creating an unanticipated use of the server. Understanding what is and what is not expected behavior is essential, both when creating the server configuration and detecting possible misuse.

There is no such thing as a totally one hundred percent secure server, but in this book we'll delve into crucial aspects of Apache security and practical ways to setting up a safer, more secure implementation of an Apache server.

Publisher: Wrox Press
Author: Sandip Bhattacharya
Release Date: 2003-01
ISBN/EAN: 1861007760 / 9781861007766

New Price: $2.91 / Used Price: $2.86

In JavaServer Pages 2.0, Sun has added new features that make it even easier to create dynamic, interactive Web pages in Java. These include a built-in expression language and a library of tags (the JSP Standard Tag Library) that facilitate creation of pages.

Sams Teach Yourself JavaServer Pages 2.0 in 24 Hours starts with the basics of JSP, and explains the expression language, JSTL, creating new tags and more. Each lesson builds on the previous one, giving you a full picture of JSP development. Later chapters describe how to incorporate XML, interface with larger Java applications, work with popular frameworks such as Struts, and more. The book includes Apache Tomcat, Sun's reference implementation of JSP, so you can start developing applications immediately.

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Case in point: The ever-essential task of using PHP to open a connection to a MySQL database, submit a query to that database, receive a response, and format the returned rows, if any. The book addresses this problem with a straight code listing, followed by text that explains what's happening in five numbered steps. Similar care goes to the other popular applications of the PHP/MySQL duo: session management, shopping carts, and authentication of users. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use the PHP server-side scripting language and the MySQL database engine to underlie dynamic Web sites (those that rely on database queries) and full-on Web applications, such as those that require session management and maintenance of user rosters. Tutorials in both subjects begin with the basics and proceed through moderately complicated stuff, though there's no absolutely comprehensive reference here.

There are many reasons for serving up dynamic content from a web site: to offer an online shopping site, create customized information pages for users, or just manage a large volume of content through a database. Anyone with a modest knowledge of HTML and web site management can learn to create dynamic content through the PHP programming language and the MySQL database. This book gives you the background and tools to do the job safely and reliably.

"Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL," Second Edition thoroughly reflects the needs of real-world applications. It goes into detail on such practical issues as validating input (do you know what a proper credit card number looks like?), logging in users, and using templates

to give your dynamic web pages a standard look.

But this book goes even further. It shows how JavaScript and PHP can be used in tandem to make a user's experience faster and more pleasant. It shows the correct way to handle errors in user input so that a site looks professional. It introduces the vast collection of powerful tools available in the PEAR repository and shows how to use some of the most popular tools.

Even while it serves as an introduction to new programmers, the book does not omit critical tasks that web sites require. For instance, every site that allows updates must handle the possibility of multiple users accessing data at the same time. This book explains how to solve the problem in detail with locking.

Through a sophisticated sample application--Hugh and Dave's Wine Store--all the important techniques of dynamic content are introduced. Good design is emphasized, such as dividing logic from presentation. The book introducesPHP 5 and MySQL 4.1 features, while providing techniques that can be used on older versions of the software that are still in widespread use.

This new edition has been redesigned around the rich offerings of PEAR. Several of these, including the Template package and the database-independent query API, are fully integrated into examples and thoroughly described in the text. Topics include:

Installation and configuration of Apache, MySQL, and PHP on Unix(R), Windows(R), and Mac OS(R) X systems

Introductions to PHP, SQL, and MySQL administration

Session management, including the use of a custom database for improved efficiency

User input validation, security, and authentication

The PEAR repository, plus details on the use of PEAR DB and Template classes

Production of PDF reports

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Author: Hugh E. Williams
Release Date: 2004-05-16
ISBN/EAN: 0596005431 / 9780596005436

New Price: $25.66 / Used Price: $20.81

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This guide briefly tours the Web and covers basic HTML, tables, forms, and frames in a series of quick reads. (This discussion offers just enough information to jog the memory to proper HTML usage.) You'll get in-depth coverage of cascading style sheets (CSS), the Extensible Markup Language (XML), JavaScript, HTTP, CGI, and Perl. Stephen Spainhour and Robert Eckstein explore CSS in brief but do cover the pending W3C standard. They also provide a refreshingly quick overview of XML. To present JavaScript, the book makes excellent use of diagrams to illustrate the object hierarchy and the way the language works with windows and frames.

Webmaster takes on a decidedly public domain slant in its presentation of server configuration, primarily aimed at the freeware Apache server, and PHP, the freeware server-side scripting language. Even if you don't code with these tools, however, this book offers plenty of industry-standard reference. --Stephen Plain

First, there was HTML. Then along came JavaScript. Close on the heels of JavaScript came CSS and before you mastered that, along came XML. Behind every successful web page is an overworked and underappreciated webmaster with a big pile of books about various web technologies spilling out across their desk.

That collection of books is a valuable resource for delving into the topics at depth (and at leisure). But when you need an answer fast, the dog-eared book you'll turn to again and again is the new third edition of "Webmaster in a Nutshell,"

This concise and portable quick reference distills an immense amount of information on several languages and technologies into one compact reference book. This is one book that will pay for itself a thousand times over in time saved and increased productivity.

"Webmaster in a Nutshell" puts a fast-paced introduction, detailed reference section, and quick reference guide to each technology all within easy reach. It's packed full of the genuinely useful information a webmaster needs daily, whatever the technology, including:

HTML

CSS

XML

CGI

JavaScript

HTTP

PHP

Apache

This thorough, clear, and accessible reference makes it easy to find the information you want about the technologies you use. You'll keep your other books on the shelf; you'll keep "Webmaster in a Nutshell" next to your keyboard.

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Author: Stephen Spainhour
Release Date: 2002-12-01
ISBN/EAN: 0596003579 / 9780596003579

New Price: $16.07 / Used Price: $7.22