Using Domino to store Web pages as documents in a database has a major advantage over storing static HTML pages: using Domino, any change that you make to a database is automatically reflected on the Web server.

The following diagram shows how the Web server displays a Notes document as an HTML page to a browser client.

Any Domino application can be a Web application. Before you create a Web application, become familiar with the Domino features that can be translated into HTML and determine whether Web browser users, Notes clients, or both will access the application. You can use the Notes formula language to detect which type of user is accessing the application and then, based on the user type, change the display of information in the application.

A Domino Web site can consist of a single database or several databases that are connected by links. In addition to hosting Web sites, the Web server can run other server tasks, such as mail or directory services. Be sure to enforce security on databases if you do not want users outside your organization to access the databases on the server.

For information on designing Web applications, see Lotus Domino Designer Help.

Web server features

Domino includes these Web server features:

• Translation of Notes features into HTML code. For example, in HTML code, hot spot links are translated into anchor (<A>) tags.
• Passthru HTML. This is HTML code that you include in a form, document, or About and Using documents that Domino does not interpret during the page translation. Passthru HTML lets you use Web-only text formatting, links, images, commands, and programs. Using passthru HTML, you can combine Domino features with HTML code.
• Security for applications using standard Domino security, such as the database ACL, and Internet security features, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and name-and-password authentication.
• Support for Java applets that are referenced using passthru HTML or embedded in a document.
• Support for JavaScript™ that is included as passthru HTML or embedded directly in a document.
• Support for CGI programs that are referenced using passthru HTML in a document. CGI supports EXE, CMD, and BAT files and scripts written in Perl, Python, and PHP.
• Support for static HTML pages that are referenced in a directory on the server's hard drive. Static HTML pages can be referenced by passthru HTML included in a document or can be requested directly using a URL.
• Support for a last-modified header in Domino URLs, which allows many Web browsers or proxy servers to cache Domino pages.
• Support for URL extensions that expose Domino functionality to the Web client -- for example, opening a database or view.
• Redirecting and remapping URLs and directories to another location.
• Support for multiple Web sites with separate DNS names to exist on a single server machine.
• Support for server clusters, which allow a server to fail over to an answering server if the first server is unavailable and provides load balancing to maximize response time for users.
• Domino Web Server Application Interface (DSAPI) supports all phases of request handling, including mapping and transforming incoming URLs, authenticating and authorizing users, processing requests, and logging.

Web logs (blogs) and RSS feeds

Web logs (blogs) and RSS feeds can be hosted on Domino Web servers. IBM® Lotus® Notes® Basic includes two application templates for creating Domino Web logs (blogs) and syndicating content from Notes applications by creating RSS feeds using view content.

For information about using the Domino blog template (DOMINOBLOG.NTF), see Lotus Notes Help.

For information about using the Domino RSS template (RSS_GENERATOR.NTF), see the documentation that is available with the template.

Domino XML services

You enable Domino Web XML services on the Web server so that the server can work with the Common Mail and Common Calendar portlets for IBM WebSphere® Portal.

For information about the setting up and using the Common PIM portlets with Domino, see the current IBM WebSphere Portal Information Center.

Making Web site content changes

You might find it convenient to set up one Web server as a production server and another Web server as a "staging" server. Web content managers can make changes on the staging server without exposing the changes to users. After all changes to the Web site are complete, the Web content manager replicates the Web site from the staging server to the production server. In addition, using a staging server allows Web content managers to view changes through a browser before replicating.

If you use a staging server, give access only to Web content managers. Also be sure to give the Web content managers replication access on both the staging server and the production server.

In this example, Web content managers make changes on Webstage-E and replicate these changes to Web-E, which is available to users outside the firewall.

Related topics

Setting up a Domino server as a Web server

Glossary