The Microsoft Windows NT Server Resource Kit version 4.0 compact disc includes several tools for Internet users, including the following:

• Telnet Server, a tool that enables remote clients to use Telnet to log on to the Windows NT Server as if the remote client is using a local terminal.

• Microsoft dbWeb, a gateway between Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) data sources and the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS).

This chapter provides information about these tools and how to use them. For specific information about installation or command syntax, see Resource Kit Tools Help. At the end of this chapter is a list of other Microsoft products and development tools for Internet users.

Microsoft Telnet Server (Beta)

The Telnet Server tool in the Microsoft Windows NT Server Resource Kit version 4.0 provides basic TCP/IP Telnet Server functionality. A computer running the Telnet Server tool under Windows NT Server can support connections from various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based and Windows NT–based computers.

The Telnet Server tool supports command-line execution of commands that normally can be run in the command window—for example, TCP/IP tool or MS-DOS commands. A command you enter at the remote Telnet client console (computer) runs on the Windows NT– based Telnet Server computer. The Telnet Server then sends the results of the command back to the remote Telnet client computer.

When you install Windows NT Server or Windows NT Workstation, a Telnet client is automatically installed in the Accessories folder. You use the Telnet client to connect to another computer running a TCP/IP– based Telnet server—for example, the Windows NT– based Telnet server, or a UNIX-based Telnet server.

Each Telnet client session started on the Windows NT–based Telnet server is allocated a console session that runs in the remote user's desktop context and that does not interfere with any local user sessions on the computer running Telnet Server under Windows NT. At the start of a Telnet session, the remote Telnet client must provide a user name and password to log on to the Windows NT– based Telnet Server. This information is used to create a console session with the security attributes of the user. For example, an administrator can log on to a computer running Windows NT Workstation, start the Windows NT– based Telnet client, connect to the computer running Windows NT Server with the Telnet Server tool, and run command-line scripts to add users, services, and so on.

Note: The Telnet Server tool provided with the Microsoft Windows NT Server Resource Kit version 4.0 is beta software. It does not support terminal types and provides only basic TTY functionality. To ask questions about the Telnet Server tool, contact rkinput@microsoft.com.

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Microsoft dbWeb

Microsoft dbWeb is a gateway between Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) data sources and the Internet Information Server. You can use Microsoft dbWeb to selectively publish data from an ODBC data source by using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages. A user of a Web browser can easily create data queries and navigate by using hyperlinks through the data. But you control which data is accessible to users by creating parameters under Microsoft dbWeb that limit the data that can be retrieved by the user data queries. In other words, you can use Microsoft dbWeb to control access to the data you publish on the Internet and to provide easy-to-use tools such as query-by-example (QBE) and HTML.

Microsoft dbWeb supports 32-bit ODBC databases including:

• Microsoft SQL Server

• Microsoft Access

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro™

The architecture of Microsoft dbWeb includes these services, which are discussed in the sections that follow:

• The dbWeb Administrator, a graphical user interface

• The dbWeb Internet Server Application Program Interface (ISAPI) client (dbWebc.dll)

• The schema repository, a Microsoft Access database (dbWeb.mdb)

• The dbWeb Service, a Windows NT Server service

dbWeb Administrator

The dbWeb Administrator is the component that an administrator uses to create schemas. Schemas control how the information in a database is published on the Internet and define the query and the resulting HTML pages that display to Internet clients.

The dbWeb Administrator provides an interactive Schema Wizard that leads you through the schema creation process by asking a series of questions. You can use the wizard to:

• Specify search fields for a query-by-example (QBE) HTML page.

• Choose the data fields that will appear on a displayed HTML page.

• Specify the links within a displayed HTML page for interactive data navigation.

For information about using the dbWeb Wizard, see Resource Kit Tools Help.

dbWeb ISAPI Client

The dbWeb ISAPI client (dbWebc.dll) is the component that acts as the interface between the Internet client and the dbWeb service.

dbWeb Schema Repository

The dbWeb schema repository is a Microsoft Access database that stores query and formatting information. This information is entered by a site administrator by using the dbWeb Administrator service. After the query and formatting information is entered in the dbWeb schema, it is used by the dbWeb service, in turn, to retrieve user data selections or queries from the Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, or other 32-bit ODBC data source.

dbWeb Service

The dbWeb service component communicates with a user of Internet Explorer or another Web browser. The dbWeb service is a gateway that sends the user data queries to the ODBC data source.

When a user selects a schema, the dbWeb service retrieves the schema from the schema repository and uses it to dynamically build HTML pages in the form of query-by-example (QBE) forms, query results, or other method requests.

For instructions on how to configure and start the dbWeb service, see Resource Kit Tools Help.

The interaction between the dbWeb service and Internet clients is illustrated in Figure 7.1.

Installing and Running Microsoft dbWeb

To start Microsoft dbWeb, you need the following components installed on your computer:

• Windows NT Server version 4.0, or version 3.51 with Service Pack 4

• Internet Information Server

• Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver

• Microsoft dbWeb

• Internet Explorer or another Web browser

Note: Before installing Microsoft dbWeb, you must install Microsoft Internet Information Server and the ODBC driver. For detailed information about installing Microsoft dbWeb and about using the dbWeb Administrator and the dbWeb service, see Resource Kit Tools Help.

To ask questions about Microsoft dbWeb, contact rkinput@microsoft.com.

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Additional Internet Products from Microsoft

Microsoft has developed browser, server, viewer, authoring, and development products specifically for the Internet. These products help you publish and view information on the Internet, and can be used to develop new Internet-based applications. You can get information about Microsoft products for the Internet at the Microsoft Internet Resource Center at http://www.microsoft.com/internet.

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