For example if no explicit port is specified in a url, port 80 is implicit, so that the following urls are equivalent:
If a web server will do nothing but satisfy requests which are intended for an APL-based web service, then it is possible to use port 80 or one of the other conventionally open ports for the APL-based web service and the client workstation will not have to open any 'special ports'. This situation generally means that only the APLNext WebServices web server will be installed on the web server.
If a web server will satisfy requests which are intended for both an APL-based web service and a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)-based web service, then a port must be designated for the APL-based web service so that requests intended for it will not be improperly directed to IIS and visa versa. This is because when IIS is installed on a web server by default it attempts to satisfy requests received on port 80 and other conventional ports.
With respect to APLNext WebServices, there are several ways to avoid having a client workstation open a special port and instead use a conventional port such as 80 for the APL-based web service:
- As noted above a web server can be exclusively devoted to satisfying client requests intended for an APL-based web service which is deployed using the ‘standard’ version of APLNext WebServices.
Instead of using the ‘standard’ version of APLNext WebServices, use the ‘IIS-integrated’ version of APLNext WebServices which APLNext announced at the 2012 APL2000 Conference in Jersey City, NJ. The ‘IIS-integrated’ version of APLNext WebServices uses IIS to identify which client requests are intended for the APL-based web service, so port 80 can be effectively and efficiently shared between IIS and APLNext WebServices.
Instead of having APLNext WebServices be publicly exposed to clients, introduce an intermediate Microsoft Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service as an interface between the client and the ‘standard’ version of APLNext WebServices. The WCF service receives client requests through IIS using port 80 and then redirects that request to APLNext WebServices using the APLNext WebTransfer tool which is available on request to APLNext WebServices licensees.
For an APL-based web service which will have an extremely light user load and for which high-speed performance is not a requirement, an IIS-based web service, using a conventional port and technology such as ASP, ASP.Net or WCF, can be deployed which directs a client request to an instance of APL+Win ActiveX server created transiently, request-by-request.
To learn more about web services technology, please contact sales@apl2000.com.