Maximum Performance with WebSphere Application Server V5.1 on iSeries

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Chapter 6. Tuning the IBM HTTP Server

(powered by Apache)

Through the various transitions of Web servers for the iSeries, the fundamental base in which

to work from has, for the most part, always been the IBM HTTP Server. Underneath the

covers, it has more or less been equated to the famous and now universally accepted Apache

Web server.

The Apache Web server has been around for nearly 10 years and is currently the most widely

used among the top servers. Furthermore, it is freeware, open-source software, and highly

configurable and easily extendable. You can find additional information about Apache on the

Web at:

http://www.apache.org

So why do we call it IBM HTTP Server (powered by Apache)? This is because the Apache on

the iSeries is based on the open-source server code (version 2.0), but not the actual source

code. Additional enhancements for the iSeries have been made. This chapter focuses on how

to use the HTTP Server (powered by Apache), and not solely the previous versions of the IBM

HTTP Server. Reference to the HTTP Server in this chapter imply powered by Apache.

This chapter goes deep into the performance issues centered around the HTTP Server. In

particular, it sifts through the following areas:

 Web server performance

 Caching

 Persistent connections

 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS)

 HTTP server tuning options

 Static content location

 References

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