Perl/Apache Alternative to IIS/ASP

[Chris Radcliff]

~sdpm~
Peter C. de Tagyos wrote:
 > So I guess what I am really asking, is how do I build a multi-tier
 > system using Apache, Perl, and other open-source products? If such
 > systems aren't necessary, why not?
 >

If you're looking for a multi-tier system with business logic separate 
from Web serving, you should take a look at FastCGI. (www.fastcgi.com) 
It allows Apache to execute persistent processes on remote machines with 
the same (or greater) performance as mod_perl. You can set up either 
tier as a single machine or a cluster, with the database on one of the 
biz machines or on a separate machine.

For better abstraction with business objects, you can also implement a 
SOAP layer behind your rendering layer, similar to your current COM+ 
layer. This also allows objects to be designed in other languages (I use 
it to access Java servlets) if the need arises. You could even integrate 
business partners with the same subsystem.

I've written a bit about FastCGI at 
http://www.globalspin.com/thebook/chapter10.html and a bit about SOAP at 
  http://www.globalspin.com/thebook/chapter18.html -- I'd be happy to 
give specific recommendations on how to set such a system up. (I use 
them all the time at work.) Done right, it can be a flexible system 
that's easy to develop.

Cheers,
~chris

ps- One other note; you can expect to see considerably better 
performance out of your Apache/FastCGI/Perl/SOAP setup than your 
IIS/ISAPI/ASP/COM+ setup. Keep that in mind when drawing up specs.

~sdpm~

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