With Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), Web authors have many choices when it comes to publishing content to the Internet.

Basic Linked Content

The most basic type of Web content described as static and linked. This material contains basic Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), embedded graphics and links for navigation. The same content is shown to all visitors.

Dynamic HTML

With the introduction of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Web authors can use dynamic HTML to control any page element, and to change styles, positioning, and content at any time—even after the client loads the page.

Data Bound Applications

Active Data Objects (ADO) and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) technologies enable databases accessible from either an intranet or the Internet. Using ADO and ODBC, a Web browser can be an interface for a database, allowing Web authors to create interactive and customized Web content.

Interactive Applications

To create Web-based applications, IIS provides Active Server and Active Client technologies. With these technologies, you can book a hotel, complete expense reports, or check your personal information, all from the Web browser.

Personalization and Transaction Processing

Adding to the data bound and interactive applications, Microsoft Personalization Server and Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) enable users to personalize and manage Web applications. Personalization Server works with Active Server Pages to dynamically generate Web pages based on stored user preferences, allowing you to deliver targeted content to each site visitor.

Microsoft Transaction Server allows an application development as if it is to run on only one computer. It speeds and simplifies the software development process, so the developer doesn't have to worry about issues such as security, a context of the users, and scalability. When an application invokes MTS, it ensures that all the necessary issues, such as safety and user context, are handled. Installing MTS enables applications that have been written to take advantage of it to run on IIS. Besides, MTS makes it easy to manage these transactional applications.