Integration with Other Services

FrontPage allows for integration with the Indexing Service, databases and SMTP servers. Each component is easy to configure and can enhance the capabilities of the Web site. The WebBots included with FrontPage are quite comprehensive and work well in the Internet Information Services environment. I encourage clients to make full use of the FrontPage components whenever possible, unless they want to learn ASP coding and Visual Basic scripting.

This section discusses integration with both the Indexing Service and SMTP servers. Database integration with Internet Information Services is not discussed here, because it is covered in Chapter 11, "Connecting to Databases."

Indexing Service

FrontPage can use the FreeWAIS search engine included with the Server Extensions, or the Indexing Service, to make the site searchable. If the Indexing Service is installed, FrontPage will default to use the Indexing Service. However, some administrators, including myself, find the Indexing Service to be bulky and difficult to work with. It also causes functionality problems when installed on the same Web server as the Server Extensions' search engine. To tell the Server Extensions not to use the Indexing Service, set the NoIndexServer configuration variable to 1 in the Registry. See the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions Resource Kit and the Indexing Service documentation for more information.

SMTP Agents

For the Server Extensions to send a form's contents via email, the Server Extensions need to know the name or IP address of an SMTP server. This information can be supplied when initially extending the Web site or at any time thereafter. To configure the Server Extensions to access an SMTP server, click the Settings button in the Options section of the Server Extensions tab for the Web site properties.

This SMTP configuration is available for each virtual server. Because it is on the Web site properties page, an SMTP server cannot be configured for a subweb or for all virtual servers on a single Web server.