Hail Zeus: A Review Of the Zeus Web Server v4.0r1

It's $1,700 for machines with up to two CPUs, plus a minimum additional 15 percent each year for maintenance.

The Zeus Web Server runs on multiple hardware and OS platforms. On Zeus' download page they also provide pre-packaged binaries to simplify the installation on each platform. In addition, Zeus is committed to a wide array of third-party applications. They also sell Zisp Tool Kit for ISPs and others.

The Zisp Toolkit contains some additional software that an ISP would find useful. Included in this bundle are guest counters, dynamic banners, online survey software, as well as guest books, e-mail forms, discussion forums and thumbnail browsers. We did not test the toolkit.

Examples of these applications include support for open-standard software and APIs, such as ISAPI, NSAPI, PHP, Java Servlet and FastCGI. We decided to test PHP, MySql and Zope with the Web Server. Our tests were done on a FreeBSD 4.4-Release box running on a Compaq Computer DL320R01. This is a Pentium 800-MHz server with 256 MByte for RAM, and a 80-GByte SCSI drive.

Installation

Installation was not done in a logical order, but the Zeus Web Server didn't care. That is in contradiction to most other Unix-based Web applications I have built in the past. I downloaded and installed the Zeus Web Server before I installed PHP and MySQL. Zope was an after thought, so it wasn't installed until a day or so after all the other software.

After installing PHP 4.0.6 (as a FreeBSD package) and MySQL from binaries, I went about the task of configuring Zeus to work with PHP. Zeus, unlike the Roxen Challenger 1.3, which I'm used to, or Roxen Challenger 2.2, it isn't compiled with direct MySql support. All interaction between the Web server and the database is done though PHP.

Implementing PHP is pretty straightforward--if you read the FAQ on the Zeus support Web page. You first configure FastCGI, which is fast becoming the replacement of standard CGI. Unlike Apache, Zeus uses a very pleasing, very easy to follow Web interface.

In fact, compared to the Roxen Challenger (both 1.3 and 2.2) Web interfaces, as well as the Caudium Web Interface (based on Roxen v1.3), this interface is a delight. Its simple approach makes configuration a breeze.

Following the FAQ, and after you've compiled PHP, you create a link under the FastCGI module to PHP. Next you set up an alias for FastCGI to use when interacting with PHP, as well as an alias for PHP and your set. Just click on "commit the changes," stop and then restart the server and you're good to go.

While we had some minor problems (the FAQ doesn't quite mimic our version of Zeus, so we must assume that it was originally made for version 1.3), we did succeed in getting PHP to run. And we succeeded in getting phpMyAdmin, a PHP-driven interface between you and your MySQL database to run. And it ran beautifully. We were able to configure a database, and load data we had from another MySQL installation elsewhere, with absolutely no problems.

Next, we decided to try our hand at getting Zope to work with Zeus. Zope is open software used to build content management systems. The Zope developer community, which numbers in the thousands, has contributed to its success. Third-party Zope applications such as Slashdot run many a news-based Web site.

When we originally set up Zope for the New York Chapter of the Internet Society on our FreeBSD 3.2-Release box, using Roxen Challenger 1.3, we had a lot of difficulty. Roxen wasn't exactly built to work with Zope, so its developer community came up with some kludges to make it work. And it works just fine.

So when we looked at Zeus, we were expecting a lot of research and support questions. What we found was a simple configuration needing just some tweaking to get the permissions just right so both end users and content editors could use Zope as it was intended to work

It took about us about 45 minutes to get Zope to work properly. Most of that time was interpreting the FAQ's instructions as they related to Users and Groups. Once we figured it out, both the public Zope pages came up on our browser, as well as the Zope management screen.

Not being Zope programmers, we were still able to create some sample (maybe we should say simple) pages with Zope, with quick and efficient display by our Zeus Web Server.

Administration

One aspect of this Web server that really impressed us was its ability to work in clusters. Thus, with one Web page, you can control your entire Web farm. This is a very nifty little add-in. This add-in is based on Webmin, a utility for managing all aspects of a Unix or Mac box.

Also included is a real-time monitoring capability. Now you can watch almost any aspect of the traffic on your site. From the number of times a gateway has been called to the number of file-uploads in progress, the real-time traffic manager will help determine the optimal settings for your OS and the Zeus Web server.

Filling out the monitoring capabilities of Zeus is the traffic manager. The plot can show all activity for a given server or virtual domain on a server based on all headers or a given header. Quite unique, especially if you charge your customers by throughput. In addition, the Web site comparison plot lets you see what your busiest Web sites are. Again, you can configure this plot based on all or some, either virtual domains or headers or both. The only drawback to both these management screens is that you are limited to two time periods: the last 24 hours or the last seven days.

No Web server would be worth its weight if it didn't support SSL. Well, the Zeus Web Server has a "tight" partnership with Verisign, so we know it supports all the major secure certificates. As with many of the other Web servers mentioned, Zeus has a Web-enabled certificate creation process. You can create a private certificate just for testing purposes or you can go to the Verisign site and purchase a certificate there. This cert is then bought back into the Zeus Server.

If you're like me, you may want to purchase your secure certificate elsewhere. I use Thawte Secure Certificates, which is a Verisign company but charges significantly less money. Zeus has a wizard that lets you configure a private key and then buy a certificate from any other authority. Zeus has covered its bases on SSL.

Support

It's also got technical support covered.

Roxen, Microsoft and Apache are, for the most part, given away. Support is provided by either consultants (for profit) or in newsgroups or mailing lists (developers, open source assistance). But Zeus comes with full-fledged technical support. Depending on your needs, they have different plans. Be prepared to pay normal industry support plan prices.

The last option on the Zeus administrator Web page is a link for technical support. Here the wizard is able to grab a tremendous amount of information on how your Web server is set up. It will automatically gather information such as versions of software and OS, running processes, memory allocation, network interfaces, virtual server setups, etc. Of course, it asks for direct users description, as well as your name and contract number.

This message is sent directly to Zeus for one of their technical support people to examine and contact you. Other support options include the obligatory mailing lists and archives.

Impressions

The Zeus Web Server is impressive. The simplicity of design and the ease of configuration made its use ideal. According to Jim Gilbert, general manager of Crown Point, N.Y.-based BlueMoo.Net, he inherited the Zeus Web Server, but he's glad he did.

"As far as I know, it's never given up any problems," Gilbert says. "Its scales nicely, and any tech support we've needed has been amply serviced. [ISPs worth their salt will run at least two different Web servers, a Unix solution and NT. If I had four Web servers, I would run Apache, IIS, Zeus and maybe another Apache. With this grouping, you can fulfill any and all of your clients needs and requirements.

"In the final analysis, Zeus is a stable Web server that can run mission-critical applications, unlike Microsoft's IIS."

Zeus boasts some impressive customers, such as Comic Relief (UK), eBay, UUNET, BigGlobe (the largest Japanese Web site) and Cable and Wireless (UK).