but which is actually running on a computer that is shared by
any number of other virtual servers. Each virtual server can
be configured as an independent
web site, with its own
hostname, content, and security settings.
DNS maps the hostnames of all virtual servers on one
physical server to its
IP address. The web server software
then uses the "Host" header in the
HTTP request to determine
which virtual server the request was for, and then processes
the request using that virtual server's configuration.
one computer between multiple
web sites while allowing the
owner of each web site to use and administer the server as
though they had complete control.
(2003-06-23)