Hi Ben,
1. Yep, it grabs the data from datasources (shapefiles, Oracle, Postgis...) and sends the data to the client that requested it. It uses OGC protocols to do this, so the clients can expect exactly what they will get when they make a request. The main calls are WMS (Web Mapping Service: images, like you see in mapquest or google maps), and WFS (Web Feature Service: real vectors in GML).
2. To do the front end you can use HTML/Javascript. I have successfully done that and it works quite well. You can also use clients out there that have already been made. A good web based client is MapBuilder, it allows you to pan, zoom, select features, and do much much more. I highly recommend it. There are also client apps for your machine: uDig, GVSig, QGis.
3. You can load as many shapefiles into Geoserver as you wish. It is recommended that you put them into a database (PostGis for a great example) so you have concurrency and transactions. By back-end I assume you are talking about the data and where it lives. GeoServer supports many data sources, so it is quite flexible and you just need to decide where you want your data to live.
4. There is no built in security yet, but that is in the plans. Right now you can make multiple instances of geoserver with different datasets loaded into it, then intercept the queries and route to a different instance (hacky, really hacky). Or you can intercept the requests with a separate app and filter out the data that the user isn't supposed to see (a little more sane, but still in need of a real system).
Hope that answers some questions,
Brent Owens
(The Open Planning Project)
Ben Crane wrote:
Hi,
Just have some questions regarding geoserver as I've
just downloaded it and am a complete novice with it.
1. I presume geoserver sits between data and the
browser and controls data passed in WM format or WF
format?
2. Construction of a front-end. What is the best way
of doing this? Can I use existing skills such as
HTML/Javascript or will I have to develop frontends in
Java/JSP??
3. How do I control the backend? I am likely to have
loads of shapefiles in specific folders (no database
to start of with). Will geoserver enable me to handle
this?
4. What about security and user settings. A user will
login and see specific user data upon validation. How
will this be handled? Will I need to control it
outside geoserver or can I set up geoserver to control
data depending on the user?
I've gone through the help manuals, I can get
geoserver up and running. But developing the front and
back-end is a mystery at the moment.
Regards
Ben
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