PORTAL SERVER THAT PROVIDES A CUSTOMIZABLE USER INTERFACE FOR ACCESS TO COMPUTER NETWORKS

摘要

A portal server presents an HTML page that comprises a plurality of modules. Each module represents a network resource that can be accessed by a user through the portal. The portal server includes an administration interface that enables an administrator to select from various layout styles for a page of the portal. In establishing a layout an administrator specifies the number of dividers and cells to generate on the layout. The administrator also defines the width of dividers and cells. The interface enables a variety of layout schemes to be employed. In addition, a variety of modifications can be done to the portal without requiring programming skills. An updateable subsystem class is configured to instantiate an update subsystem object. The update subsystem object is operable to select an updated implementation of module from a set of update servers. An appropriate update server is selected from a set of update servers based on host identification information of a site hosting the portal including the module.