Introduction

On the Internet, users prefer Web sites that are presented with some personalization. It is said that a person s favorite word is his or her own name. Therefore, Web sites that personalize the user experience are more likely to keep users coming back.

A variety of systems must be in place in order to personalize a site. First, the user must be identified. Second, the user must be authenticated. Finally, the user must be linked to personal data and presented with the results.

This chapter describes how to configure a portal using NFuse for providing information on the Internet to authenticated users. In addition, this chapter discusses Citrix XPS and the use of Extensible Markup Language (XML) to create Web services and use them in a portal solution.

Introducing Portals

A portal is a centralized point of access for users connecting to your site from the Internet. Think of a portal as a gateway or entry point into the Internet. The concept of portals has recently been brought to the forefront because of the fast growth of the information superhighway, the Internet.

The Internet is a large virtual place where information on almost anything is available on one Web site or another. The idea behind portals is to organize a visitor s particular interests in one virtual location, thereby attracting that visitor time and again to this Web site. The information that a portal can offer a visitor is almost infinite, ranging from news, sports, and stock quotes to...