System and application software

      The most important consideration during the planning for the infrastructure is to determine the software that will be required to support the functions of the digital library. Those software decisions will drive the hardware and network specifications. Software running on the servers can be divided into two major categories: the operating system of the server and the application software. The operating system controls the server at the hardware level (i.e. processors and RAM). UNIX (vendor-specific such as Solaris or AIX), Microsoft NT Server and Linux are by far the most common operating systems or platforms in use. Hardware manufacturers will often bundle the operating system with the purchase of the server. The application software interacts with the operating system to manage and manipulate the data as instructed by the end-user.  Database programs, web server software and electronic mail are typical application software programs. Although digital library development is in its infancy, integrated software packages are available and being customized for this application.