3. Overview of the Web Server Kernel and User Region
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## 3. Overview of the Web Server Kernel and User Region

Conceptually, VWS can be divided into two separate subsystems, one of which actually encompases the other:

- The kernel, which is the heart of VWS. It makes up most of the VWS, except for the part that supports Web applications. In other words, the kernel provides full OSGi modular support for your applications, as long as they are not Web-based.

  See The Web Server Kernel for additional information.

- The user region is the subsystem that manages user applications. It deliberately isolates the kernel from both your applications and those of the VWS itself, such as the Admin Console, making it much easier for you to administer VWS.

  See The Web Server User Region for additional information.

The following graphic shows how the kernel and user region make up VWS:

When you download and install Virgo Web Server you get both the kernel and a user region. You can also download and use the kernel on its own if you do not plan on deploying Web applications.

## 3.1 The VWS Kernel

The Virgo Kernel encapsulates almost all of VWS except for the deployment of Web applications. In sum, the kernel provides the following VWS features:

- Deployment of non-Web artifacts, such as OSGi bundles, PARs, plans, and configuration artifacts.
- Local and hosted repositories
- Scoping
- Hot deployment
- User region
- Auto-provisioning
- System and application tracing and dump support
- Spring beans and Spring DM support

See Configuring VWS for details about configuring the default kernel to better suit your environment.

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