server: connection vs request - help needed to understand programming theory

[turnbui]

Hello everyone,
I am a newbie to much of this so please beer with me. After much reading and googling my understanding is this:
A user at a pc using a browser is a client. the web page requested creates a connection at the server. the web page has text, images, sound etc each of which makes a request of the connection. Now in order to handle concurrent connections I understand a new thread for each connection can be used. Is there a mechanism [like multiple threads] that exists to handle each request for the different parts of the web page? Indeed is it even necessary?

 

[Noway2]

so please beer with me. After much reading and googling

Sure, I'll have some beer with you, at least until we end up wearing our beer googles

A user at a pc using a browser is a client. the web page requested creates a connection at the server

Correct, the client establishes a connection (makes a request of) the serer.

Now in order to handle concurrent connections I understand a new thread for each connection can be used

The server listens for an accepts connections from the client. In order to do this, there needs to be a process bound to the port that is listening for connections. (see:

http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~agupta/cs340/project2/TCPIP_State_Transition_Diagram.pdf

for more information regarding the specifics of the TCP/IP state system).

Is there a mechanism [like multiple threads] that exists to handle each request for the different parts of the web page?

Yes, but not necessarily. The server may or may not have multiple threads listening for connections and handling requests; it will depend upon resources and how it is configured. It is possible that the client / browser will attempt to establish multiple, simultaneous, connections to retrieve the requested information, but it is not necessary.