The administrator can associate the Web paths of resources, such as servlets, Web pages, and JavaServer Pages (JSP) files, with virtual hosts. It is common to say that the resources are "on" the virtual host, even though the virtual host is a configuration, not a physical machine that can hold files.
The Web path of a resource, such as a servlet, is a path by which users can request the resource. For example, an administrator might specify two Web paths for a servlet class named Animals. This allows users to specify either http://www.companyname.com/Animals or http://www.companyname.com/AnimalsToo to request the servlet.
Because the administrator associates the Web path of a resource, and not the resource itself, with a virtual host, the administrator can associate one Web path of a servlet with one virtual host, and another Web path of the servlet with a different virtual host. WebSphere Application Server provides the flexibility to set up virtual hosting in the way that best suits your needs.