A server system has a process manager, listeners and worker processes in which the listeners connect to worker processes. At server start-up, each listener connects with the process manager via a pipe published by the process manager. The process manager then provides information to each listener associating applications to application pools, and applications for which the listener is to "listen". When the listener receives a request for which it is to listen, the listener starts a queue for the application or associated application pool. The process manager launches an appropriate worker process to handle requests in the listener's protocol. The worker process then makes a connection with the listener.