Section 5.1: Installing IIS 6.0
In Windows Server 2003, you can install IIS through the use of the Configure Your Server Wizard or through the use of the Add or Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. You can also perform an unattended installation of IIS when deploying IIS on multiple servers.
To install IIS 6.0 using the Configure Your Server Wizard, you must configure the Windows Server 2003 server to act as an application server. You can then configure the components of the application server, which includes COM+, ASP.NET, and IIS, through the Configure Your Server Wizard. To accomplish this, do the following:
• Click on the START button to display the Start Menu
• Click on MANAGE YOUR SERVER to open the Manage Your Server window
• Click the ADD OR REMOVE A ROLE link
• On the Preliminary Steps page, click next
• On the Configuration Options page select the custom configuration radio button
• Then click NEXT
• On the Server Role page, select the application server (IIS, asp.net) option from the list
• Then click NEXT
• On the Application Server Options page select the ASP.NET and frontpage extensions radio buttons if required
• Then click NEXT
• On the Summary of Selections page, click next
• Once the installation is complete, click finish
Note: In this context, the term "application server" does not represent a server that provides a network location on which productivity applications such as Microsoft Office are installed, or a server that users connect to and run applications from a thin client. Instead, the "application server" in this context, refers to provides Web-based applications such as Web-hosting services, newsgroup services, FTP services, and SMTP services.
To install IIS through the Add or Remove Programs applets in Control Panel, do the following:
• Click on the START button to display the Start Menu
• Click on CONTROL PANEL
• Click ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS
• Click on the ADD/REMOVE WINDOWS COMPONENTS button
• Select the application server check box
• Then click the DETAILS button
• Select the internet information services (iis) check box
• Then click the DETAILS button
• Select the additional IIS components you want to install
• Click on the world wide web service selection, which is checked by default
• Then click the DETAILS button
• Select the additional World Wide Web Service components you want to install
• Click OK
• Click OK on the IIS components selection window to close it
• Click OK on the Application Server components selection window to close it
• Insert the Windows Server 2003 Installation CD in the CD-ROM drive
• Then click NEXT
5.1.1: Unattended Installation
You can use an unattended setup to install IIS 6.0 on multiple computers. When you use this option, the configuration settings are read from an answer file with a .inf file extension, and applied automatically by the operating system. You only need to initiate the installation process by running winnt32 or the sysocmgr command-line utility with the answer file as the parameter.
Some of the important options that should be included in the answer file are shown in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1: Answer File Components for IIS Unattended Setup
| Component | Answer File Parameter |
|---|---|
| ASP. NET | asp.net = on | off |
| FTP service | iis_ftp = on | off |
| Internet Information Services Manager | iis_inetmgr = on | off |
| NNTP Service | iis_nntp = on | off |
| SMTP Service | iis_smtp = on | off |
| WWW Service | iis_www = on | off |
| Active Server Pages | iis_asp = on | off |
| WebDAV Publishing | iis_webdav = on | off |
The syntax for performing an unattended installation of IIS using the sysocmgr command-line utility is:
sysocmgr.exe /i:sysoc.inf /u:<path><file_name>.inf
Note: IIS 6.0 will not function correctly if the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is enabled and configured to block the Internet and messaging protocols.
5.1.2: Defining Home Directories
Every Website and FTP site must have a home directory, which is the central location for your published web pages. This directory contains a home page that welcomes Web browser users and contains links to other pages in your site. A default home directory is created when you install IIS and when you create a new Web site. You must specify a different home directory for each service if you set up a Website and an FTP site on the same computer. The default home directory for the WWW service is InetPubWwwroot. The default home directory for the FTP service is InetPubFtproot. You can choose a different directory as your home directory.
5.1.3: Virtual Directories
A virtual directory is a directory that is not contained in the home directory but appears to client browsers as though it were. It has an alias name that Web browsers use to access it. In other words, a virtual directory is a reference to an existing directory by a Web or FTP site. This improves security because users would not know where your files are physically located and cannot use that information to modify your files. Aliases also make it easier for you to move directories in your site. Rather than change the URL for the directory, you can simply change the mapping between the alias and the physical location of the directory. You can also specify different alias names for the same home directory.
You can create a virtual directory in Internet Services Manager, by expanding the Web Sites or FTP Sites node, right-clicking the Web Site or FTP Site in which you want to create a reference to the virtual directory, selecting New from the pop-up menu and then Virtual Directory. This starts the Virtual Directory Creation Wizard which will lead you through the rest of the process.
5.1.4: Hosting Multiple Web Sites
With IIS 6.0, multiple Web sites or FTP sites can be hosted on a single Windows Server 2003 computer and each Website can host one or more domain names. You can create multiple Web sites and FTP sites on a single Windows Server 2003 computer in one of three ways:
• Append port numbers to the IP address;
• Use multiple IP addresses, each having its own network adapter card; or
• Assign multiple domain names and IP addresses to one network adapter card by using host header names.
5.1.5: Enabling Web Service Extensions
Web Service Extensions is a new feature in IIS 6.0. This utility will give a Control Panel-like functionality on your IIS components and allows you to permit, prohibit, or change IIS properties. This utility also allows you to add new IIS extensions to the IIS 6.0 server. The components the Web service extensions can enable or disable are: ASP.NET executions; ASP executions; CGI and ISAPI Applications; Front Page Server Extensions; and WebDAV support for IIS directories.