Special Edition
Using Microsoft Internet Information Server
| Written by |
Victor Wolters |
| |
with |
| |
Chuck Boudreau, Steve Crandall, Nelson Howell, Zack Jones, Steve Phelan,
John Telford, Stephen Wynkoop, Brian Farrar, Jim OíDonnell |
CONTENTS
About the Authors
Victor Wolters is a Director at PowerCerv Corporation. He has been
managing application and systems integration teams since 1984. His creative,
results-oriented approach has kept him in demand in the Fortune 1000 information
systems community. He has developed and presented numerous executive and
technical curriculums concerning enterprise solutions. He continues to
write and speak on various advanced technology topics throughout the industry.
His enthusiasm for cutting-edge technologies such as wireless and Internet
computing, home-based computing, and personal digital assistants is contagious.
Chuck Boudreau (CPD, CPI) is a Director at PowerCerv Corporation.
His humorous presentation style, industry knowledge, and ability to connect
with developers and project managers keep Chuck in high demand as an instructor
and conference speaker around the world. His fortes include goal-oriented
design, graphical user interface design, object-oriented techniques, team
development, and best practices for enterprise client-server developers.
He writes for several magazines including PowerBuilder Advisor and
PowerBuilder Developers Journal. He is also a contributing editor
to Special Edition Using PowerBuilder 5.
Stephen Crandall has over 17 years experience in the computer
and telecommunications industries. He currently is Manager of Software
Support and Services for a large systems and network integrator. In addition,
he is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
Brian Farrar received his B.A. from Wabash College in 1985 in
English and Economics. He completed an MBA from Indiana University in 1987.
He began his career at GTE and progressed through a series of positions
until 1994 when he left to start an Internet and intranet consulting practice
for Metamor Technologies. Through this practice, Brian has helped some
of the largest companies in the world decide on and deploy Internet technologies
to solve business problems.
Nelson Howell is a veteran of the computer industry. Starting
with IBM Mainframes in 1967, he has survived the changes from mainframes
to mini's to microcomputers. He has had the opportunity to meet some of
the founders of the computers including J. Presper Eckert and Admiral Grace
Hooper. In addition to writing, he is now engaged in providing support
to users of software for Integra Technology International. Now at home
in Tucson, Arizona, he is surrounded by his family of four sons and a very
tolerant wife.
Zack Jones is a Senior Project Manager and Applications Architect
with PowerCerv Corporation's Software Factory. He has served in various
technical and managerial roles developing client/server solutions to diverse
business problems since the technology's inception. He has spent the past
year developing and implementing distributed database solutions for PowerCerv's
salesforce automation product, Xceed.
Mr. John M. Telford formed InfoMax Consulting more than five
years ago to work with clients and architect client/server solutions that
are practical and useful. Mr. Telford is a distributed systems architect.
He is applying Web technology to client/server principles and realities.
Mr. Telford has been working in the computer business for more than 30
years. He has extensive experience managing software groups and projects,
as well as being an accomplished software practitioner. Mr. Telford has
a Bachelor of Science Electronic Engineering degree. He can be reached
at jmt@infomax.com. Check
out his Web page at http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/jmt/infomax.htm.
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Introduction
Internet Web server configuration and management used to be considered
a difficult task. With all the aspects of installation, security, performance
monitoring, and service partitioning, prospective Internet and intranet
site managers were usually so intimidated that they often gave up any hope
of setting up a site on their own. Microsoft Internet Information Server
(IIS) has changed all of that.
Internet Information Server is quickly becoming a de facto standard
in the burgeoning Internet server market. It provides an easy way to create
an Internet or intranet site. It installs and runs all services on an existing
Windows NT Server in just minutes. It is downloadable for free from Microsoft's
World Wide Web page. All the more reason to consider using it!
Special Edition Using Microsoft Internet Information Server fulfills
two functions. First, it steps the novice Web site manager through the
entire installation and configuration process while providing a complete
orientation along the way. Second, it is a one-stop resource for more advanced
site managers and provides useful information on advanced topics such as
security, performance, HTTP/ODBC, CGI, ISAPI, NSAPI, and Java.
Introducing
the Client/Server Environment
In recent years, the personal computer has taken a central role in the
sharing of information between people both inside and outside of organizations.
Instead of publishing and distributing paper copies of information, organizations
have turned to the client/server computing environment. A client/server
environment is characterized by several PCs (called clients) which
access another centralized computer (called a server) via a network
connection. A server usually provides access to a shareable resource, such
as a file, a database, a printer, a fax, or an application program.
In figure I.1, you see a typical client/server environment. Here, three
client PCs are accessing a database on a server PC. Each PC is running
an application program which is accessing the database. The database program
is running on the server computer. Because the database is centralized,
only one backup procedure is needed for the database. Also, all clients
can access up-to-date information entered by other clients.
Figure I.1: This figure depicts a typical
client/server environment.
Introducing
the Internet and Intranet Environment
The benefits of this client/server environment are many. However, a major
deficit is the amount of configuration which has to be done to the client
to get it to communicate with the various types of servers across the network.
For example, as a new server is added to the network, it is not uncommon
to require that client software be reconfigured or completely upgraded
in order to function properly with that server. This configuration management
issue is one of many reasons that organizations are looking to the Internet
environment as an alternative way of sharing resources.
While the Internet environment also uses a network of clients and servers,
it facilitates the sharing of resources with minimal configuration on the
client PC. Client PCs use industry standard ways of communicating with
the server (called protocols) and use a common application program
(called a browser) for accessing resources on the server. Examples
of shareable resources on an internet server are HyperText Markup Language
(HTML) documents, application programs, files, and databases.
What this means to you is that with an Internet server, you now have
an easier way than ever before of sharing information between users of
networked PCs. It also means that you have an opportunity to provide a
wide variety of on-demand information services to Internet users. HTML
pages can be linked together via hypertext to form a way of navigating
the Internet commonly referred to as the Web or World Wide Web.
The term internet generally refers to the publicly accessible
collection of servers available to computer users known as the Internet.
The term intranet refers to those servers which are not publicly
available but are private to an organization.
Intranet environments are quickly becoming the preferred way of communicating
information within an organization. Those organizations that have implemented
their own corporate intranet have experienced many benefits including a
dramatic reduction in electronic mail and increased circulation of important
and timely information.
What
to Expect from Using IIS
Using IIS, you can expect several benefits: no cost to acquire, rapid installation
and configuration, easy service management, effortless performance monitoring,
and robust security.
No Cost to Acquire
One of the best things about Internet Information Server-at the time of
this writing-is that it is free. You can easily download it using your
web browser from the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/InfoServ/.
Compatibility
with Microsoft and Other Products
Internet Information Server runs only on Microsoft Windows NT Server. However,
it is part of an integrated growing product family known as Microsoft BackOffice.
This group includes Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, Systems
Management Server, and SNA Server. IIS works with all client PC browsers
on any platform.
Rapid Installation and
Configuration
A graphical setup program installs and runs Web, file transfer protocol
(FTP), and Gopher services on your NT Server in about ten minutes. You
can immediately publish existing files from your server or other servers,
and in no time, you can have your own Web site up and running.
Easy Service Management
An IIS feature known as the Internet Service Manager graphically displays
all management options in a graphical menu. Using ISM, you can manage any
IIS servers on your network. You can remotely manage your IIS servers over
the Internet as well. ISM also makes it possible for you to host multiple
Web sites from a single server.
Effortless Performance Monitoring
You can use the Performance Monitor feature to measure system performance.
IIS also logs site management and performance information for you for further
analysis. Should you outgrow your server's processor, IIS runs under Windows
NT Server which is scalable to a host of single processor and multiple
processor computers.
Easy to Implement Security
IIS uses Windows NT Server directory services to establish secure areas
of your Web site. That means you have the ability to require user identification
and passwords before a user can access a specified area of your server.
You can control access by anonymous users, set document permissions, and
audit document access easily with IIS. Additionally, a secure socket layer
encrypts conversations between IIS and client browsers that support SSL.
Who
Should Consider Reading This Book?
This book has something for every Internet Information System administrator.
-
Beginner. If you are setting up your first internet site, you will
find this book especially useful because it shows how to install and configure
IIS from the ground up. It also shows useful techniques for testing the
installation to confirm that it meets your security and access criteria.
-
Advanced. If you are an experienced internet site manager, you will
find useful information in the appendixes found in this book. Sections
on the internal and external architecture will help spell out what IIS
is up to under the hood. In addition, the book is seasoned with useful
tips and techniques from experts, all designed to help you get the most
out of IIS.
What
to Expect from Reading This Book
If you do not know much about Windows NT Server or Internet Information
Server, this book will help you be successful in your first implementation.
It is arranged to help you get started quickly, providing more detailed
reference information as you proceed. It is divided into the following
six sections:
Getting Started
This section includes an overview of IIS showing you what is unique about
it and how to understand it. It discusses the following topics:
-
Advantages and disadvantages of IIS
-
Basic components and services of a Web server such as URLs, connection
protocols, and NT networking schema
-
How IIS compares to other internet servers
-
Planning considerations before installing IIS
-
How to connect IIS to the Internet
Understanding IIS
This section lays out the entire architecture of IIS explaining the importance
and relevance of particular components. It discusses the following topics:
-
How the internal and external IIS architecture is organized
-
Components used to perform various functions such as logging, auditing,
file access, database access, and Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
Installing and Testing IIS
This section shows you step-by-step how to install IIS. Once you install
IIS, this section shows you how to verify that your installation is working
properly. It covers the following topics:
-
System requirements related to Windows NT Server, processor, and network
connectivity
-
Running the installation program showing you implications of answers to
the various questions that come up
-
Validating your IIS installation from the console and from the client workstation
-
Validating IIS services from the console and from the client workstation
Configuring and Managing IIS
This section shows you how to configure and manage your installed IIS site.
It discusses the following topics:
-
Overviews of each IIS management applet showing what they do and how to
work within each one
-
How to use the tuning services available to IIS from Windows NT Server
-
Explanations of basic security and logging
-
Complete coverage of advanced security topics including socket layers,
digital certificates, and domain security
Advanced Techniques
This section shows advanced techniques for IIS site managers. It discusses
the following topics:
-
Dynamic application topics such as HTTP/ODBC, ISAPI, NSAPI, Java, and CGI
-
Coverage of FTP and Gopher services
-
Redirecting IIS log data to database as opposed to a flat log file
-
Performance tuning issues such as load monitoring and scaling processors
Appendix
This section provides a variety of reference materials that will be useful
to IIS site managers. It discusses the following topic:
Understanding
How to Use This Book
This book contains many conventions to make your use of this reference
easier. Messages that appear on the screen are written in a special font:
could not connect to server. New terms are introduced in italic
type. Text that you enter is in boldface.
Take note of the following special icons which appear throughout this
book:
| TIP |
Tips suggest easier or alternative methods for executing a
procedure.
|
| NOTE |
Notes indicate additional information that may help you avoid
problems or that should be considered during your use of IIS.
|
| CAUTION |
Cautions warn you of pitfalls when working with IIS.
|
Cross-references show you related text that you may want to view or
review while reading about a topic. For example:
See "Internet Protocol
and Domain Names,"
These conventions are designed to make the information contained in this
publication more accessible to you. In addition, each chapter concludes
with a helpful road map entitled "From Here…"
As you learn about the features and functionality of IIS, "From Here…"
recommends links to related information from other chapters in this book.
It provides you with a helpful way to progressively master the material.
Getting started has never been easier.
