Tech-Net IIS 6.0

Internet Information Services (IIS) with the Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 family provides integrated, reliable, scalable, secure, and manageable Web server capabilities over an intranet, the Internet, or an extranet. IIS is a tool for creating a strong communications platform of dynamic network applications. Organizations of all sizes use IIS to host and manage Web pages on the Internet or on their intranet, to host and manage FTP sites, and to route news or mail using the Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP) and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). IIS 6.0 leverages the latest Web standards like Microsoft ASP.NET, XML, and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) for the development, implementation, and management of Web applications. IIS 6.0 includes new features designed to help organizations, IT professionals, and Web administrators achieve their goals of performance, reliability, scalability, and security for potentially thousands of Web sites either on a single IIS server or on multiple servers.

important Important In order to take a more proactive stance against malicious users and attackers, IIS is not installed on members of the Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 family by default. Furthermore, when you initially install IIS, the service is installed in a highly secure and "locked" mode. By default, IIS serves only static content -- meaning features like ASP, ASP.NET, Server-Side Includes, WebDAV publishing, and FrontPage® Server Extensions do not work unless enabled. If you do not enable this functionality after installing IIS, IIS returns a 404 error. You can serve dynamic content and enable these features through the Web Service Extensions node in IIS Manager. Also, if an application extension is not mapped in IIS, IIS returns a 404 error. To map an extension, see Setting Application Mappings. For more information on how to troubleshoot 404 errors, including 404.2 and 404.3; issues related to a new installation of IIS 6.0; or an upgrade from a previous version of IIS, see Troubleshooting.

This version of IIS was designed to provide the following benefits and features:

Reliability	IIS 6.0 uses a new request-processing architecture and application isolation environment that enables individual Web applications to function within a self-contained worker process. This environment prevents one application or Web site from stopping another, and reduces the amount of time administrators spend restarting services to correct problems related to applications. The new environment also includes proactive application pool health monitoring.
Scalability	IIS 6.0 introduces a new kernel-mode driver for HTTP parsing and caching, specifically tuned to increase Web server throughput and scalability of multiprocessor computers, thereby significantly increasing: The number of sites a single IIS 6.0 server can host. The number of concurrently-active worker processes. Startup/shutdown times. Also, by configuring worker processes start up and shutdown time limits, IIS allocates resources to active sites, as opposed to wasting resources on idle requests.
Security	IIS 6.0 provides significantly improved security. To reduce the attack surface of systems, IIS is not installed by default on the operating systems in the Windows Server 2003 family. Administrators must explicitly select and install IIS. IIS installs by default in a locked down state, capable of serving only static content. Using the Web Service Extensions node, Web site administrators can enable or disable IIS functionality based on the individual needs of their organization. IIS 6.0 includes a variety of security features and technologies to ensure the integrity of your Web and FTP site content, as well as the data transmitted through your sites. IIS security features include the following security-related tasks: Authentication. Access control. Encryption. Certificates. Auditing.
Manageability	To meet the needs of a diverse set of organizations, IIS provides a variety of manageability and administration tools. Administrators can configure an IIS 6.0 server using IIS Manager, administration scripts, or by directly editing the IIS plain-text configuration file. Administrators can also remotely administer IIS servers and sites.
Enhanced Development	The Windows Server 2003 family offers an improved developer experience with ASP.NET and IIS integration. ASP.NET recognizes most ASP code while providing greater functionality for building enterprise-class Web applications that can work as a part of the Microsoft .NET Framework. Using ASP.NET allows you to take full advantage of the features of the common language runtime, such as type safety, inheritance, language interoperability, and versioning. IIS 6.0 also offers support for the latest Web standards, including XML, SOAP and Internet Protocol Version 6.
Application Compatibility	IIS 6.0 is compatible with most existing applications, based on feedback from thousands of customers and independent software vendors (ISV). Also, to ensure maximum compatibility, IIS 6.0 can be configured to run in IIS 5.0 isolation mode.

The IIS 6.0 documentation set includes the following:

Getting Started: Describes key features in IIS 6.0, outlines the differences between this and earlier versions of IIS, and introduces basic concepts and tools, such how to install IIS and how to open IIS Manager.
Common Administrative Tasks: Includes a series of short procedural topics describing how to complete routine or common IIS 6.0 tasks.
Site Setup: Describes how to set up an initial Web, FTP, SMTP, or NNTP site.
Server Administration Guide: Includes conceptual and procedural information regarding administrative tasks performed on IIS servers and sites.
Programmatic Administration Guide: Describes how to administer your IIS server and sites using ADSI, WMI, or command-line administration scripts.
Web Application Guide: Describes how to develop and manage Web applications using ASP and ASP.NET.
Reference: Describes interfaces, objects, and data structures available for programming and administering IIS.
Glossary: Defines terms used in this documentation set.
Troubleshooting: Describes processes for resolving issues with your IIS 6.0 installation.