Deploying a New IIS 6.0 Web Server

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

The following sections in this guide are about deploying a new server running IIS 6.0 to host your Web sites and applications:

  • Deploying ASP.NET Applications in IIS 6.0

    Read this section to understand specific considerations for deploying ASP.NET applications in IIS 6.0. In particular, the section describes how you can run multiple versions of the Microsoft .NET Framework on the same Web server and how you can configure ASP.NET applications to use the appropriate version of the .NET Framework.

    Note

    You can use the Web Platform Installer (Web PI) to easily install IIS, and applications that run on IIS. The Web PI is a free, lightweight tool that lets you install IIS and related technologies such as ASP.NET, SQL Server Express, Visual Web Developer, other popular Web applications, and more. Because the Web PI installs the latest versions of available Web Platform offerings, with just a few simple clicks you can download and install any new tools or updates. To learn more about the Web PI, see Learn more and install the Web PI.

    After completing the process in this section, you must still optimize your server for security and scalability. The remaining sections in this guide focus on topics that are applicable to all Web applications, including ASP.NET applications, noting exceptions where appropriate.

Important

ASP.NET is not available on the following operating systems: Microsoft® Windows® XP 64-Bit Edition; the 64-bit version of Windows® Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; and the 64-bit version of Windows® Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. For more information, see “Features unavailable on 64-bit versions of the Windows Server 2003 family” in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

  • Securing Web Sites and Applications

    Read this section to learn how you can further protect the Web sites and applications that are hosted on a Web server running IIS 6.0. This section describes how to secure a Web server and how to secure individual Web sites and applications running on IIS 6.0. In particular, this section describes the process for reducing the attack surface of a Web server, preventing unauthorized access to Web sites and applications, isolating Web sites and applications, configuring user authentication, encrypting confidential data exchanged with clients, and maintaining the security of Web sites and applications.

  • Ensuring Application Availability

    Read this section to learn how you can fully utilize the features of IIS 6.0 to enhance the availability of your Web applications. This section describes how you can set realistic application availability goals and then verify that you are attaining those goals. In addition, it describes how you can configure the features of worker process isolation mode for optimum application availability, depending on your business needs and the processing load on your applications. Finally, this section identifies common application incompatibilities with IIS 6.0, and it explains how you can test your applications for compatibility with worker process isolation mode.