Enabling Network File System Support

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

If IIS must access files on a UNIX or Linux system, file name case sensitivity can be an issue unless Network File System (NFS) support is enabled in IIS.

Unix and Linux both support mixed-case file names, and IIS fully supports requesting static files in a case-sensitive manner. An issue arises, however, when IIS makes a subsequent request for a file from its static file cache. Because all file names are converted to uppercase letters in the IIS cache, any request after the first request from the IIS static file cache might fail or return the wrong file.

The solution to this issue is to disable the IIS static file cache so that all file requests are issued fresh, thereby retaining correct file name case. The static file cache can be disabled for individual virtual directories on Web sites, or globally for all of IIS.

Note

Changing this setting has no effect on how ASP files and templates are cached.

Procedures

To disable the static file cache for a particular Web site virtual directory

  • Edit the metabase and set the MD_VR_NO_CACHE property to 1. For example:

    LM/W3SVC/n/ROOT/vdir MD_VR_NO_CACHE=1

    If you subsequently want to enable the static file cache, set this property to 0.

To disable the static file cache for all of IIS

  • Edit the registry and add the binary value DisableStaticFileCache=1 to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\InetInfo\Parameters key.

    If you subsequently want to enable the static file cache, set this value to 0.