Overview of Upgrading to IIS 7

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Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista

The IIS 7 modular architecture is designed to enable the IT professional to customize exactly which features are installed and running on the Web server. IIS 7 is now divided into more than 40 feature modules that can be independently installed on the box, significantly reducing the potential attack surface, lowering the footprint requirements, and minimizing patching and security risks.

Note

When you decide whether to perform an upgrade or a migration to IIS 7 from IIS 6.0, consider the following points:

  • An upgrade is recommended if the computer is running IIS 6.0 and you just want to keep things working as they are.

  • A migration is recommended when you have multiple computers and want to test out your applications on IIS 7 before moving them.

A migration is performed by moving your sites and applications to a different server running IIS 7. There are multiple ways to accomplish this task, depending on your environment. The Microsoft Web Deployment Tool can be used to help users migrate IIS 6.0 sites and servers to IIS 7. More information about the tool can be found at Microsoft Web Deployment Tool.

You can also 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.