Isolating Applications

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

Because applications in an application pool are isolated from the applications in other application pools by worker process boundaries, if an application fails, it does not affect the availability of applications that are running in other application pools. Deploying applications in application pools is a primary advantage of running IISĀ 6.0 in worker process isolation mode because you can customize the application pools to achieve the degree of application isolation that you need.

Configuring application isolation involves completing the following steps:

  • Categorizing applications according to their isolation profiles for initial deployment.

  • Creating and naming the application pools.

  • Assigning applications to the appropriate application pools.

Note

When you configure application pools for optimum availability, also consider how to configure application pools for application security. For example, you might need to create separate application pools for applications that require a high level of security, while allowing applications that require a lower level of security to share the same application pool. Also, client requests might be running under identities that are different from the identities that are assigned to the applications that serve them, which can make the application unavailable to customers. For more information about securing applications by configuring applications pools, see Securing Web Sites and Applications.

If your organization includes network configurations that require more than one server for implementation, such as Web farms, this involves clustering and load balancing. For more information about clustering and load balancing and the specific processes for setting up replication and clustering on IIS, search for "clustering" and "load balancing" in Help and Support Center for Windows ServerĀ 2003.