Monitors the current URLScan log file and records when it changes (it does not record the change). Useful if you have run IISLockdown on your computer and you think that it might be rejecting HTTP requests.

http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/Workspaces/workspace.aspx?id=1c2cda67-58a8-4b49-94a3-5063d90c2506

Date: Friday, April 23, 2004
Time: 11:30 AM- 1:00 PM Pacific Time (GMT-8, US & Canada)

This session reviews the evolution of Internet Information Services (IIS) to its current iteration -- version 6.0 -- and how IIS 6.0 has measured up to customer expectations since its release in April 2003. IIS 6.0 built on a new architecture, but this architecture has a few areas where improvements can be built-in. The system administration capabilities include a new Edit-While-Running feature but the metabase has a difficult to read XML schema. The scalability lacks a clear path above 8 processors and IIS needs to optimize performance in this area. Up to, and including all of these, IIS 6.0 is a new and revolutionary product. This session will cover the delta between what was delivered and what has been learned and help you our customer know the areas where Microsoft needs to build for future IIS versions.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032243866&Culture=en-US

With Visual Studio.NET you can't create a custom IIS virtual directory with exactly the settings you want when you want to add a Web Application to a solution. I found myself dealing with this inconvenience so often, I finally decided to do something about it. I created an Addin solution that will pop up a form, allow you to choose (and even create) a physical folder, set the various properties for your VRoot that you would normally be required to do separately from the IIS Management Console, and then when you are ready to add your new web application, all you need to do is change the default "WebApplication1" to the name of your new VRoot, and you are "good to go".

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/articles/20040112.asp

IIS has a SMTP Server, but not a POP3 Server. Companies have been led to believe they need MS Exchange Server, when in fact they don't. If your companies needs are modest, you may only need a POP3 Server.

This POP3 server is perfect for small to medium sized companies that want to take control of their email environment, but without the complexities, cost and frustration of expensive solutions like MS Exchange Server. You must have MS Internet Information Server (IIS) installed and the SMTP Service installed and working correctly.

http://dev.midar.com/Support/Articles/POP3/default.asp

IISPassword brings the ease and power of Apache’s htaccess to Microsoft IIS. No longer is there a need for system user accounts and complex access permissions for maintaining a secure, password protected web site.

IISPassword uses Basic HTTP Authentication for password protecting web sites on IIS, just like htaccess works on Apache. That makes your password protected Apache web site compatible with IIS, and vice versa.

A powerful and intuitive interface makes it possible to password protect a web site in just moments. More advanced settings provide options such as user group management and protection of certain file types.

http://www.troxo.com/products/iispassword/

Version 3.4 of IIS State has been released - this tool allows you to look into the process (e.g. InetInfo.exe) and dumps out all of the running threads.  For each thread, it will attempt to identify what type of thread is running. If the thread is an ASP worker thread, then it will attempt to identify the page the is executing. Very useful for debugging Hangs/Crashes, or 100% CPU issues.

• Changes to version 3.4
  • Added additional .Net heuristics to improve likelihood of dumping managed threads
  • Clarify "Possible ASP Page"/"Page Not Found" Messages
  • Updated IIS6/Jet bug message to reflect KB Article

For more details and to download version 3.4 click here...

Rich Ersek		Program Manager for IIS		http://blogs.gotdotnet.com/richarde/
Thomas Deml		Program Manager for IIS		http://iisgeek.no-ip.com/

Version 3.3.1 of IIS State has been released - this tool allows you to look into the process (e.g. InetInfo.exe) and dumps out all of the running threads.  For each thread, it will attempt to identify what type of thread is running. If the thread is an ASP worker thread, then it will attempt to identify the page the is executing. Very useful for debugging Hangs/Crashes, or 100% CPU issues.

• New to version 3.3.1
• Fix a regression causing a dump file to not be created correctly.
• New to version 3.3
• Updated heuristics to detect a hang in the Jet ODBC driver and provide a suggested workaround (use Jet OLEDB).
• Updated heuristics to identify Unhandled Exception Filter hangs. These hangs can only occur while the process is crashing. IISState will recognize the hung thread and attempt to identify the thread that crashed.
• Modified dump file format to include more information.
• Fixed a regression in the Summary generation that caused the Summary to not print and IISState to incorrectly terminate the process being debugged.       

For more details and to download version 3.3.1 click here...

Performance Starts at the Web Server
By Port80 Software

This paper outlines a common sense, cost-effective approach to lowering total cost of ownership and improving Web site and Web application performance according to two simple principles:

• Send as little data as possible
• Send it as infrequently as possible

We will explore "best practice" strategies that can be systematically employed in Web front-end source code and at the origin server in order to achieve performance improvements. These basic strategies, which all avoid expensive hardware solutions in favor of software and business process enhancements, include: 

• Code optimization
• Cache control
• HTTP compression

http://www.port80software.com/support/articles/webperformance

Many businesses have the need or requirement to host multiple Web applications on a single Web server. In such circumstances, the features of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 can help create effective boundaries between applications. This allows Web administrators to secure the resources for one application from being accessed by other applications and to implement performance and reliability features built in to the operating system and IIS 6.0. When designing Microsoft .NET Framework applications, isolation and reliability can be taken a step further through the use of isolated application design and side-by-side assemblies. This paper presents an overview of the benefits, methods, technologies, and considerations involved in configuring isolated applications.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/plan/appisoa.asp

Computer security has become increasingly important to businesses and other organizations. As the value and importance of data stored on computers grows, so does the cost when critical data or systems are damaged, stolen, or compromised. Microsoft is committed to meeting our customers' needs for increased information systems security. This paper describes Microsoft's ongoing commitment to improving the security of its products, and how that commitment has driven security improvements in Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0. IIS 6.0 is a powerful Web server service that helps provide a reliable, manageable, scalable, and secure Web application infrastructure.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/iisenhance.mspx

also see

Innovations in Internet Information Services Let You Tightly Guard Secure Data and Server Processes
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/02/09/securityiniis60/default.aspx

With IIS 6.0 Manager for Windows XP, administrators can remotely manage an IIS 6.0 server from a Windows XP Professional workstation. This tool only installs a snap-in for Microsoft Management Console and its associated DLLs and documentation; it does not install the complete IIS 6.0 server on your local computer.

• This tool is available only in English. When installed on non-English editions of Windows XP, IIS 6.0 Manager, documentation, folders, and shortcuts appear as English-only.
  
• After installation, IIS 6.0 Manager and IIS 5.1 Manager coexist in separate directories on the same computer.
  
• Start the IIS 6.0 Manager after installation from the administrative tools folder in the Control Panel, not from the Computer Management console. If the IIS 5.1 Manager is also installed, it will appear in the Computer Management console, not the IIS 6.0 Manager.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=f9c1fb79-c903-4842-9f6c-9db93643fdb7&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/scrguide/sagsas_overview.asp

Deploying Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 - Free from Microsoft
This book provides prescriptive, task-based, and scenario-based guidance to help you design an IIS 6.0 solution and then deploy that solution — be it a new installation, upgrade, or migration — within your organization.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f31a5fd5-03db-46d2-9f34-596edd039eb9&DisplayLang=en

IIS6 Administration by Mitch Tulloch
Mitch Tulloch's previous book Administering IIS4 was the top book in the Windows NT Bestsellers List on Amazon for over a year. His new book IIS6 Administration is not a revision of his earlier one but a completely new book that covers everything a sysadmin needs to know to deploy, configure, manage, maintain, tune, and troubleshoot IIS on the Windows Server 2003 platform.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072194855/mtitenterprises/104-7142524-8334329

IIS6 Programming Handbook - Wrox Press
This small 240 page book covers the key areas of interest for web developers who use Windows servers who want to get started with IIS6. These include;