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IISAnswers Article
IIS FAQ
by Brett
Hill
Upgrades
Q: I want to upgrade my IIS 5 server to IIS 6. How do I?
A: You can't upgrade to IIS 6 without upgrading from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003 server. It is easy to think that Microsoft enforces this rule arbitrarily and could allow you to install IIS 6 on Windows 2000 with just a few bits of code changed, but that is not so. IIS 6 is a complete overhaul and is not an "add on program" like Microsoft Office that can be installed on several platforms. It includes integration with new features, accounts, and drivers that do not exist in Windows 2000 and cannot exist without a sizeable overhaul of the operating system. The good news is that IIS 6 is a much, much better web server than it would be if it could be installed on Windows 2000. The bad news is that you have to upgrade to Windows 2003 Server to get it.
Q: How do I install IIS 6 on Windows XP?
A: See the above answer with the addition that you can't directly upgrade from XP to 2003.
Q: Where do I download IIS 5? Where do I download IIS 6?
A: No version of IIS 5 or IIS 6 can be downloaded. They are installed using Add/Remove Windows Components
Q: How do I install IIS 5 on XP Home Edition?
A: IIS is not available on the home edition. If you need a web server to develop ASP.net applications, look into the Web Matrix http://www.asp.net/webmatrix/default.aspx?tabIndex=4&tabId=46
Q: What limits are on the XP Pro version of IIS (IIS 5.1)?
A: There are several. The most significant is that you cannot create more than one website and it is limited to 10 connections. Why? It's a client operating system not intended to act as a server. IIS is provided to serve as a development platform, not act as a server. To get unlimited websites and connections, you need to invest in a server operating system. You can buy the Windows 2003 Server Web Edition for less than $400 online at various places.
You can find a pretty extensive article on this here: http://www.iisanswers.com/articles/IIS51.htm
Q: What limits are on the Windows 2003 Server Web Edition?
A: It is essentially a Windows 2003 Server intended to act as a web server and nothing else. You can run most applications on it, but can't turn it into a SQL server, domain controller, or Exchange server. It supports an unlimited number (limited by system resources) of websites and http connections, but it is limited to 10 UNC style connections (file://servername/share). This limitation is built in to prevent people from using the Web Edition as inexpensive file server. Perhaps the most severe limitation is 2GB of RAM and 2 CPUs. You can find information on the limits of the various 2003 servers at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/features/compareeditions.mspx
Q: Are there any ways to get all of the operating systems without paying for each one separately?
A: MSDN is your friend. You can have all of the Microsoft operating systems for $1,199 (http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/pricing/default.asp) along with a year of updates. This is an outstanding value for developers who need a bona fide server operating system to develop and test their wares.
ASP.net
Q: What platforms can be used to develop ASP.net applications?
A: To develop .net applications, all you really need is the .net framework installed and notepad. You can develop on XP Home with the webmatrix, but it will not host IIS. I have seen some messages around touting some hacks that theoretically make it possible if you steal the bits from an XP Pro OS, but have not tried and do not recommend you try this. When you mess around with operating system in this way, you are just asking for problems when upgrades, service packs, etc come around - not to mention the ethics issue. My advice to people who need to develop or learn to develop professionally: XP Pro upgrade costs about $180 and is well worth the investment for professionals..
Host Headers
Q: How can I configure IIS to run multiple websites on the same IP?
A: http://www.iisanswers.com/Top10FAQ/t10-hostheaders.htm. You will need to know something about DNS so also see http://www.iisanswers.com/articles/dns_for_iis.htm
© 2004 Brett Hill. All Rights
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