Newest KB Articles in IIS Manager

How to Disable Directory Browsing Using IIS Manager

Sat, 20 Apr 2019 00:22:46 GMT

To disable directory browsing, first connect to your site using IIS Manager.

Double click on the Directory Browsing icon.

Then click on the Disable icon.

How to generate a Machine Key in IIS Manager

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:08:51 GMT

To generate the machine key first you will need to connect to your site using IIS Manager:

https://support.winhost.com/kb/a628/using-the-microsoft-iis-manager.aspx

Once connected double click on the Machine Key Module

On this page click "Generate Keys" on the right side of the screen. Note the boxes for "Automatically generate at runtime" will be unchecked.

Once the keys have been generated click on Apply in the top right:

You can find the newly generated key in your web.config:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<configuration>
    <system.web>
          <machineKey decryptionKey="###############,IsolateApps"                               validationKey="############,IsolateApps" />
    </system.web>
</configuration>

Password protecting directories in IIS

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:32:38 GMT

In IIS, password protection is achieved by removing anonymous user access to a directory or file. This can be achieved in two ways. You can add the Deny rule to the Anonymous User directly to your applications web.config file, or go through the steps in IIS Manager.

To manually add the rules in your applications web.config file, add this line under the <system.webServer> section:

        <security>
            <authorization>
                <add accessType="Deny" users="?" />
            </authorization>
        </security>

To password protect a specific file, add the 'location path' element within your security rules:

    <location path="index.htm">
        <system.webServer>
            <security>
                <authorization>
                    <add accessType="Deny" users="?" />
                </authorization>
            </security>
        </system.webServer>
    </location>

The alternative to hard coding your web.config file is to use IIS Manager. Refer to Using the Microsoft IIS Manager for instructions on configuring IIS Manager to connect to Winhost web servers. We recommended that the IIS Manager only be used only by experienced developers.

Connect to your site
Go to the directory you want to password protect in the left pane
Double click the Authorization Rules icon in the main window
Click Add Deny Rule
In the pop up dialogue box, select All anonymous users
Click OK
This action will add some entries into your web.config file

Note: Since the rule is written to your application's web.config file, if you upload a new web.config file, the rules may be overwritten.

Application Pool Pipeline Mode in IIS

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:22:33 GMT

An application that was developed for IIS 6 may not function properly using the default Integrated Application Pool Pipeline Mode. If you encounter this issue you can configure your account to use the classic .NET Application Pool Pipeline Mode using the Integrated/Classic Pipeline Mode tool, located in the Site Tools section of Control Panel.

Go to the Site Tools section of Control Panel
Select Classic from the drop down menu for Application Pool Pipeline Mode
Click the Update button

Notes on the Application Pool Pipeline Mode:

Most ASP applications should run fine.
Integrated Mode Benefits:
- Allowing services provided by both native and managed modules to apply to all requests, regardless of handler. For example, managed Forms Authentication can be used for all content, including ASP pages, CGIs, and static files.
- Empowering ASP.NET components to provide functionality that was previously unavailable to them due to their placement in the server pipeline. For example, a managed module providing request rewriting functionality can rewrite the request prior to any server processing, including authentication, takes place.
- A single place to implement, configure, monitor and support server features. For example, single module and handler mapping configuration, single custom errors configuration, single url authorization configuration.

Using the Microsoft IIS Manager

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:36:46 GMT

Installing IIS Manager

If you're running a newer version of Windows (Vista, 7, and higher), you install IIS Manager by enabling IIS Management Console through the Windows Control Panel. Open your computer's control panel and select "Programs and Features". If you don't see it, make sure you change the "View by:" to either large/small icons. On your left, you should see the "Turn Windows features on or off" option. Click on it. (Note: You can also reach this option via the "Category" view by clicking on "Programs". It will be in the middle of your screen instead of your left.)

Now navigate to Internet Information Services -> Web Management Tools -> IIS Management Console. Check the checkbox and then click on OK.

You can now run IIS Manager by typing it in your computer's search tool. Now, this is sufficient for most systems, but for some versions of Windows, you'll need to perform an additional step because the "Connect to a Site..." option is missing.

If you notice that the globe icon above is greyed out or the "Connect to a Site..." option is missing, then you'll need to download and install IIS Manager for Remote Admininstration 1.2 (inetmgr_amd64_en-US.zip). This will add the setting back in. You'll also need to install it if your site is hosted on IIS 8 or higher.

Configuring IIS Manager to connect to Winhost web servers

The IIS Manager user name for your site can be found in the Site Info section of Control Panel. It is the same as your primary FTP username.

From the IIS Manager file menu bar, select "Connect to a Site..." to start the connection wizard.

On the first screen, enter the following information (your site login information can be found in the Site Info section of Control Panel):

Server name: Your Secondary Web URL (excluding the "http://" portion)
Site name: Your domain name without "www."

Click the next button to proceed to the credentials screen. At the credentials screen, you'll use the following:

User name: Your site's default FTP login name
Password: Your site FTP password

The last step is to create a connection name. We recommend using your domain name to avoid any confusion should you create multiple connections. Click the "Finish" button to complete the wizard.