ASP.NET Site Performance Secrets

Configuring compression in IIS 6

Configuring compression on IIS 6 is far from straightforward. It involves four steps:

1. Switching on compression in the IIS Manager.
2. Setting permissions on the folder where compressed static files are cached.
3. Updating the metabase.
4. Resetting the IIS server.

Let's go through each step.

Switching on compression in the IIS Manager

Switching on compression in the IIS Manager consists of these steps:

1. Start IIS manager: Click on Start | Administrative Tools | Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. Backup the metabase: Right-click on your server, and then click on All Tasks | Backup/Restore Configuration. Click on the Create Backup button, enter a name for your backup, such as today's date, and click on OK. Finally, click ...