Learning Windows Server 2003

Managing Web Services

In this section, I’ll walk through creating a new site, configuring it, modifying its properties, and securing it using certificates. I’ll also assume you’re creating a new web site as well, though if you want to use the Default Website already created in IIS, you can follow along through the explanation, too.

Creating a Site

First, open IIS Manager, and expand the tree in the left pane. Right-click the Websites folder, and from the New menu, select Website. The Website Creation Wizard appears. Click Next to continue, and then follow the procedure outlined here:

1. On the Website Description screen, enter some helpful text that represents the purpose or content of the web site you’re creating. This is just for your, or other administrators', reference. Click Next to continue.

2. The IP Address and Port Settings screen appears. Here, choose the IP address on which IIS will listen for requests addressed to this web site. You also can select All Unassigned to indicate to IIS to monitor all IP addresses that aren’t reserved for the exclusive use of other web sites. Also, enter the TCP port number that requests to this web site will use. (The default is port 80.) Finally, enter the host header for this site if needed or appropriate. I’ll cover these a bit later in this chapter. Click Next to continue.

3. On the Website Home Directory page, indicate to IIS where the pages you want to serve are located on your machine. You also can point IIS to a network location if you want ...