Professional IIS 7.0

Chapter 1. Background on IIS and New Features in IIS 7.0

Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS) has been around for more than a decade, from its first incarnation in Windows NT 3.51 to the current release of IIS 7.0 on the Windows Server 2008 and Vista platforms. It has evolved from providing basic service as an HTTP server, as well as additional Internet services such as Gopher and WAIS, to a fully configurable application services platform integrated with the operating system.

IIS 7.0 is a dramatic change in the way IIS is configured and managed. Modularity, granularity, and interoperability are the guiding factors across the entire product, from setup to security, management to automation. Integrated heavily into the operating system, IIS 7.0 benefits from the improvements in the Windows Server 2008 operating system but IIS has been re-engineered to meet the demands of a true application platform.

This chapter will provide you with an overview of the changes in IIS 7.0 as well as a sampling of some of the new technologies. If you are familiar with IIS 6.0, you will want to skim through this chapter for changes before digging into future chapters for specifics. If you are new to IIS, this chapter will provide an introduction to the features in IIS 7.0 and provide you with a basis for understanding future chapters. And if you're the kind of reader who just wants to skip to the part that applies to your immediate needs, this chapter can help you figure out in what area those ...