Let's start with the bad news right up front: Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 isn't what you think it is. Although IIS 7.0 is the latest release of Internet Information Services, it isn't what it seems. IIS does look a lot like its predecessors, but this is deceiving because under the surface, the architecture is completely different. So much has changed, in fact, that perhaps it might have been better if Microsoft had given IIS 7.0 a new product name. That way you'd know that IIS 7.0 was completely different from its predecessors, allowing you to start with a fresh perspective and a reasonable expectation of having to learn a whole new bag of tricks. Seasoned IIS pros also are going to have to unlearn some old tricks; and that's not only going to be difficult, it might be the single biggest obstacle to mastering IIS 7.0.

IIS 7.0 provides the core services for hosting Web servers, Web applications, and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. Throughout this artical, I'll refer to administration of IIS, Web applications, and Windows SharePoint Services as Microsoft Web administration or simply Web administration. As you get started with Microsoft Web administration, you should concentrate on these key areas:

• What's new or changed in IIS 7.0

• How IIS 7.0 configuration schema and global configuration architecture are used

• How IIS 7.0 works with your hardware

• How IIS works with Windows-based operating systems

• Which administration tools are available

• Which administration techniques you can use to manage and maintain IIS

Working with IIS 7.0: What You Need to Know Right Now

Microsoft fully integrated Microsoft ASP.NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework into IIS 7.0. Unlike IIS 6, IIS 7.0 takes ASP.NET and the .NET Framework to the next level by integrating the ASP.NET runtime extensibility model with the core server architecture, allowing developers to fully extend the core server architecture by using ASP.NET and the .NET Framework. This tighter integration makes it possible to use existing ASP.NET features such as .NET Roles, Session Management, Output Caching, and Forms Authentication with all types of content.

IIS 7.0 has generalized the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) process activation model that IIS 6 introduced with application pools and made it available for all protocols through an independent service called the Windows Process Activation Service, and developers can use Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) protocol adapters to take advantage of the capabilities of this service. You also should know up front that IIS 7.0 includes a metabase compatibility component that allows your existing scripts and applications to continue running but does not use a metabase to store configuration information. Instead of a metabase, IIS 7.0 uses a distributed configuration system with global and application-specific configuration files that are based on a customizable set of Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema files. These XML schema files define the configuration elements and attributes in addition to valid values for those elements and attributes, providing you precise control over exactly how you can configure and use IIS.

Microsoft built the configuration system around the concept of modules. Modules are standalone components that provide the core feature set of an IIS server. Microsoft ships more than 40 independent modules with IIS 7.0. Either these modules are IIS 7.0–native modules that use a Win32 DLL or IIS 7.0–managed modules that use a .NET Framework Class Library contained within an assembly. Because all server features are contained within modules, you can modify the available features easily by adding, removing, or replacing a server's modules. Further, by optimizing the installed modules based on the way an IIS server is used, you can enhance security by reducing the attack surface area and improve performance by reducing the resources required to run the core services.

• View the current running state of the server.

• Trace failed requests through the core server architecture.

• Obtain detailed error information to pinpoint the source of a problem.
  

IIS 7.0 has many other new and enhanced features, but few are as important as the new set of administration tools, including new graphical, command-line, and scripting administration tools. The new graphical administration tool uses a browser-like interface and adds features for delegated administration, remote administration over Secure HTTP (HTTPS), and extensibility through custom user interface components. The new command-line administration tool makes it possible to perform most configuration tasks with a single line of command text. With ASP.NET, you can manage IIS configuration through the .NET Framework by using the Microsoft.Web.Administrators application programming interface (API). With scripting, you can manage IIS configuration through the IIS 7.0 Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider.

Because of the many changes, much of what you know about IIS is obsolete or irrelevant. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel—well, it's more like a freight train coming right at you—but it's there. The changes in IIS 7.0 are well worth the time and effort you'll spend learning the new architecture and the new techniques required to manage Web servers. Our dependence on ASP.NET and the .NET Framework will only grow over time, and the more you learn about the heart of the .NET architecture—IIS 7.0—the better prepared you'll be for now and for the future.

With IIS 7.0, key components that were a part of previous IIS releases are no longer available or work in different ways than they did before. Because IIS 7.0 does not use a metabase, applications designed for IIS 6 will not run on IIS 7.0 without special actions being taken. To run IIS 6 applications, you must install the IIS 6 compatibility and metabase feature. To manage IIS 6 applications and features, you must install IIS 6 Manager, IIS 6 scripting tools, and IIS 6 WMI compatibility. Additionally, IIS 7.0 does not include Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) services. With IIS 7.0, you can send e-mail messages from a Web application by using the SMTP E-mail component of ASP.NET.

IIS Manager is the graphical user interface (GUI) for managing both local and remote installations of IIS 7.0. To use IIS Manager to manage an IIS server remotely, Web Management Service (WMSVC) must be installed and started on the IIS server you want to manage remotely. WMSVC is also required when IIS site or application administrators want to manage features over which they've been delegated control.

The Web Management Service provides a hostable Web core that acts as a standalone Web server for remote administration. After you install and start WMSVC on an IIS server, it listens on port 8172 on all unassigned IP addresses for four specific types of requests:

• Login Requests IIS Manager sends login requests to WMSVC to initiate connections. On the hostable Web core, login requests are handled by Login.axd. The authentication type is either NT LAN Manager (NTLM) or Basic, depending on what you select when you are prompted to provide credentials in the connection dialog box.

• Code Download Requests If login is successful, WMSVC returns a list of user interface (UI) modules for the connection. Each IIS Manager page corresponds to a specific UI module. If there's a module that IIS Manager doesn't have, it will request to download the module binaries. Code download requests are handled by Download.axd.

• Management Service Requests After a connection is established, your interactions with IIS Manager cause management service requests. Management service requests direct module services in WMSVC to read or write configuration data, runtime state, and providers on the server. Management service requests are handled by Service.axd.

• Ping Requests Ping requests are made from within the WMSVC service to the hostable Web core. Ping requests are made by Ping.axd to ensure that the hostable Web core continues to be responsive.
  

The Web Management Service stores a limited set of editable configuration values in the registry. Each time the service is started, the Web configuration files are regenerated in the following directory: %SystemRoot%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService \AppData\Local\Temp\WMSvc. To enhance security, WMSVC requires SSL (HTTPS) for all connections. This ensures that data passed between the remote IIS Manager client and WMSVC is secure. Additionally, WMSVC runs as Local Service with a reduced permission set and a locked down configuration. This ensures that only the minimal set of required modules are loaded when the hostable Web core starts.