Install IIS on your WinXP pro box

Intro

IIS stands for Internet Information Server, but i suppose if you are here you already know what it is. A brief description is that IIS will serve pages which is in your web folder (you'll know what that is later on) to visitors/surfers.

[note: I am not a fan of IIS.. over the time you'll want to shift to more powerful and secure web server such as apache :p]

Disclaimer

I am not responsible for whatever happens to you or to your computer or your life after you read this :p

if after reading this your dog escape with your neighbour's cat and get married secretly.. am not to be held responsible, neither if your computer blows up :p

You are reading this at your own risk :)..hahaha wanted to say that since a long time.

Copyright stuffs

Oooh come on am not a windows fan, so cut the crap about copyright, wrote that for my friends of CSE2b because many were having trouble with IIS in the webtech class. I just hope that this may help them. CSE2b rulez:p

Anywayz greetz to cin, hmu team, Underworld, CSE2b, lugm, csyke, simple, ohh well this is just a small thing, so am cutting off the greetz also coz am lazy :p

latest version to be found on www.thegodof.net/docs/iis/iis.htm

doc released under the GNU GPL BUT please note that all logos and stuffs are copyrighted to their respective owners (ahh its sad that am writing stuffs about Microsoft(c) things.. mo p gagne hontE :p)

written by SeLvEn

for flames/comments/helps/adds selven[AT]thegodof.net

I wanted to write how to make IIS work on WinXP home also, but I got tired, so I'll write that next time. Anywayz, I have tried to make it as simple as possible, enjoy :p

Installation

Anyways let's begin installing IIS (you'll be amazed to see how easy it is.)

Step1. Go to your control panel and click on Add remove program. [figure1]

Figure 1.

Step2: Click on Add/remove windows components [figure2]

Figure 2.

Step3: Tick internet information services [figure3], and click next next etc.. follow instruction on screen (fairly easy to follow from there (you may need your WinXP cd).

Figure 3.

Configuration

Part one is now over, you have now successfully installed IIS on your system, part two is about configuring IIS.

Step 4: Reboot your machine after IIS has been installed, when you've logged in your machine again, go to your control panel, click on Administrative tools [figure 4]

Figure 4

Step 5: Click on Internet information services to launch the configuration for IIS. [Figure 5]

Figure 5.

Step 6: In the new configuration applet that has opened, expand IIS->whatever hostname you have (local computer)-> Websites->Default Website [just like in that figure which follows] and right click on Default website,  click on properties

Figure 6.

Step 7: On the new applet that has opened, click on Document Security. [check figure which follows]

Figure 7.

Step 8: On the Document security tab, after clicking you'll see 'anonymous access and authentication control', click edit.

Figure 8.

Step 9: Which the new screen that appears, you'll see 'Anonymous Access' unticked, TICK it. just like in figure 9. You'll see that you are also asked for a username and password... So you'll have to create a limited user on your system and fill in the data in that.. so after ticking anonymous access don't apply or click OK, just move to step 10 to know how to add a user, those who can add a user can skip to step 17.

Figure 9.

Adding a user for IIS

Step 10: Go to control panel>User accounts [check figure 10]

Figure 10.

Step 11: Click on Create new account

Figure 11.

Step 12: Type the name for your new account when prompted to do so, let's call the new account 'iis_user', and click next

Figure 12.

Step13: Set the account as limited account [see picture], then click create account

Figure 13.

Step 14: After your account has been created, click it like in that picture:

Figure 14.

Step 15: A new applet opens up, click on create password to set a password.

Figure 15.

Step 16: Type in your new user password and click on create, be sure to remember that password

Figure 16.

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Step 17: Well now you can fill in your details in the Control panel>Administrative tools> Internet information service>Properties>Document security>Anonymous access after all details were enterred, cick on ok ok etc.. to apply your settings.

Figure 17a.

you can set this additional setting also, check the picture:

Figure 17b

Step 18: Now select default website (in Control panel>Administrative tools> Internet information service), then you'll notice a play/stop button at the top, click on stop then play to restart IIS. [check figure 18]

Figure 18.

Step 19:  By the way,  your website files are stored in "C:\Inetpub\wwwroot" now refer to figure 17b if ever it is something else or if you don't find that directory existing.

So keep you website html or asp etc.. there.

Figure 19.

here's a test then,

open internet explorer (or if you have a great browser such as firefox.. use that..lol)

go to the address http://localhost

you should get access to the contents of your website. In my case i had a file called test1.asp, here is an example:

Figure 20. Yupeee it works!!!

additional things[to get online]

If you want people outside of your computer to get access to your webserver (e.g you john wants sarah to access his files on his webserver, john's ip address is 203.123.123.78 (to get your ip address Start>run>cmd type ipconfig /all and you shall see your address.)) Anywayz john (you) has to let his firewall allow connections to port 80 (port 80 is for http), so...

Step 21: Go to Control panel> Security center

Figure 21.

 Step 22: Click on windows firewall

Figure 22.

Step 23: Click on exception, then click on add port

Figure 23.

Step 24: Fill in the details as shown in the following picture

Figure 24.

Click on ok etc.. afterwards to commit everything, reboot, when you come back shall work.. so john now has to do and ipconfig /all to get his ip, then give sarah his ip address, sarah will open internet explorer (or firefox :p) then she will type the address http://203.123.124.78 (whatever the address john has given).

Ok you are now set up and ready to serve pages on the net!

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Logos trademarks etc etc.. are the property of the required owners blah blah blah.
I hold no copyright on this, because information is not the property of anyone :p
19/11/2006 [there's a test 2moro gotta revise]