Installing Windows 2003 | IIS 6: The Complete Reference

The installation of WS03 is similar to the installation of previous versions of the OS, and since this is a book about IIS, we won’t go into detail about the install. However, here are a few tips to remember about installing WS03:

Use NTFS partitioning Remember to use NTFS partitioning, because an IIS server is typically exposed to the outside world. Even if that’s not the case, the server still needs to be secure. Use NTFS on every partition on the IIS server.
Separate OS files from data files Use more than one partition. With Windows 2003, you can create a really big C drive to store everything, but why would you want to? Multiple partitions help you keep everything more organized, and if you do lose your OS partition, your data has a better chance of surviving.
Use TCP/IP Since the Internet is based on TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), you must be using TCP/IP as a network protocol for IIS to work.

A Little History

Before we get started installing IIS, let's take a trip down memory lane and cover the history of IIS.

Version 1 IIS 1 was available as an add-on to Windows NT 3.51. It didn't have many features, but it included the standard web, FTP, and gopher services.

Version 2 IIS 2 was included with Windows NT 4. It wasn't tremendously different from IIS 1.

Version 3 IIS was upgraded to version 3 when Service Pack 3 for Windows NT 4 was installed. It included new features, such as Active Server Pages (ASP).

Version 4 IIS 4 was available with the Windows NT 4 Option Pack. It was a major overhaul of IIS, removed the Gopher service, and greatly enhanced the feature set of IIS.

Version 5 IIS 5 was included with Windows 2000 Server. It was not a major upgrade from IIS 4.

Version 6 IIS 6 represents a fundamental shift in the web services product offering from Microsoft. While the FTP, SMTP, and Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) services are not extremely different, the web server component of IIS 6 has a new focus on security and fundamental changes in the way it behaves at its core.