Introduction

Microsoft IIS 6.0 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant is designed to be a concise and easy-to-use resource for managing Web servers running Internet Information Services (IIS), Indexing Service, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) Service, and Web Service Extensions, including ASP, ASP.NET, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and Microsoft Windows .NET Framework. This is the readable resource guide that you’ll want on your desktop at all times. The book covers everything you need to perform core Web administration tasks for IIS, Indexing Services, ASP, ASP.NET, FTP, SMTP, POP3 Service, and Web Service Extensions. Because the focus is on giving you maximum value in a pocket-sized guide, you don’t have to wade through hundreds of pages of extraneous information to find what you’re looking for. Instead, you’ll find exactly what you need to get the job done.

In short, the book is designed to be the one resource you turn to whenever you have questions regarding Web server administration. To this end, the book zeroes in on daily administration procedures, frequently used tasks, documented examples, and options that are representative while not necessarily inclusive. One of the key goals is to keep content so concise that the book remains compact and easy to navigate and yet to ensure that the book is packed with as much information as possible—making it a valuable resource. Thus, rather than a hefty 1000-page tome or a lightweight 100-page quick reference, you get a valuable resource guide that can help you quickly and easily perform common tasks, solve problems, and implement advanced IIS techniques, such as customized redirection, metabase optimization, and automation scripts.

Who Is This Book For?

Microsoft IIS 6.0 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant covers IIS, Indexing Service, FTP, SMTP, POP3 Service, and Web Service Extensions, including ASP, ASP.NET, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and Windows .NET Framework. The book is designed for:

• Current Microsoft Web administrators

• Intranet / extranet administrators

• Administrators migrating to Microsoft Web-based solutions

• Programmers, engineers, and QA personnel who manage internal or test servers running any of these services

To pack in as much information as possible, I had to assume that you already have basic networking skills and a basic understanding of Web servers and that both IIS and Indexing Services are successfully installed on your systems. With this in mind, I don’t devote entire chapters to understanding the Web services, using name services, building Web sites, or installing IIS. I do, however, cover configuration, enterprise-wide server management, performance tuning, optimization, automation, and much more.

I also assume that you’re fairly familiar with the standard Windows user interface and that if you plan to use the scripting techniques outlined in the book, you know scripting. If you need help learning Windows or scripting, you should read other resources (many of which are available from Microsoft Press).