An IIS web server will accept
requests from remote client computers and return the appropriate response. This
core functionality allows web servers to share and transmit information between
local area networks (LANs) such as corporate intranets and wide area networks
(WANs) such as the Internet.
A web server can
provide information to users in a variety of formats, such as static web pages
encoded in HTML; through the exchange of files as downloads and downloads; and
text documents, image files and more.
Web servers provide portals
Modern web servers can
provide a lot more functionality for a business and its users. Web servers are
often used as portals for complex, highly interactive, web-based applications
that connect enterprise middleware and back-end applications to create
enterprise-class systems. For example, Amazon Web Services allows users to
manage public cloud resources via a web-based portal. Meanwhile, streaming
media services like Spotify for music and Netflix for movies offer real-time
streaming content via their web servers.
How IIS works
IIS works through various
standard languages and protocols. HTML is used to create elements like text,
buttons, image overlays, direct interactions/behaviors, and hyperlinks. Hypertext
Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the primary communication protocol used to exchange
information between web servers and users. HTTPS -- HTTP over Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) -- uses Transport Layer Security, or SSL, to encrypt communication
for additional data security. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or its secure
derivative FTPS can transfer files.
Additional supported
protocols include Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for sending and
receiving e-mail, and Network News Transfer Protocol for transmitting articles
on USENET.
IIS works with ASP.NET Core
The ASP.NET Core framework is
the latest generation of Active Server Page (ASP), a server-side scripting
engine that generates interactive web pages. A request arrives from the web to
the IIS server and sends it to the ASP.NET Core application, which processes
the request and sends its response back to the IIS server and client that
created the request. Examples of applications written on ASP.NET Core include
blogging platforms and content management systems (CMS).
Developers can produce IIS
websites with a range of tools, including WebDav, which can create and publish
web content. Developers can also use integrated development tools like
Microsoft Visual Studio.
Versions of IIS
IIS was developed with
Microsoft Windows. Early versions of IIS came with Windows NT. IIS 1.0
originated with Windows NT 3.51 and evolved with Windows NT 4.0 over IIS 4.0.
IIS 5.0 ships with Windows 2000. Microsoft has included IIS 6.0 in Windows
Server 2003. IIS 7.0 started a major redesign with Windows Server 2008 (IIS 7.5
is on Windows Server 2008 R2). IIS 8.0 ships with Windows Server 2012 (Windows
Server 2012 R2 uses IIS 8.5). And IIS 10 came with Windows Server 2016 and
Windows 10.
With each iteration of IIS,
Microsoft added new features and updated existing functions. For example, IIS
3.0 added ASP for dynamic scripting; IIS 6.0 added IPv6 support and improved
security and reliability; also, IIS 8.0 introduced multi-core scaling,
centralized SSL certificate support, and Server Name Specification on
non-uniform memory access hardware.
Features in IIS 10
IIS 10 adds a host of new
features and functionality.
IIS 10 adds support for the
HTTP/2 protocol to provide more resource efficient use and lower latency
compared to HTTP 1.1. IIS 10 runs on Nano Server with minimal server deployment
model under Windows Server 2016 and can run ASP.NET Core, Apache Tomcat and PHP
workloads on IIS on Nano Server.
IIS 10 runs in a
container and virtual machine, so developers and administrators have more
flexibility in deployment options as well as density to host a wide variety of
web applications.
IIS Express for testing
Microsoft provides a standalone
version of IIS called IIS Express for developers to test their websites. IIS
Express offers all the basic features of a full IIS web server, but allows many
tasks to be performed without administrative privileges.
Security
To ensure that a website is
secure, organizations must take security measures to protect the web server
from security breaches. Companies can use the features built into IIS to power
IIS.
To strengthen Windows IIS
some methods:
·
Make sure the Windows operating system is updated with all security
patches.
·
Disable all unused features of IIS to mitigate possible attacks.
·
Use firewalls to make sure the server only receives valid packets.
·
Check which IP addresses and domains can access the web server.
·
Use URL authorization to enforce rules for specific requests, such as
dealing with specific URLs. A company can use URL authorization to authorize
only certain users to view requested pages.
·
Use logging to view all visitors accessing the web server.
·
Configure the error page to show only information about a problem. Make
sure that the error pages do not display usernames, passwords, the server's IP
address, or any information that hackers can use to exploit the web server.
Steps to install
and configure IIS
The following describes how
to install IIS on a server running Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft
Windows Server 2016, and Microsoft Windows Server 2019.
Here are the steps on how to
install IIS using Server Manager:
·
Press [Windows] key and choose Server Manager.
·
Go to Server Manager dashboard, click manage > add roles and features.
·
Click installation type.
·
After selecting the role-based or feature-based installation option, click
Next.
·
Select the server where IIS will be installed and click Next.
·
Activate the Web Server (IIS) Role.
·
Add the IIS Management Console by clicking Add Features.
·
Click Next: SelectFeatures window will open.
·
After clicking Next, the Web Server Role (IIS) window will open.
·
After clicking Next, the Choose Role Services window will open.
·
Click Next after selecting the required role services.
·
Click Install and click to install the selected roles, role services and
features.
·
Click Close to complete the installation.
Here are the steps on how to
install IIS in PowerShell:
·
Type PowerShell in search and then click Windows PowerShell
·
Type the following command in Windows PowerShell: Install-WindowsFeature
-name Web Server -IncludeManagementTools
·
Press [ENTER].
Here are the steps on how to
configure IIS using Server Manager:
·
Go back to Server Manager, select Internet Information Services (IIS)
Manager from the Tools menu.
·
Click Add Website
·
At a minimum, specify the site name and path.
·
Click OK.
·
Here is the first site ready to be accessed.
When IIS is installed, it is
preconfigured to serve as a default website. However, to change the basic
settings of the website:
·
Log into an administrator on the web server computer.
·
Click Start, hover over settings, then click Control Panel.
·
Double-click Administrative Tools, double-click Internet Services Manager
from the pop-up window.
·
Right-click the website to configure in the left pane and click Properties.
·
Click the website tab.
·
In the Description box, type a description for the website.
·
Type the Internet Protocol (IP) address to use for the website or leave the
default setting of All (Unassigned).
·
Change the Transmission Control Protocol port accordingly.
·
Click the Home Directory tab.
·
To use a folder on the local computer, click A directory on this computer,
then click Browse to locate the folder you want to use.
·
To use a shared folder from another computer on the network, click A share
located on another computer , then type the network path or click Browse to
select the shared folder.
·
Click Read (required) to give read access to the folder.
·
Click OK to accept the website specifications.
To create a new website in
IIS, follow these steps:
·
Log in as an administrator using the web server computer.
·
Click Start, then point to Settings and click Control Panel.
·
Double-click on Administrative Tools, then double-click on Internet
Services Manager.
·
Click Action, hover over New, and then click website.
·
Click Next after the Website Creation Wizard starts.
·
Type a description for the website. (This description is used internally to describe the website only in
Internet Services Manager.)
·
Choose the IP address to be used for the site. Choosing all (unassigned)
will make the website accessible on all interfaces and all configured IP
addresses.
·
Type in the TCP port number for publishing the site.
·
Type the Host Header name (the real name used to access this site).
·
Click Next.
·
Type the path to the folder containing the website documents or click
Browse to select the folder and then click Next.
·
After selecting the access permissions for the website in the Windows
taskbar, click Next.
·
Click Finish.
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