How Developers can Extend IIS 7

Just saw it, looks innovative and I'm glad they made it completely modular (I wonder how long it'll take Apache to get there), although I'm still unsure about the integration with ASP.NET (or just .NET), unlike other things this seems integrated into the server itself, and not as a module.

Can we get an answer for that?

From: http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=2&subtabid=25&i=928

"In IIS7, the ASP.NET request processing pipeline overlays the IIS pipeline directly, essentially providing a wrapper over it instead of plugging into it.

A request arriving for any content type is processed by IIS, with both native IIS modules and ASP.NET modules being able to provide request processing in all stages. This enables services provided by ASP.NET modules like Forms Authentication or Output Cache to be used for requests to ASP pages, PHP pages, static files, and so on.

The ability to plug in directly into the server pipeline allows ASP.NET modules to replace, run before, or run after any IIS functionality. This enables, for example, a custom ASP.NET basic authentication module written to use the Membership service and SQL Server user database to replace the built in IIS basic authentication feature that works only with Windows accounts.

In addition, the expanded ASP.NET APIs take advantage of direct integration to enable more request processing tasks. For example, ASP.NET modules can modify request headers before other components process the request, inserting an Accept-Language header before ASP applications execute in order to force localized content to be sent back to the client based on user preference."
-brett

Hey perhaps the IIS folks can comment on this:

I have posted a few time and places about the way IIS and things that use IIS tend to assume that IIS will have a web in C:\inetpub\wwwroot
and that it's w3cv1 (or that ever that first default name is)

often a server will have a C:\ thats small and another drive thats larger.

I have had problems with 3rd party installers assuming that location for an addon and with MSFT installers.

they tend to not ask what web to install into.


examples of things include reporting services and certificate services.


I'd love to see MSFT start by allowing the admin to install IIS such that the inetpub folder can be any folder the admin points to like
F:\WEB\

and then get addons to ask "whats the name of the default web"
before they try and install ....

getting SQL RS and CertSrv to go on other locations is a pain.

getting things like that web service tool that comes with vs 2005 was a pain, now they crippled it to not even work with iis....

so for productiion webs C: is not (IMHO) the place to install.

leave C: for the OS and the \Program files\

put the web on another volume.....

make this easy for the admin to do.

This might seem a little off topic but I filmed Steve Ballmer's speech at the Microsoft Dynamics AX Launch (in Boston), and I'd like to upload it.

Where do I do that?!?! TIA.

I agree with you on this.
No way the web files should be on C: (or your system drive). And IIS does not prompt you.  A long time ago in a land far away, well not so far actually, IIS 4 used to nicely ask you where you wanted to install the default website.

Along came Windows 2000 and the new law of the land was "make it easy to install - as few prompts as possilble". And it was so. There are indeed very few prompts during the install compared to installing NT4.

To compensate, you can direct the installation to any drive using an automated install which is far easier than it sounds. There are nuermous articles on this (SYSOCMGR and IIS).

Additionally, moving the default website is very simple and takes just a minute.

All that said, I would still like a prompt.

As far as other web applicaitons using "The Default Website" or website number 1, depending  on what they look for, this is true of many applicaiotns and is why I recommend keeping it around, but disabling it.  The teams inside Microsoft that write the installers are the ones responbile for how much flexibility there is in this. I've seen the issue of where to install an web applicaiton handled very well and very poorly both inside and outside of Microsoft. For better or for worse, Microsoft operates like colection of start ups. So if the Squiggy team wants to makes their web app install in "The Default Website", the mechanics of that is up to them - same as it is for you.

For developers, they want this to be easy and reliable so they make assumptions there will be a Website number 1, and generally there is.

-brett