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If you've been curious about what to expect in the next version of IIS, there's no need to
wonder any more. Microsoft quietly slipped the latest version of their web server, IIS7,
into the recent release of Windows Vista. This article will give you a quick look
at the all new management interface and highlight a few of IIS7's exciting new features.
While the version of IIS that eventually ships with Windows Server "Longhorn"
may vary in some minor ways from the version that ships with Vista, the IIS included with
Vista is in no way a "lite" version. It's obvious that Microsoft has put a
lot of time and effort into this release and you can expect IIS7 to be the platform of
choice as soon as people can get their servers upgraded.
The New Management Interface
Since it's the most visual change and the aspect of the new IIS7 that people will notice first,
let's start by examining the new management UI. Here's what the new IIS Manager looks like:
The first thing to notice is the new "Features View" which is shown above. While you
can still use the "Content View" to show the files that make up your Web Site in the main
pane of the tool, most of the time you'll be using the "Features View" to change site and application
settings.
Once you click on any of the icons, you'll notice that, unlike previous versions of IIS,
most settings are accessed via the main window. This is a welcome change to those of us
who are used to the endless tabs and dialog boxes of the old IIS. I'll be perfectly happy
if I never see the "Close all property pages before closing Internet Information Services." pop-up message again.
There are a few settings screens that still pop up a dialog box, but the majority of your time
is now spent in the main window.
The other new feature in the new IIS Manager is the "Actions" pane. This task-based pane shows
you the most common tasks that are related to the currently selected object. For example, here's a close
up of the "Actions" pane as it looks when the "Default Web Site" is the currently selected object.
The contents of the "Actions" pane will naturally change as the selected object changes, but
this pane is where you'll generally find links that lead you through most of your common admin tasks.
Modular Architecture
Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere for the past few years, you've heard about all the problems
that IIS has had when it comes to security. In earlier versions of IIS, it was either installed or it wasn't.
If IIS was installed then all the features were installed. In an attempt to minimize potential vulnerability,
in IIS 6, the majority of features were disabled by default, but they still got installed. This time around
Microsoft has taken the next logical step. IIS7 is almost completely modular. Take a look at the installation
screen:
Now granted, I've installed everything to play around with it all, but on a production server, you now have
the flexibility to install only the features you need. That way if you don't use CGI, then you
don't need to worry about some new bug that someone finds in the CGI handler. You also won't need to install a patch and
reboot, because the affected code was never even installed on your server so there's nothing to patch!
XML-Based Configuration
Ever copied your web site's configuration from one server to another as easily as copying a file? You can now.
All IIS7 configuration settings are now stored in XML format. They've included all the standard bells and whistles.
You've got APIs and a WMI provider to access the settings from code, an easy way to extend the configuration schema,
and even a command line tool to manage settings, but the main selling point for me is that the Metabase is dead.
Even so... existing code and script that rely on the Metabase supposedly still work! Amazing as it may seem,
according to Microsoft, IIS7 simply maps Metabase properties to an equivalent property in the new configuration system.
Conclusion
If you've been waiting to test drive the next generation web server from Microsoft, your wait is over.
IIS7 is here today and all you need to get it, is a copy of Windows Vista (preferably Business,
Enterprise, or Ultimate -- the Home Premium Edition includes a stripped down version, but it'll do in a pinch).
The only problem is that if you use it too much, you may not want to go back to IIS5/6 and the with Windows Server
"Longhorn" not scheduled to ship until sometime in 2007, you may just find yourself wishing you could use Vista
in your data center.
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