Chris Adams

1
Managing IIS 6.0 Servers in an Enterprise
Environment A Handful of Tips and Tricks

• Chris Adams
• Program Manager
• IIS Product Unit
• Microsoft Corporation

2
Agenda

• A quick introduction
• Understanding Complexities with Deployments
• Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
• Preparing when things go wrong
• Protection Looking at disasters
• Summary

3
A quick introduction

• The day starts and ends with Preparation
• IT Administrators lifecycle events in IIS
• Deployments
• Managing Sites Applications
• Troubleshooting Diagnostics
• Preparing for the unknown Disasters
• Prepare with understanding of Tools
• Deployment Scripting
• Managing Log Parser, Performance Monitor
• Troubleshooting Event Tracing, Log Parser,
  Debug Diagnostics 1.0
• Disasters Xcopy, IIsCertDeploy, IIsBack

4
A quick introduction (2)

• Tools for IIS 6.0 enterprise management facts
• OS-related tools shipped on Windows Server 2003
  CD
• IIS 6.0 related tools shipped on the Windows
  Server 2003 CD
• IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools
• IIS Diagnostics Tools www.iisdiagnostics.com
• Todaylearn how to use em right! (I hope!)

5
Understanding complexities with Deployments
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Understanding Complexities with Deployments

• Why is it so hard?
• Moving IIS 6.0 configuration from server to
  servers
• Effectively doing diffs between IIS 6.0
  servers
• Moving content from server to server
• How do I solve these complexities?
• Understand what tools to use
• Understand your IIS 6.0 server requirements
• Model deployments (i.e. templatize them)

7
Understanding Complexities with Deployments (2)

• Tools to use
• Xcopy or Robocopy
• IIsCnfg.vbs, AdsUtil.vbs IIsExt.vbs
• IIsCertDeploy.vbs (only for SSL-enabled sites)
• XCopy\Robocopy
• Moves content from server to server
• Why use this method?
• Server Backups offer disk-based files backup
• Web Farms Difficult because you have
  x-servers
• Use Xcopy\Robocopy to move to Central Location

8
Understanding Complexities with Deployments (3)

• IIsCnfg.vbs
• Moves configuration from dev\staging
  environment
• /export ? /import Understand offerings
• Automation opportunities
• AdsUtil.vbs
• First step Add to System Path (not in
  windir\system32)
• Default systemroot\inetpub\adminscripts

9
Understanding Complexities with Deployments (4)

• IIsExt.vbs Used to enable dynamic content
• ISAPIs Typically .dlls
• Do not require regsrv32 (like COM objects)
• Requires Path for Deployment
• Application Permissions Requirements
• CGIs
• Typically .exe or .cgi
• Base Threads for Execution
• Security Enable one-by-one, or per application
• Do not choose Allow all Unknown

10
Understanding Complexities with Deployments (5)

• SSL-enabled sites IIsCertDeploy.vbs
• SSL Background
• Typical IPPort Bindings for SSL-enabled
  sites
• Advanced IPPortHostHeader
• Requires Service Pack 1
• Why is this important?
• Testing environments with no SSL are dangerous
  problematic

11
Understanding Complexities with Deployments (6)

• Why is this important? (cont.)
• Ex Testing using IP address, not FQDN
• Ex 4443, not 443Using non-standard ports
• Result Failure to understand the end-users
  experience
• Moving Certificate from Test to Production

Single Server iiscertdeploy.vbs e
pathtopfxfile -I metabasepath -p pwdforfile
12
demonstration
One Click Deployment
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Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
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Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise

• Use the right Tools
• Core OS Tools
• Using Performance Monitor
• Service Pack 1 Tracing
• Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005
• Base lining the application
• Understanding the Applications usage
• Top request URIs per day
• Maximum Requests per time slot

15
Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
(2)

• Using Log Parser to get this Top
• URIs per day
• Max Requests per time slot

REM Top URI Per Day SELECT TO_STRING(TO_LOCALT
IME(TO_TIMESTAMP(date, time)), 'HH') AS Hours,
COUNT() AS PercentHits INTO
PercentHourlyHits.gif FROM logs\ex.log
www.logparser.com for more
16
Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
(3)

• Why should you install Service Pack 1?
• Many features added
• Enable Metabase Auditing
• Enable Static Compression
• Enable key Logging Fields
• Centralized W3C Logging
• Biggest Enterprise Tracing events increased 10x
  to 240 events
• What is tracing (um, how ETM works?)

17
Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
(5)

• How ETW works -

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Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
(6)
Request

• Primary purpose of Tracing Diagnostics
• Why do I use tracing to manage applications?
• Application Profiling
• Know each component used for the application

Begin Request
Read Metadata
Authenticate
Authorize
Cached
ISAPI Filter
Determine Handler
19
Managing IIS 6.0 applications in an Enterprise
(6)

• Additional thoughts
• Improve performance by using compression where
  appropriate
• Review Application Pool (i.e. worker processes)
  strategy
• Using time-based recycling when?
• Using request-based recycling
• Memory-based recycling
• Avoid downtime Turn off recycling on
  configuration changes

20
demonstration
A few tricks(or Tips) Enable Metabase
Auditing Enable Compression Enable
Centralized Logging Enable Time-Taken, etc.
Enable LogEventOnRecycle
21
Preparing when things go wrong
22
Preparing when things go wrong

• Troubleshooting 101
• Isolate the issues
• Web Farm considerations
• Typical issues you deal with (or will!)
• Application failures Crash, Hang, or Memory
  Leaks
• Server Errors HTTP 500 Errors
• Common Tools used for Troubleshooting
• Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Tracing
• www.iisdiagnostics.com (Log Parser, IIS Request
  Viewer, DebugDiag, AuthDiag, SSLDiag)

23
demonstration
Viewing Currently Executing Requests Using
Tracing IIS Request Viewer
24
demonstration
Finding Permission Failures with AuthDiags
AuthMon
25
Protection Looking at Disasters
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Protection Looking at Disasters

• Often overlooked, rarely prepared for
• Why overlooked?
• IT professionals often think they are covered
  with disk backups
• Misconception that System state backups include
  Metabase
• Creating turn-key solutions for backups
  recovery
• Simplify Create a single share to create
  single directory for capture
• Test, test, and test

27
Protection Looking at Disasters (2)

• Backing up IIS 6.0 key data points
• What data to get
• SSL Certificates (if necessary)
• IIS 6.0 Metabase
• Content
• Get it done Practice, practice, practice

28
demonstration
Automating Backups in IIS 6.0
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Protection Looking at Disasters (3)

• Restoring IIS 6.0 key data points
• Benefit of central store
• Turn-key restore script needs no fancy
  connections
• If central store not available, use tape backup
  to restore to another location (and update
  script!)
• Make sure all scripts are hosted locally on
  server and in system path
• Get it donePractice, practice, practice

30
demonstration
Turn key (one-click) restores
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Session Summary

• Use the right tools to deploy IIS 6.0
  configuration, content, and dependencies
• Use application log data to find out how your
  application works
• Configure your server the right way at
  deployment, not afterwards
• Be prepared for failures and take appropriate
  action
• Always have a roll-back strategy timing is
  everything!

32
References and Resources

• Drill-down webcasts on key topics discussed
  today
• Automate, Automate, Automate Scripting IIS 6.0
• http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDet
  ails.aspx?EventID1032280620EventCategory5cultu
  reen-USCountryCodeUS
• Disaster Recovery and IIS 6.0 Metabase Backups
  in a Nutshell http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI
  /EventDetail.aspx?EventID1032255809Cultureen-US
  
• IIS 6.0 IIsCnfg.vbs versus IIsBack.vbs
• http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.asp
  x?EventID1032268486Cultureen-US
• Using Host Headers with SSL-enabled
  Websites
• http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDet
  ails.aspx?EventID1032280959EventCategory5cultu
  reen-USCountryCodeUS

33
References and Resources (2)

• Drill-down webcasts on key topics discussed
  today
• Using MOM Web Sites and Services Management
  Pack
• http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDet
  ails.aspx?EventID1032267008EventCategory5cultu
  reen-USCountryCodeUS
• IIS 6.0 Service Pack Tracing Inside and Out
• http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDet
  ails.aspx?EventID1032268451EventCategory5cultu
  reen-USCountryCodeUS
• IIS Data Mining with Log Parser 2.x
• http//msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDet
  ails.aspx?EventID1032263723EventCategory3cultu
  reen-USCountryCodeUS