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03 March 2008
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Configuring Windows Vista as Web Server
Windows Vista has an IIS 7.0 Web Server. However, it is not installed by default. This blog provides a guide for you to set up this web server.
Before you do that, you need to understand the limitation of using Windows Vista as web server. Windows Vista Business or Ultimate limits IIS from serving more than 10 concurrent requests. In other words,
if 11 users send requests to the server at exactly the same time, one user will get "server too busy" error
or slow down substantially. However, this limitation does not mean that this server can only handle 10 persons using it simultaneously.
In an environment of, say, 30 users, it is very unlikely that 11 of them will click a button to send request to the server at exactly the same time. So, using Windows Vista as web server to serve 30 users is quite safe.
Procedure for
Installing IIS 7.0
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Change Control Panel Display to classic view.
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Click Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows Features on or off.
You will see the following dialog box.
- Select features that you will use for your IIS server (see the above diagram).
At a minimun, you need to select "ASP" or "ASP.Net" under "Application
Development Features" if you are hosting dymanic web pages. If your
website displays images, you should also select "static contents" under "Common
Http Features". If your website has default page (e.g. default.aspx), you
should also select "default document" under "Common Http Features".
- Also select "The IIS Metabase and IIS 6 configuration compatibility under IIS 6 Management Compatibility" if you encounter installer
interrupt error during web application installation using Window Installer.
- I also advise you to select
the Web Management Tools for easier server management.
- Click "OK" to start installation. At this point, your web server is installed with its root directory at
C:\inetpub\wwwroot(or the drive of
your operating system).
- If you installed Vista SP1 (if you have not, you should do do it now), you need
to disable the "Enable HTTP keep-alive feature". Disabling this feature
will slightly lower server performance but can allow Vista serves more than 10
users simultaneously.
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In order to allow other people using this server, you need to open the firewall of Windows Vista.
Click "World Wide Web Services (HTTP)" as shown in the following diagram.
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The web server can perform better if you change the some settings. Go to
Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings. On the
"Advanced" tab of "System Properties", click settings in the Peformance
section. You will see the diagram below.
Select "Adjust for best Performance" in the
"Visual Effects" tab and also select "Background Services" in the "Advanced"
tab. Click "OK" and restart the computer.
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After you restart the computer, you can
click Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Internet Infromation Services
(IIS) Manager to call out the following screen. You can then manage your
IIS web server in this Web Management Tool.
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For additional information about IIS 7, please visit:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/07/03/IIS7/default.aspx
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