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Virtual servers can be created and managed using the same tools used for creating and managing virtual directories, namely:

• The Internet Service Manager (ISM) snap-in of the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
• The HTML version of the Internet Service Manager
• The Windows Scripting Host

First, create and store your primary Web content (the home page and pages of similar importance) that needs to be published in either a local directory on your IIS server or on a remote network share. Assign appropriate NTFS permissions for controlling access to the folder containing your content.

To create a virtual server using the Microsoft Management Console, right-click on the physical IIS server (the icon looks like a small computer) to which you would like to add a virtual server. From the shortcut menu that appears, select New, Web Site. The New Web Site Wizard will appear (see Figure 5-8). Click Next to begin the wizard. Enter a friendly name to describe the Web site (this name will appear beside the virtual server's node in the MMC) and click Next (see Figure 5-9).

Use the drop-down box to select an available IP address from the IP addresses bound to your server or select All Unassigned if you wish this virtual server to be your new default Web site (see Figure 5-10).

NOTE: Be sure to select an IP address not already used by another virtual server or by your default Web site. If you select an IP address that is already in use, the New Web Site Wizard will not indicate any error at this point, but when you try to start the virtual server afterward, a dialog box will appear with the message, "A duplicate name exists on the network," and you will be unable to start the virtual server.

Similarly, if the existing default Web site has "All Unassigned" as its IP address (see the Web Site tab on the Default Web Site Properties sheet), and you try to assign the same value "All Unassigned" as the IP address for your new virtual server, you will receive an error message when you try to start your virtual server: "The service could not be started because it is not correctly configured. Make sure that its server bindings do not conflict with other sites running on the same machine."

You can also configure which TCP port your virtual server is to be accessed from (the default port is 80). If SSL is enabled, you can also configure which SSL port the virtual server should use (the default is 443). Next, specify the location of the home directory, which is your virtual server's main content directory and contains your Web site's home page.

Mapping a virtual server's home directory to a local folder.

Mapping a virtual server's home directory to a network share.

If you choose to map the virtual server's home directory to a network share, you will need to specify credentials that allow the proper level of access to the remote folder (see Figure 5-13). Do not assign an administrator account to a virtual server.

Finally, specify the IIS access permissions you want for the virtual server (see Figure 5-14). These include whether to allow:

• Read access
• Write access
• Script access
• Execute access
• Directory browsing access

Specifying credentials for access to remote folder.

Assigning access permissions to the virtual server.