IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools includes 14 tools to help you implement and administer IIS 6.0 more effectively. You can install the IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools, which includes Help documentation, by running IIS60rkt.exe from the Microsoft Download Center. When you perform a default installation of the Resource Kit Tools, most of the files are installed in the LocalDrive: \Program Files\IIS Resources folder. A few tools are installed in other directories. Read the Help documentation that is included with the tools if you want to know the installation directory for a specific tool.

After installing the tools, you can access the tools and their documentation from the Start menu (point to All Programs and then IIS Resources).

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools provides the following tools for migrating to IIS 6.0, troubleshooting IIS, testing and improving IIS performance, applying IIS security settings, and administering IIS.

Migration Tools

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools includes two migration tools, the IIS 6.0 Migration Tool and the Apache to IIS 6.0 Migration Tool.

IIS 6.0 Migration Tool (IISmt.exe)

Use the IIS 6.0 Migration Tool to migrate Web site content and configuration settings from a server running IIS 4.0, IIS 5.0, or IIS 6.0 to a server running IIS 6.0. The IIS 6.0 Migration tool saves time and reduces the chance of errors by automating many of the repetitive processes involved with moving sites manually. This command-line tool is not documented in Resource Kit Tools Help, but a separate user guide is included in the IIS 6.0 Migration Tool folder and is also available from the Start menu.

Apache to IIS 6.0 Migration Tool (Wsmk_targ_virdir.exe and Wsmk_windows.exe)

Use this tool to migrate Web sites — for example, FrontPage Server Extensions, .htaccess files, and home directories — from Linux-based servers that run Apache Web applications to servers running IIS 6.0 on Windows Server 2003. Use this Perl-based command-line tool to migrate both Web content and configuration settings. This migration tool supports a variety of both Linux and Apache versions. The tool is not documented in Resource Kit Tools Help, but a separate user guide is included in the Apache to IIS 6.0 Migration Tool folder and is also available from the Start menu.

Performance and Troubleshooting Tools

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools provides several tools to help you improve performance and to troubleshoot an application server that is running IIS 6.0. These tools include the Web Capacity Analysis Tool (WCAT), Log Parser, IISState, Wfetch, and TinyGet.

WCAT (Wcclient.exe and Wcctl.exe)

Use the two WCAT tools, Wcclient.exe and Wcctl.exe, as a stress client to simulate clients and as a controller to initiate and monitor the testing. WCAT can test how your IIS 6.0-based server and your network configuration respond to a variety of client requests for content, data, or Web pages. Then use the test results to determine the optimal server and network configuration for your environment.

Log Parser (LogParser.exe or LogParser.dll)

Use Log Parser to perform many tasks related to log files, such as filtering entries, converting log files to other formats, and performing data mining. Log Parser supports many different input formats, including all the IIS log file formats and multiple output formats, such as text files and database tables. You can use Log Parser to obtain logging information for WCAT and TinyGet. Log Parser is available as a command-line tool (LogParser.exe) and as a set of COM objects that support scripting (LogParser.dll).

IISState (IISState.exe and IISState.log)

Use IISState to troubleshoot slow performance and application failures for applications running on IIS 6.0. IISState can also help you identify the causes of ASP0115 error messages and the causes of errors detected by Dr. Watson. For example, IISState can analyze an application like Inetinfo.exe as it executes, record all running threads, and display and log the analysis. IISState also identifies each thread, and displays the raw thread stack and the time that each thread spent executing in kernel and user modes. IISState is a command-line tool.

WFetch

Use WFetch to troubleshoot, test, and log HTTP connections between a server and client. For example, you can use Wfetch to test the performance of new Web sites or Web sites that contain new elements, such as ASP or wireless protocols. Because Wfetch provides only HTTP connection information, it provides a faster way to analyze and troubleshoot HTTP performance than by running a Network Monitor trace. Wfetch provides a graphical user interface (GUI).

TinyGet (TinyGet.exe)

Use TinyGet to troubleshoot, test, and log HTTP connections between a server and client. With TinyGet.exe, you can customize each test request by configuring many different factors, including the authentication method, HTTP version, and output format. You can also use scripts that specify looping and multithreading. TinyGet.exe is a command-line tool.

Security Tools

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools provides several tools to help secure your Web server and troubleshoot security issues, including CustomAuth, Permissions Verifier, SelfSSL, and IISCertDeploy.vbs.

CustomAuth (CustomAuth.dll and CustomAuth.ini)

Use CustomAuth as a Web client authentication alternative to Basic, NTLM, and other IIS authentication methods. With CustomAuth, you can create a custom logon form for collecting user credentials, or you can use or modify the logon form that is included with the tool. As an ISAPI filter that must also be installed as a wildcard application map, CustomAuth runs at the beginning of every request, regardless of the extension of the requested file. Because CustomAuth allows users to log off after they complete a session, it is a good solution for a public kiosk.

Permissions Verifier (Permissions Verifier.js)

Use Permissions Verifier and its accompanying XML sample to verify that IIS is configured with the minimum permissions required to run. The tool checks the access control lists (ACLs) set for users and groups to help you determine whether permissions issues are causing any Web server problems.

SelfSSL (SelfSSL.exe)

Use SelfSSL to generate and install a self-signed Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. Because SelfSSL.exe generates a self-signed certificate that does not originate from a commonly trusted source, use this tool only when you need to troubleshoot third-party certificate problems or when you need to create a secure private channel between your server and a limited, known group of users, such as exists in a software test environment. SelfSSL.exe is a command-line tool.

IISCertDeploy.vbs

Use IISCertDeploy.vbs to deploy and back up SSL certificates on servers running IIS 6.0.

Administration Tools

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools provides several tools to help you administer your Web server and manage your sites, including IIS Host Helper Service, RemapURL, and Metabase Explorer.

IIS Host Helper Service (IISHostsvc.exe)

Use IIS Host Helper Service to register IIS host header strings with name resolution services. You can use IIS Host Helper Service in corporate intranet settings when you want to allow users to access Web sites by using host header names, but you do not want to register each sites name statically with Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) or a DNS server. When you install the IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools, IISHostsvc.exe is placed in the systemroot\System32\Inetsrv directory, and an IIS Host Helper Service log file directory is created at systemroot\System32\LogFiles\Iishostsvc.

RemapURL (RemapUrl.ini and RemapUrl.dll)

Use RemapURL to redirect client HTTP requests for URLs. RemapURL is a sample ISAPI filter that redirects HTTP requests by using an ISAPI PREPROC_HEADERS notification. This method enables you to redirect client GET or POST requests in a way that is completely transparent to the user. You can also use RemapURL if you want to display custom error messages.

Metabase Explorer

Use Metabase Explorer for viewing and editing the IIS 6.0 metabase. You can also use this tool to edit security settings for keys, export and import keys and subkeys, copy and paste keys and subkeys, and compare records. Metabase Explorer provides a GUI.