Datasheet

Background on IIS and New
Features in IIS 7.0
Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) has been around for more than a decade, from its
first incarnation in Windows NT 3.51 to the current release of IIS 7.0 on the Windows Server 2008
and Vista platforms. It has evolved from providing basic service as an HTTP server, as well as
additional Internet services such as Gopher and WAIS, to a fully configurable application services
platform integrated with the operating system.
IIS 7.0 is a dramatic change in the way IIS is configured and managed. Modularity, granularity,
and interoperability are the guiding factors across the entire product, from setup to security, man-
agement to automation. Integrated heavily into the operating system, IIS 7.0 benefits from the
improvements in the Windows Server 2008 operating system but IIS has been re-engineered to
meet the demands of a true application platform.
This chapter will provide you with an overview of the changes in IIS 7.0 as well as a sampling of
some of the new technologies. If you are familiar with IIS 6.0, you will want to skim through this
chapter for changes before digging into future chapters for specifics. If you are new to IIS, this
chapter will provide an introduction to the features in IIS 7.0 and provide you with a basis for
understanding future chapters. And if you’re the kind of reader who just wants to skip to the part
that applies to your immediate needs, this chapter can help you figure out in what area those
needs will lie.
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