User Authentication in IIS

• Microsoft Internet Information Server version 1.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 1.0 and 2.0

SYMPTOMS

When you access web pages from Internet Information Server (IIS) requiring authentication from Windows NT domains, you will experience ACCESS DENIED when you access web pages from IIS running on member servers in a domain.

NOTE: You will have no problem accessing pages from IIS running on a Domain Controller.

CAUSE

This is by design. IIS will authenticate using only the local security database by default, just as the FTP server does. You will have no problem on domain controllers because the domain database is the local database.

On member servers the authentication will fail unless you are a member of the local security database or you provide the username in the form of domain\username. If the you want to spare the users the task of entering the domain name, you will need to reinstall IIS on a Domain Controller.