Overview of Internet Information Services 5.0

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server’s built-in Web server, Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0, makes it easy to share documents and information across a company intranet or the Internet. IIS 5.0, the fastest Web server for Windows 2000 Server, is completely integrated with Microsoft® Active Directory™ directory service. This combination of Web and operating system services makes it possible to deploy scalable and reliable Webbased applications. The new generation of networked business solutions brings legacy data and applications to the World Wide Web, and lets companies redefine internal and external business processes.

IIS 5.0 introduces several new features to help Web administrators and Internet service providers (ISPs) create scalable Web applications, Web sites, and Web clusters. Advancements in IIS 5.0 Web publishing, security, administration, and applications work together to increase performance and reliability, while lowering the cost of ownership and improving the Web application environment.

Along with IIS 5.0, Microsoft offers several other products that you can add to your installation for added power and flexibility. For example, by adding Microsoft® Site Server, you can easily manage large clusters, customize logging, and create detailed reports.

In addition to introducing new features, this section gives an overview of IIS 5.0 architecture. By understanding how IIS 5.0 is put together, you can effectively manage Web sites and virtual directories, and configure applications so that they perform efficiently in an IIS 5.0 installation.

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