by Rosemarie Makhmaltchi

Created on: January 13, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Windows 2003 Server offers many improvements over its predecessor, Windows 2000 Server. Some new features available include: a more flexible and dependable Active Directory; and Server Clustering capabilities. One area that has advanced considerably in Windows 2003 Server is the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). The newest version, IIS v6, is much more secure than any previously released version.

IIS is on of the most popular web servers. Its chief purpose is to send HTML pages over the Internet to web browsers that request them, such as Internet Explorer. IIS also supports Active Server Pages, which allows HTML pages to be created "on the fly," as well as ISAPI, a programming interface that can be used to enhance the abilities of IIS.
IIS is commonly considered a vulnerable point on any server that runs it, and is often targeted by malicious hackers who endeavor to take advantage of the service's weak spots. In earlier versions of Server, IIS was installed by default, so that many network administrators did not even know it was running and exposing the server to risk of attack. The service also includes several features, such as Active Server Pages, that are used for sending dynamic web content on the Internet, which creates another vulnerable point.
Microsoft has corrected these problems and many more in 2003 Server by making the following improvements and additions in Internet Information Server version 6:
IIS is no longer installed by default. Instead, it must be added by the administrator of the server. IIS can be installed from the Configure Your Server wizard that appears on the screen the first time the server is booted, from the Administrative Tools Menu, or from Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. This is only true for Windows 2003 Server Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter, and not for the Web Server Edition, which is used almost exclusively as a web server and is therefore not greatly endangered by IIS.
When IIS is installed, it runs in "lockdown" mode by default, so features like Active Server Pages do not work. These features are used for sending dynamic content over the Internet, and can create weak spots on the server. While IIS is in lockdown mode, FrontPage server extensions do not work, and dynamic content cannot be sent. A 404 error (file not found) is created if someone tries to access FrontPage extensions or dynamic content.
Dynamic features for IIS can be enabled through the IIS Manager by using the IIS Manager Snap-in from

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