Managing Custom IIS Applications

You configure and manage custom IIS applications through the Web Site Properties dialog box. As part of the standard installation, all Web sites created in IIS have a default application that’s set as a sitewide application, meaning its starting point is the base directory for the Web site. The default application allows you to run custom applications that use the preconfigured application settings. You don’t need to make any changes to the environment. You can, however, achieve better control by defining applications with smaller scope, and the sections that follow tell you how to do this.

Creating Applications

IIS applications are collections of resource files and components that are grouped together to take advantage of key IIS features. In IIS 5 isolation mode, those features include file buffering, session state tracking, and component caching. In IIS 6 mode, those features include worker process recycling, health monitoring, and rapid fail protection.