Task 1: Determine the Configuration and Content Location

IIS 7.0 content and application configuration can be stored locally on each server or remotely in a central data store, with multiple servers accessing the configuration information from a single shared location. Likewise, application content can be stored either locally or remotely. The organization must determine where to store the configuration for each server and the content for each application. Centralized configuration and data storage offers benefits for fault tolerance and data consistency but can suffer total failure if the central data store is corrupted or lost. Take this into account as storage configuration is chosen. Use Appendix A: "Job Aid 3: IIS 7.0 Configuration and Content Storage" to record to the location where configuration and content will be stored.

Note   Although it is possible to make this determination on an application-by-application basis, from a complexity and manageability standpoint, this guide recommends making a decision for all application data and all configuration data for each instance of IIS 7.0 deployed.