So… I’m finally getting around to installing and *using* some Windows 2008 servers around our office. I like Windows 2008 so far. It installs nicely, looks good, performs well, and appears to be very secure. Not that previous versions of Windows Server were bad or anything. In fact, the web server that I’ve just replaced was loaded with Windows 2000 Server “Standard” and was, at one point, up and running for nearly 3 years without a reboot! That’s impressive, if you ask me. Why replace the server then? Well… eventually a dual P3-500mhz server starts feeling a bit sluggish 🙂
That said, I’ve just installed a Dell PowerEdge 1950 1U rack server with dual quad-core CPUs and 8 gigs of RAM. It’s impressive today, but will be roughly the specs of my cell phone in a few years. That’s technology for you. Anyhow, a new box deserves a new OS. Windows 2008 Web Server (64-bit) was installed, and that task went swimmingly. The “web server” role in IIS 7.0 is a default for a “Web Server” OS, naturally, so that was taken care of. Otherwise, IIS 7.0 is a different beast from its predecessors. Very different.
In migrating to our new web server, I had forgotten to implement an “http redirect” off of one of our websites. Basically, folks browsing to the old URL of http://www.mysillydomain.com/folder should be taken to http://www.myOtherSillyDomain.com instead. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s always been an easy task in IIS 5.0 and 6.0. It should be just-as-simple in IIS 7.0, right? Well, yes and no. Basically, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I searched online, browsed some blogs, and even (*gasp*) checked the help files. They mentioned this awesome “HTTP Redirection” module, but it was nowhere to be found.
Finally, I decided to check the Add/Remove Roles portion of Windows 2008. This is a setup first introduced in Windows 2003 and has carried forward. It’s a good thing, actually, because it means that Windows Server installs relatively cleanly, and doesn’t include server functions that you never intend to use. It’s also more secure, since items like POP3 access or an FTP server aren’t installed and running upon OS install, thus less to exploit.
What do you imagine I found? Right there in the “Web Server” role — installed by default, if you remember — is the much-discussed “HTTP Redirection” feature. Evidently that particular feature is NOT part of the default configuration. Perhaps the help files could’ve mentioned that? How about under the “HTTP Redirection” heading it says something like “Optional Install” so that I have something to go on? Am I asking too much? Perhaps. Regardless, after checking the box and hitting “Install”, that feature was installed and ready for me to use. It works just fine.
Live and learn.
Y.I.P.C.A.N.J.O 