802 Chapter 15 • Get Started with IIS 7.0’s Confi guration 12. After disabling <directoryBrowse> refresh Internet Explorer, and you should see a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 15.19. Figure 15.18 Disabling Directory Browsing in Web.confi g Get Started with IIS 7.0’s Confi guration • Chapter 15 803 So why is delegation so important in IIS 7.0? First, IIS 7.0 confi gurations may now exist side by side with ASP.NET confi gurations. This means that Web server and application confi gurations can be deployed along with content. Another reason that delegation is so important is that security is not compromised. Administrators can pick and choose the features they make available for modifi cation without having to provide system administrator rights to developers or lower level administrators; thus, everyone is more productive and effi cient. Figure 15.19 Testing Directory Browsing Disabled 804 Chapter 15 • Get Started with IIS 7.0’s Confi guration Summary The old metabase was loved by some but hated by most because it was diffi cult to read and provided no mechanism for delegating to nonadministrators. It has been replaced by the XML confi guration fi le ApplicationHost.confi g, which is easier to read and to confi gure. Within the ApplicationHost. confi g fi le are two important section groups: system.ApplicationHost and system.webServer. The system.ApplicationHost section group includes sections that defi ne key parameters for a Web server. It holds sections that are used by the WAS service and are therefore defi ned globally. The system. webServer section group is where all the action is. It contains all the default settings and new features for IIS 7.0. The schema in IIS 7.0 represents the interrelationship between the attributes and elements of each object. In IIS 7.0 the schema is hierarchical and easy to read, just as the ApplicationHost.confi g fi le is. A major improvement in IIS 7.0 over previous versions is delegation. Developers no longer need to have full administrative rights on the server to customize the behavior of IIS for their sites and applications. System administrators can simply delegate section groups or sections to developers, and then they are able to do the rest, easing the burden on administrators. Solutions Fast Track Introducing ApplicationHost.confi g ˛ ApplicationHost.confi g offers a level of confi guration never before available in IIS ˛ Understanding who (security) can modify which confi guration section, ApplicationHost versus WebServer is imperative to deploying a secure IIS 7.0 ˛ Replaces the old hard-to-read metabase. ˛ It is the main confi guration fi le in IIS 7.0. ˛ From within the fi le, administrators are able to delegate to non-administrators. Enabling Delegated Administration in IIS 7.0 ˛ Delegation is a powerful management tool and a much-needed feature in IIS 7.0. ˛ Able to unlock section groups, sections, and attributes. ˛ In xcopy scenarios, delegation is important where administrators simplify global confi gurations, allowing distributed and delegated confi gurations to exist on a per-site basis, thereby simplifying centralized management. ˛ Delegating administrative capabilities is accomplished in ApplicationHost.confi g, and yet some features are already enabled for delegation. Get Started with IIS 7.0’s Confi guration • Chapter 15 805 Frequently Asked Questions Q: What is the difference between ApplicationHost.confi g fi le and a web.confi g fi le? A: The ApplicationHost.confi g fi le is the main confi guration fi le for IIS 7.0. It holds global information about the server. The web.confi g fi le is used mostly by developers for applications that need to alter some specifi c behavior of IIS. Q: Can anyone change the ApplicationHost.confi g fi le? A: No. Only Windows system administrators (server administrators) can. Q: What exactly is a section group? A: A section group contains related sections and is used solely for the purpose of a structured hierarchy in a .confi g fi le. Q: Can you explain what a location tag is? A: Location tags specify path-specifi c confi gurations and are used for locking and unlocking sections. They are used at various levels of the confi guration stack, such as: ApplicationHost. confi g, site, virtual directories, physical directories, and fi le level. This page intentionally left blank . settings and new features for IIS 7.0. The schema in IIS 7.0 represents the interrelationship between the attributes and elements of each object. In IIS 7.0 the schema is hierarchical and easy. cult to read and provided no mechanism for delegating to nonadministrators. It has been replaced by the XML confi guration fi le ApplicationHost.confi g, which is easier to read and to confi gure system.ApplicationHost and system.webServer. The system.ApplicationHost section group includes sections that defi ne key parameters for a Web server. It holds sections that are used by the WAS service and are