How to set up your first IIS Web site

This article describes how to set up your first Web site in Internet Information Services (IIS) by using the minimum number of steps that you require to prepare for a migration from Apache.

Configure a default Web site

When you install IIS, it is preconfigured to serve as a default Web site; however, you may want to change some of the settings. To change the basic settings for the Web site and to emulate the steps that are required to set up Apache for the first time by using the configuration file:

1. Log on to the Web server computer as an administrator.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Services Manager.
4. Right-click the Web site that you want to configure in the left pane, and then click Properties.
5. Click the Web site tab.
6. Type a description for the Web site in the Description box.
7. Type the Internet Protocol (IP) address to use for the Web site or leave the All (Unassigned) default setting.
8. Modify the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port as appropriate.
9. Click the Home Directory tab.
10. To use a folder on the local computer, click A directory on this computer, and then click Browse to locate the folder that you want to use.
11. To use a folder that has been shared from another computer on the network, click A share located on another computer, and then either type the network path or click Browse to select the shared folder.
12. Click Read to grant read access to the folder (required).
13. Click OK to accept the Web site properties.

Create a new Web site

To create a new Web site in Apache, you must set up a virtual host and configure the individual settings for the host. If you are using IIS, you can create a new Web site by translating the following terms to the IIS equivalents:To create a new Web site in IIS, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the Web server computer as an administrator.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Services Manager.
4. Click Action, point to New, and then click Web Site.
5. After the Web Site Creation Wizard starts, click Next.
6. Type a description for the Web site.
   
   This description is used internally to identify the Web site in Internet Services Manager only.
7. Select the IP address to use for the site.
   
   If you select All (unassigned), the Web site is accessible on all interfaces and all configured IP addresses.
8. Type the TCP port number to publish the site on.
9. Type the Host Header name (the real name that is used to access this site).
10. Click Next.
11. Either type the path to the folder that is holding the Web site documents or click Browse to select the folder, and then click Next.
12. Select the access permissions for the Web site, and then click Next.
13. Click Finish.