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HowtoremotelyadministerInternetInformationServicesinWindowsServer2003

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How to remotely administer Internet Information Services

in Windows Server 2003

Support for Windows Server 2003 ended on

July 14, 2015

Microsoft ended support for Windows Server 2003 on July 14, 2015. This change has affected
your software updates and security options. Learn what this means for you and how to stay
protected.

This article was previously published under Q324282

For a Microsoft Windows 2000 version of this article, see 308169.

SUMMARY
This article describes the various methods that you can use to remotely manage Microsoft
Internet Information Services IIS 6.0.
You can remotely administer your IISbased server on an intranet and on the Internet. You can
use the following three tools to remotely administer your IISbased server:
Internet Information Services Manager
Terminal Services
The Remote Administration HTML Tool

How to remotely administer IIS by using the Internet Information Services

https://support.microsoft.com/enus/kb/324282
Manager

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Manager
To remotely administer IIS over an intranet, use the Internet Information Services Manager. IIS 6.0
supports downlevel remote administration with this tool. This means that you can use the
Internet Information Services Manager on your server running IIS 6.0 to remotely connect to and
administer an IIS 5.1based server or an IIS 5.0based server.
To use the Internet Information Services Manager, follow these steps:
1. On the IIS 6.0based server, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click
Internet Information Services Manager.
2. On the standard toolbar, click the Add a computer to the list button. Or, you can click
Connect on the Action menu.
The Connect To Computer dialog box appears.
3. In the Computer Name box, type the computer name that you want, and then click OK.
The computer is displayed under Internet Information Services IIS in the tree pane.
NOTE: If you do not have Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol TCP/IP and a
name resolution server such as Windows Internet Naming Service WINS installed, you
may not be able to connect to an IIS computer by using the computer name. Alternatively,
you can use the IP address of the IIS computer to which you want to connect.
4. Expand ComputerName, where ComputerName is the name of the computer that you
added in step 3.
5. Use the Internet Information Services Manager to remotely manage IIS.

How to remotely administer IIS by using Terminal Services

If you are an administrator, you can use Microsoft Terminal Services from any remote client
computer over a network connection to remotely administer your IISbased server. You do not
have to install the Internet Information Services Manager on the remote client computer.
Terminal Services supports uplevel administration. This means that you can remotely administer
your server that is running IIS 6.0 by using a Terminal Services client from any computer running
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft
Windows NT 4.0, or Microsoft Windows 98.
1. On a computer on which the Terminal Services client is installed, start the Terminal Services
client, and then connect to the remote IISbased computer.
2. From the Terminal Services Client window, administer IIS as if you were logged on to the
computer locally. For example, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click
Internet Information Services Manager to start the Internet Information Services
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Manager.

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Manager.

How to remotely administer IIS by using the Remote Administration

HTML Tool
With the Remote Administration HTML tool, you can manage IIS from a Web browser. With this
tool, you can perform most of the administrative tasks that you can perform with the Internet
Information Services Manager.
NOTE: You can only use the Remote Administration HTML tool to administer servers that are
running IIS 6.0. You cannot use this tool to administer IIS 5.1 or earlier.

Turn on the Remote Administration HTML Tool

1. Click Start, point to Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
3. In the Components list, doubleclick Application Server and then doubleclick Internet
Information Services IIS.
4. Doubleclick World Wide Web Service.
5. Click to select the Remote Administration HTML check box, and then click OK.
6. Click OK, and then click Next.
7. When you are promoted, insert your Windows Server 2003 CDROM into the computer's
CDROM drive or DVDROM drive.
8. Click Finish.
9. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services
Manager.
10. Expand ServerName, where ServerName is the name of your server, and then expand Web
Sites.
11. Rightclick Administration, and then click Properties.
12. Under Web Site Identification, record the numbers that are displayed in the TCP Port box
and SSL Port boxes. For example, 8099 and 8098.
13. Click the Directory Security tab, and then click the Edit button under IP address and
domain name restrictions.
https://support.microsoft.com/enus/kb/324282
14. In the IP Address and

Domain Name Restriction dialog box that appears, do one of the

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14. In the IP Address and Domain Name Restriction dialog box that appears, do one of the
following:
Click Granted Access if you want to allow all computers to administer IIS remotely.
NOTE: If you want to maintain the highest level of security, Microsoft does not
recommend that you allow all computers to administer IIS remotely.
or
Click Denied Access if it is not already selected, and then click Add. The Grant
Access On dialog box appears. Under Type, do one of the following:
Click Single computer.
Type the IP address of the computer that you want in the IP Address box, and
then click OK.
Click Group of computers.
Type the Network ID and the Subnet Mask of the group into the corresponding
boxes, and then click OK.
Click Domain name. Type the domain name that you want in the Domain
Name box, and then click OK.
15. When you are finished granting access, click OK.
16. In the Administration Web Site Properties dialog box, click OK. If an Inheritance
Overrides dialog box appears, click Select All to apply the new security settings to the child
nodes, and then click OK.
17. Quit the Internet Information Services Manager.

Use the Remote Administration HTML Tool

1. Start Microsoft Internet Explorer, and then type the host name of the Web server, followed
by the port number that you recorded earlier in the SSL Port box, and then click Go.
For example, if you are on an intranet, and the SSL port number is 8098, type the following
URL:
https://Server Name:8098
where ServerName is the name of the Web server.
NOTE: You are prompted for a user name and password that exist on the Web Server.
2. The Remote Administration Tool is displayed in your browser window. Click the Administer
this server link. You are prompted again for credentials if you chose not to save the
password in the previous dialog box. There are many links and options to click and
connect. Select the appropriate one the task that you want to perform on the Web Server.
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REFERENCES
For additional information about IIS remote administration, search for administering IIS remotely
in the IIS 6.0 online documentation, and then view the documents returned.

Properties
Article ID: 324282 Last Review: 12/03/2007 22:05:00 Revision: 6.6
Applies to
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition 32bit x86, Microsoft Windows Server 2003,
Enterprise Edition 32bit x86, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition 32bit x86,
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64
Edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 64Bit Datacenter Edition, Microsoft Internet Information
Services 6.0
Keywords:
kbhowtomaster kbinfo kbwebservices kbappservices kbproductlink KB324282

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