Changing Default Web Site Settings
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1
During IIS installation, default values are set for the various properties assigned to Web sites. Properties can be set at the global level, affecting all Web sites on a server, on the individual site level, at the directory level, or at the file level. IIS uses an inheritance model, which means that settings on higher levels are automatically inherited by lower levels. Settings at lower levels can be edited individually to override inherited settings from the next level up.
If you change a setting at a lower level, then later change a setting at a higher level that conflicts with the lower level setting, you will be prompted to choose whether you want to change the lower-level setting to match the new higher-level setting.
Important
You must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer to perform the following procedure or procedures. As a security best practice, log on to your computer by using an account that is not in the Administrators group, and then use the runas command to run IIS Manager as an administrator. At a command prompt, type runas /User:Administrative_AccountName "mmc %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc".
Procedures
To set master properties for all sites assigned to a computer
In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, right-click the Web Sites folder, and click Properties.
Click Help on any of the tabs for more information about those settings.
To set properties for a single Web site
In IIS Manager, right-click the Web site whose settings you want to change, and click Properties.
Click Help on any of the tabs for more information about those settings.