multiple websites on windows server 2003:

[SelArom]

hi, I've got a box running windows server 2003, and I want to run multiple web sites on it, but I can't figure out how to do this unless I use a different port other than 80 on the second one. since that doesn't make any sense for a web site, do I have to install another nic and set a new ip to it? is that the right way to do it?

thanks!
-SelArom

 

[spidey07]

no. multiple NICs = b@d ide@

host he@ders is your @nswer.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: spidey07
no. multiple NICs = b@d ide@

host he@ders is your @nswer.

Darned, Spidey, still didn't get that keyboard fixed?

We host about a dozen web sites with our IIS 6.0 server, using Host Headers. If you use ISA 2004, you can even host web sites (or other services) from multiple servers, with the traffic being sent to the proper server, just by using the host header as the guide.

 

[JDMnAR1]

Or you can use multiple IP addresses bound to a single NIC and appropriate DNS entries.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
Or you can use multiple IP addresses bound to a single NIC and appropriate DNS entries.

true, but this is really bad practice.

 

[JDMnAR1]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
Or you can use multiple IP addresses bound to a single NIC and appropriate DNS entries.

true, but this is really bad practice.

Not as bad as multiple NICs when you don't need them.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
Not as bad as multiple NICs when you don't need them.

True that. I always hate to see servers with all these network cards in them.

It makes you scream "why did you do that???? why? what on earth prompted you to do that?"

 

[fartbag]

How about a subweb?

 

[ktwebb]

Yep, if you would rather run seperate sites than virtual directories then just use host headers. It's part of the IIS wizard when you set the site up.

 

[Smilin]

options:

Host headers,
Virtual directories,
Different port,
Multiple IPs on single NIC.

 

[SelArom]

heh thanks for all the replies fellas, I had already considered using host headers, and I know how to set them up on the server, but how exactly do they help me on the client side? like, usually what I do to connect to my server locally is I just type http://SERVER/ and i'm there! but using host headers, how do I let the server know which site I want locally? do I have to buy a domian name?

thanks!
-SelArom

 

[SelArom]

okay fellas I got it to work using dynalias names! I signed up a couple names and sure enough it worked! but is it possible to use local names like SERVER or SITE2 instead of fully qualified names?

-SelArom

 

[ktwebb]

Local DNS queries or if you don't have a windows AD/DNS environment, or non windows DNS for that matter, you could always use the hosts file locally. Administratively prohibitive if you needed to edit routinely but you could push an updated hosts file via login script or whatever for a one time dump to the users workstation

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
Not as bad as multiple NICs when you don't need them.

True that. I always hate to see servers with all these network cards in them.

It makes you scream "why did you do that???? why? what on earth prompted you to do that?"

Just wondering..why is multiple nics a bad idea? I use it here without any problems...

Is it just a cost issue?

also, since the op just said windows 2003, you can run apache, then all you need is one nic

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: SelArom
heh thanks for all the replies fellas, I had already considered using host headers, and I know how to set them up on the server, but how exactly do they help me on the client side? like, usually what I do to connect to my server locally is I just type http://SERVER/ and i'm there! but using host headers, how do I let the server know which site I want locally? do I have to buy a domian name?

All you have to do for local access to your site is to:

1) Create a separate INTERNAL DNS Host ("A") record for your web site (i.e. mydomain, instead of mydomain.com). Point the record to the IP address of your internal web server.
2) Then add the new Host name for the web site as another Host Header choice in IIS. This is just another alias for the same web site.
3) Then enter "http://mydomain" into your web browser.

Your web browser will go to DNS, find out where the site "http://mydomain" is located (it's on your own web server), then it will ask the web server to please serve the web site with the name "mydomain".

Basically, each web site hosted in IIS will have THREE Host Header names:
mydomain.com
www.mydomain.com
mydomain

The first two are for public access to your site. The last one will only resolve internally for internal access to your web site.