[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change]

Remote Administration

If you are connecting to your server over the Internet or through a proxy server, you can use a Web-based server management appliance to change properties on your site. If you are on an intranet, you can use either an appliance or the IIS snap-in that is hosted in the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

Also, you can use Microsoft Terminal Services over a network connection (such as LAN, PPTP, or dial-up) to remotely administer an IIS Web server in which you are an adminstrator. Terminal Services does not require you to install the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) or the IIS snap-in on the remote computer because you use the IIS snap-in on the server that you are connected to as if you are logged onto the server locally.

To use Terminal Services for administering a remote site over a network connection

For more information, see either the server or client Terminal Services documentation. By default, the Terminal Services documentation is installed at C:\Winnt\Help\TermSrv.chm and C:\Winnt\Help\TermCli.chm.

Install the Terminal Services client on the computer you are using to connect.
While the remote computer is running, launch Terminal Services and identify the name of the remote computer.
From the Terminal Services window, you can administer IIS as you would locally. You can launch the IIS snap-in on any computer on your network running Windows or launch a Web-based server management appliance. Scripts can also be run from the Terminal Services window.

note Note Improving connection and administrative performance may require disabling desktop services on the target computer such as screen savers and Active Desktop.

To use the IIS snap-in for administering a remote site on an intranet

Launch the IIS snap-in on any computer on your network running Windows.
To connect to a remote IIS computer, click the Computer icon on the toolbar and enter the name of the IIS computer (that you wish to connect to) in the Computer Name field.

note Note If you do not have TCP/IP and a name resolution server such as Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) installed, you may not be able to connect to an IIS computer using the computer name. As a alternative, you can use the IP address of the IIS computer.

To use a Web-based server management appliance for administering a remote site over the internet

Microsoft offers a Web-based server management appliance as a replacement for the Internet Services Manager (HTML) also known as HTMLA. The Microsoft Server Appliance Kit is available for free from the Downloads page on MSDN. Other distributors, such as OEMs, also offer server management appliances. Documentation usually accompanies the appliance or kit.

To access the online documentation locally or remotely

Start a browser and connect to http://servername/iishelp/iis/misc/default.asp, where servername is the computer running IIS.

Related Topics

For more information about browser-based administration, see Administering Sites Remotely in About Web and FTP Sites.
For information about using SSL, see Setting Up SSL on Your Server.