Setting up SubDomains on IIS 1

[Kalisto]

Im not sure if Im even using the right terminology here, so please bear with me.

I have a server running IIS6 and a web application.

After a long conversation with the sales manager I have convinced them that rather than creating a demo account on our application and a training account, that we would be better having 2 specific domains.

Now, what is involved in setting up my system so I can have

http://www.demo.myapplication.com,

http://www.training.myapplication.com

and

http://www.myapplication.com

?

And as an addendum to that, if these other domains are sitting on the same webserver, am I correct in assuming that each can have its own copy of my application and therefore a specific database?

Or do demo.myapplication and training.myapplication share the same filespace / application as the main domain, in which case I need to find some way of lookng at the domain and use that to determine which datbase I need to use?

(Hope that all makes sense)

K

 

[WhoKilledKenny]

Now, what is involved in setting up my system so I can have

http://www.demo.myapplication.com,

http://www.training.myapplication.com

and

http://www.myapplication.com

?

Simply create Host records in DNS for each domain (example: demo.myapplication.com and

http://www.demo.myapplication.com)

and point them to the IP of your web server, do the exapmple for each domain.
In IIS add new web-sites for each domain. In the web-site properties you will add host headers on each site. For example, site named demo.myapplication.com the Host headers would be

http://www.demo.myapplication.com

and demo.myapplication.com - these names would be the same as the host records you created in dns. Complete this for all three web-sites in IIS.

How this works:
1. Client put in the following URL - demo.myapplication.com -or-

http://www.myapplication.com.

2. DNS gives the client the IP address of the IIS server.
3. IIS reads the Header and sees that the requested site is demo.myapplication.com and servers the client the proper web-page from that site.

And as an addendum to that, if these other domains are sitting on the same webserver, am I correct in assuming that each can have its own copy of my application and therefore a specific database?

Depending on how your application works, yes you should be able to set up application for each web-site. As far as Database (local or remote) you should be able to connect to whatever you wish, either via the application or an ODBC connection.

 

[Kalisto]

Cheers.

As a second addendum (I dont normally do server work, but the admin is away)

I assume that the DNS is something setup on the server somewhere?

Cheers so far..
K

 

[WhoKilledKenny]

I would say, without knowing your environment, that DNS is more than likely a separate server. Your local DNS servers can be discovered by doing an 'ipconfig /all' in your command prompt.
Now, depending on the web-site type (intranet - internal to your company, Internet - public web-sites) you host records may be hosted on your Internal DNS server or a Public DNS server. Again, I don't know your environment, so if they are public web-sites the host records may be managed by your ISP or hosting company.

 

[Kalisto]

ok, ta. This is externally facing so I'm guessing its the isp. I'll dig about tomorrow, and cheers again.