IIS Add-ons

ISAPI_Rewrite is a regular-expressions-based URL rewriter for IIS that installs as an ISAPI filter. It offers powerful features that enable you to modify URL properties on-the-fly, allowing for dynamic page redirections, search engine optimization, referrer blocking, content negotiations, load balancing, changing dymamic links to static links, and many other uses. You can also use the software to fight URL based security risks and SQL injection attacks (to some extend). ISAPI_Rewrite is compatible with Apache mod_rewrite, allowing you to move configurations from Apache to IIS and vice versa. The software does not provide a GUI since configuration is rule based and done via a text file. Some basic scripting and use of Regular Expressions is Required.

URLSpellcheck for IIS allows for URL redirection based on spelling mistakes. It solves often invisible link errors, caused by spelling errors and ensures that end-users get to the desired page on a Web site. URLSpellcheck can automatically fix small typos such as missing characters, transposed characters, wrong characters, and extra characters very easily and redirect users to the correct URL. Complex matches that substitute file names such as filename.htm to filename.asp are also possible, allowing developers to switch site technologies quickly without the need to manually implement redirects. When multiple matches for a URL correction are possible, a template shows users the various available pages instead of a 404 page. In addition, you can even map filenames without extensions to their correct pages allowing you to create shortcut-style link with easy to remember names. URLSpellcheck installs easily and is available from the IIS web site properties dialog as a new tab that provides access to configuration options.

iisPROTECT is a high performance user authentication, password protection and member system. A complete turn key solution which requires no programming or scripting and is fully functional within 5 minutes! iisProtect works as an ISAPI filter in IIS and can protect all types of files not just ASP scripts .gif .jpg .htm .zip .pdf .mdb .anything! It supports user and group authentication completely independent from NT user accounts. Users and groups can be stored in a database backend with high performance access via native OLEDB. The program features a brower based administration area from where you can manage all aspects of the user and password management. Authorization can be done via basic Authorization and/or cookie based. You can configure access restrictions on any specific file, an entire directory or a directory and all subdirectories and files within it . Additional features include password mailing, user password change, search functions, multiple IP addresses and more.

ISAPIZip is an ISAPI add-on for MS Internet Information Server (IIS), that drastically reduces the amount of bandwidth required to deliver content from the web server. By reducing the size of the pages by up to 90%, it not only delivers faster loading pages, but also reduces the (bandwidth) cost of serving the content to a fraction. ISAPIZip offers different levels of compression and supports all modern web content, including script pages (PHP, ASP etc.) as well as streaming content, SSL content, PDF files, XML and more. The compression settings can be customized based on paths, extensions, wildcards, MIME type or even on a per-page basis, providing you with a high level of flexibility. The program offers an easy-to-use configuration interface that runs independent from the MMC, eliminating the chance to cause problems with the rather sensitive management console - changes to the configuration can be applied instantly without the need to restart IIS. Additional features include performance, bandwidth, and compression reporting, support for GET and POST data and more. ISAPIZip supports HTTP 1.0/1.1 and is compatible with all browsers. We have tested ISAPIZip rather extensive and are actually using it on the SnapFiles server right now.

IISKeeper is an ISAPI filter for Internet Information Server (IIS) that enables you to restrict access to selected files and folders on your web site without the need to create new Windows user accounts. IISKeeper offers a choice of Basic or Cookie authentication (script templates included). HTTPS support and attack protection with automatic IP blocking when w threshold of failed login attempts is exceeded. Other features include a web administration interface, user traffic limits, database connectivity and more.

CustomError is an add-on for for IIS web servers, that allows administrators to add customized error pages simply by uploading them to a designated directory. No administrator intervention is required. CustomError installs into the IIS properties dialog for each site. The main advantage of using CustomError is that one does not have to access the IIS server`s Microsoft Management Console (MMC) interface in order to set up site-specific error pages. All that is required is to place a file named for the appropriate HTTP response code (such as 404.htm) in a designated directory (/errors by default) under the website`s document root. This has the advantage of placing error page design and deployment directly in the hands of the people who build and maintain a website -- rather than having to rely on a server administrator. Hosting vendors and others who administer multi-homed servers no longer have to allow their clients MMC access, or worry about configuring multiple sets of error pages themselves.

httpZip is an IIS server module that allows you to compress HTTP web content before serving it to the visitor, thereby reducing costs, improve page load times and leverages your current server resources. Even though IIS offers built-in standard compression, the functionality is very limited and can only be applied server wide. httpZIP not only allows you to configure the compression by site, but also MIME type, file extension or even browser specific. It takes compression even farther by employing optional white space removal and other forms of safe HTML/CSS compression. The built-in caching feature allows pages to be accessed in pre-compressed format, minimizing unnecessary recompression. The software can be completely customized to adjust compression rules for particular files, directories, data types and more. httpZip provides both a standalone- and an MMC-based interface for server administrators, as well as a COM interface for ASP, .NET and ColdFusion developers looking to directly control compression for their Web pages. Compression rates can produce up to 70-98% in bandwidth savings. Also included comes a web based report interface that allows you to monitor bandwidth usage and savings.

PipeBoost is server side acceleration product that dynamically compresses content served out by your IIS 4/5 server before it is sent to the browser. This dramatically reduces the time it takes the document to load in the users browser and also cuts down on bandwidth usage. PipeBoost runs on IIS 4.0, 5.x. It offers Flexible File Compression Management, which allows site managers to specify a custom compression strategy. PipeBoost allows global compression or can limit it by website or virtual websites, files in a directory and/or only individual files and mime type. While we did not compare the compression results between PipeBoost and the standard IIS HTTP compression, PipeBoost clearly offers a much greater flexdibility than IISs built in compression (which can only be turned on server-wide). The software runs as an ISAPI filter and installs easily without any problems or further adjustments.

IIS Export Utility is used to transfer web sites from one IIS server to another. It keeps in tact all read/write permissions, virtual directories and a host of other options and settings. In addition, it can even copy the content of your web sites too! The program can export the site by connecting directly to the server on the network or by exporting it to a database first, which is also useful for backup purposes. Supports IIS 4/5/6.

CacheRight is an ISAPI add-onfor IIS, that puts the ability to set reliable caching policies for any site content in the hands of site developers, without access to IISs administrative interface. It uses a simple configuration file in the website s home directory, that lets them set up rules that control expiration times (and other import cache control information) by file location or type. With CacheRight, unchanging images like navigation bars, company logos and product shots can be cached correctly improving the user s experience while reducing both bandwidth consumption and server load. CacheRight also promotes caching of binary objects such as images and supports site-wide, directory or file-based caching rules as well as rules based on MIME type of requested object.S supports all relevant HTTP 1.0 and 1.1 cache control headers including Expires, Cache-control: max-age, public/private and no-transform. CaheRight offers all the feature that are offered by IIS (without need to access the MMC) and also offers some additional features like global content expiration based on MIME type.

IIS Log Archiver is a simple tool for IIS server administrators, that allows you to zip and archive IIS log files automatically on a regular schedule. The program lets you specify an archive directory or zips the files to the original log folder. You can also chose to have it delete the uncompressed log after successful archiving and also select to archive the logs for all webs or just selected sites. Once configured the program is automatically executed via Windows Task Scheduler.

IISTracer is a real-time monitoring tool for Microsoft IIS scripts (.asp,.php .cgi..), static files (.htm,.gif ..) and downloads. It installs as an ISAPI filter and allows you to monitor IIS activity in realtime from a protected online interface (by password an/or IP). The software provides a complete installation package that installs the filter and configures IIS automatically. Additional features include process stopping, customizable logging and more.

LinkFreeze is an ISAPI filter add-on for IIS, that allows you to rewrite link URLs to make them more search engine friendly. This is especially useful if you are running a database driven site and use query strings in your links, which are often not properly indexed by search engines. LinkFreeze can rewrite these URLs to make them look like static links. There is no need to modify the code of your pages, since the program works as an ISAPI and applies the changes on-the-fly whenever a page is requested on the server. All optimization is done completely transparent to the user or search engine spider. There are various renaming schemes to choose from, that include options with modified or also without file extensions. LinkFreeze is easy to use, it integrates into the IIS properties dialog (MMC) and all you have to do is select the scheme that applies to your site, restart IIS and you`re done.

MetaCompress is an ISAPI add-in for Microsoft IIS, that offers on-the-fly compression for your HTML/text based web content. It provides a management interface that allows you to install/uninstall the filter for each web site, and also includes logging and log analysis (of the compression activities).

ThreatSentry is an IIS ISAPI add-on, that continuously collects, analyze and organizes server events into an evolving baseline of acceptable activity. Each server connection is compared against this baseline to identify and take action against any activity falling outside of acceptable parameters. The program starts in a training mode were it starts to learn which activity should be considered normal and which not. The administrator can interact with the results to further fine tune the results. You can define a security policy that will act upon threats by blocking the IP address, sending alerts (email, pager, visual, audio) or stopping the web service.