Advanced Administration of Office Server Extensions

How to Use the FrontPage Server Extensions Snap-in

The FrontPage Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in is a graphical application that is included with the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. You can use this snap-in to perform the following administrative tasks on FrontPage-extended webs:

• Create subwebs
• Configure FrontPage Server Extensions for webs
• Upgrade FrontPage Server Extensions on a web
• Convert folders into subwebs, and subwebs into folders
• Recalculate hyperlinks in a FrontPage-extended web

The FrontPage MMC snap-in adds commands, property sheets, and other tools to the Internet Information Server (IIS) snap-in. Commands are added to the Action and Context menus, and a Publishing property page is added to the Web site Properties dialog box. For overlapping functionality, the IIS command appears instead of a FrontPage command. In the console tree, IIS lists all IIS Web sites, regardless of whether they are FrontPage-extended webs.

Note   The FrontPage MMC snap-in replaces and improves upon the Fpsrvwin utility, which is the graphical administrative program included with IIS version 4.0. The FrontPage MMC snap-in allows you to perform similar and additional administrative tasks that you can perform by using the Fpsrvwin.exe, Fpsrvadm.exe, and Fpremadm.exe utilities.

FrontPage MMC snap-in administration tools give you several options to facilitate your administrative tasks. The tools are available at the following locations:

• New submenu

  From the New submenu, you can select commands to create a new web, add a new administrator, and so on — depending on the item you select in the console tree. You can select the computer object, a Web site, a subweb, or a folder in the console tree.

• Task submenu

  From the Task submenu, you can select commands to check and fix, remove, and upgrade FrontPage Server Extensions — depending on the item you select in the console tree. You can select the computer object, a Web site, a subweb, or a folder in the console tree.

• Server Extensions tab in the Web site Properties dialog box

  When you change the configuration of a FrontPage-extended web, you use the Server Extensions tab in the Web site Properties dialog box. For example, you can change version control, client scripting, e-mail, and security inheritance settings on the Server Extensions tab.

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Extend a Web site with FrontPage Server Extensions

After you create a Web site, you can use the FrontPage Server Extensions to extend the site, and make it a root web. To use the FrontPage Server Extensions, you must install them on the Web server.

To extend a Web site with FrontPage Server Extensions

1. In the console tree, right-click the Web site to which you want to add FrontPage Server Extensions.
2. Click Task, and then click Configure Server Extensions.
3. Follow the instructions in the Server Extensions Configuration Wizard.

Note   You must extend a Web site — that is, make it a root web — before you can create subwebs below it.

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Add an administrator

You can add an unlimited number of administrators to your Web site.

To add an administrator

1. In the console tree, right-click the FrontPage-extended web to which you want to add an administrator.
2. Click New, and then click Server Extensions Administrator.
3. Type a Windows NT account in the New Administrator dialog box.

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Create a subweb

A subweb is a FrontPage-extended web that is located in a subfolder of the root web or a subfolder of another subweb. A FrontPage-extended web has one root web and can have an unlimited number of subwebs.

To create a subweb

1. In the console tree, right-click the web under which you want to create a subweb.
2. Click New, and then click Server Extensions Web.
3. Follow the steps in the New Subweb Wizard.

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Uninstall FrontPage Server Extensions

When you uninstall FrontPage Server Extensions from the root web, you remove the FrontPage Server Extensions from the root web, and all the subwebs below it. The uninstall process leaves the web content on the Web site, but FrontPage Server Extensions features such as hit counters and e-mail form handlers no longer work.

To remove FrontPage Server Extensions from a root web and its subwebs

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web from which you want to remove FrontPage Server Extensions.
2. Click Task, and then click Remove Server Extensions.

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Check and fix FrontPage Server Extensions

You can check and fix FrontPage Server Extensions on a Web site or subweb. This operation includes replacing missing folders and files, and verifying correct permissions. When you check a FrontPage-extended web that has subwebs, the subwebs are checked also.

To check and fix FrontPage Server Extensions

1. In the console tree, right-click the FrontPage-extended web that you want to check and fix.
2. Click Task, and then click Check Server Extensions.

   The Check Web window displays a status log for each web that you check.

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Upgrade FrontPage Server Extensions

To take advantage of new features, you can upgrade a FrontPage-extended web to the latest version of FrontPage Server Extensions. You upgrade FrontPage Server Extensions on root webs only, but upgrading a root web also upgrades all subwebs below it.

To upgrade to the latest version of FrontPage Server Extensions

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web that you want to upgrade.

   – or –

   To upgrade FrontPage Server Extensions for all root webs on your computer, right-click the computer object in the console tree.

2. Click Task, and then click Upgrade Server Extensions.

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Delete a subweb

When you delete a subweb you delete all content, and all subwebs below the deleted subweb.

To delete a subweb

1. In the console tree, right-click the subweb that you want to delete.
2. Click Task, and then click Delete Server Extensions Web.

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Convert a folder to a subweb

When you have a folder that contains enough content to be its own Web site, you can easily convert that folder to a FrontPage-extended subweb. When you convert a folder to a subweb, you add FrontPage Server Extensions to the subweb.

To convert a folder to a subweb

1. In the console tree, right-click the folder that you want to convert to a FrontPage-extended subweb.
2. Click Task, and then click Configure Server Extensions.

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Convert a subweb to a folder

You can convert a FrontPage-extended subweb into a folder of its root web. When you convert a subweb into a folder, FrontPage Server Extensions are removed from the subweb, and the subweb is converted into a regular folder of the root web. Subwebs nested below the converted subweb are re-rooted.

The subwebs below the converted subweb might acquire different permissions settings if these subwebs are configured to inherit these settings from the root web. When there are no subwebs below the converted subweb, the pages within the converted subweb might lose some properties.

To convert a subweb into a folder

1. In the console tree, right-click the FrontPage-extended subweb that you want to convert into a folder.
2. Click Task, and then click Convert Server Extensions Web to Directory.

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Recalculate hyperlinks in a FrontPage-extended web

Any changes that are made to the structure of a web can change the links between different parts of that web. For example, if a page is moved from one folder to another or is renamed, then the hyperlinks to that page from every other page in the web need to be recalculated to re-establish logical links. FrontPage automatically recalculates hyperlinks when files are moved, renamed, or deleted. However, if you want to “force” a recalculation, you can do so.

To recalculate all hyperlinks in a FrontPage-extended web

1. In the console tree, right-click the web whose hyperlinks you want to recalculate.
2. Click Task, and then click Recalculate Web.

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Modify the content of a FrontPage-extended web or subweb

As an administrator, you can modify the theme, text, graphics, or other content of a FrontPage-extended web or subweb. If FrontPage is installed on the same host computer as a FrontPage-extended root web or subweb, then you can open the web directly from the console and change its content in FrontPage.

To modify the content of a FrontPage-extended web or subweb

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web or subweb that you want to modify.
2. Click Task, and then click Open With FrontPage.
3. In FrontPage, modify the content, and then save your changes.

Note   If FrontPage is not installed on the host computer, the Open With FrontPage command does not appear on the Task menu.

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Specify a default scripting language

In a FrontPage-extended web page, you can add components that embed code in the page. You can specify either Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) or Microsoft JScript for the code that FrontPage generates. FrontPage queries FrontPage Server Extensions for the scripting language to use to generate the code.

To specify a default scripting language

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web or subweb for which you want to specify a scripting language.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. In the Client scripting box, select a scripting language.

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Set permissions manually

After you select security settings for a root web, you can prevent anyone who is using the administrative tools for FrontPage Server Extensions from modifying them.

To set permissions manually

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web for which you want to set permissions manually.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. Select the Don’t Inherit Security Settings check box.
4. Select the Manage permissions manually check box.

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Enable or disable authoring

You can enable authoring for the users who need to access webs they are building, or updating. However, when a Web site is complete, and does not need updating, you can disable authoring to protect essential information that must remain unchanged. When you disable authoring, users can neither add to nor change web content.

To enable or disable authoring on a FrontPage-extended web

1. In the console tree, right-click the web for which you want to enable or disable authoring.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. To enable authoring, select the Enable authoring check box.

   – or –

   To disable authoring, clear the Enable authoring check box.

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Log authoring activities

Users with permission to modify the content of a FrontPage-extended web can change text, graphics, links, structure, and so on. To keep track of who makes changes to a Web site, and which files are changed, you can log the following authoring actions that are stored in a log file:

• Time an authoring action is performed.
• User name of the author.
• Name of the FrontPage-extended web.
• IP address of the remote host.

The log file is stored in _vti_log/author.log in the root web. If a security breach occurs, you can analyze this log file to identify authoring activity on the FrontPage-extended web.

To log authoring actions

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web for which you want to log authoring actions.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. Select the Don’t Inherit Security Settings check box.
4. Select the Log authoring actions check box.

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Specify folders where authors can upload executable applications

You can specify whether or not authors can upload executable applications such as CGI scripts or active server pages to a root web. When you allow authors to upload executable applications to a root web, bugs and viruses in the uploaded applications can affect your Web server.

To specify whether or not authors can upload executable applications to a root web

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web for which you want to control executable scripts or applications.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. Select the Don’t Inherit Security Settings check box.
4. To allow executable scripts or applications in the folder, select the Allow authors to upload executables check box.

   – or –

   To disallow executable scripts or applications in a folder, clear the Allow authors to upload executables check box.

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Require Secure Sockets Layer for authoring

You can require authors to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to significantly improve security on your FrontPage-extended web. SSL encrypts information, which means that network eavesdroppers cannot read information transmitted between a Web browser and a Web server. It is especially useful to require SSL if client applications connect to the server with Basic authentication, which does not encrypt user names and password if SSL is not used.

To require SSL for authoring

1. In the console tree, right-click the root web for which you want to require the use of SSL.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. Select the Don’t Inherit Security Settings check box.
4. Select the Require SSL for authoring check box.

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Customize performance settings of a FrontPage-extended web

To optimize the performance of your FrontPage-extended web, you adjust cache sizes and the full-text search index size, which is the amount of disk space used to store search indexes for the web. The speed with which a FrontPage-extended web responds to a client request depends on the number of pages and other files the web contains — compared to the cache size and full-text search index size settings.

To customize performance settings of a FrontPage-extended web

1. In the console tree, right-click the web that you want to customize.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. In the Performance box, click the page range closest to the actual number of pages in the web.
4. Click Use custom settings, enter the cache sizes you want, and then enter the full-text search index size you want.

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Set and configure e-mail options

When you set e-mail options in a FrontPage-extended web, you allow e-mail messages to be sent from the Web to readers. To configure the e-mail options, you must specify the e-mail address of the Web server, a contact address, a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) host, an e-mail-encoding scheme, and an e-mail character set.

To configure FrontPage-extended web e-mail options

1. In the console tree, right-click the web for which you want to configure e-mail options.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Server Extensions tab.
3. In the Options box, click Settings, and then enter the settings you want.

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See also

There are four utilities you can use to perform administrative tasks on a FrontPage-extended web: the FrontPage MMC snap-in, FrontPage HTML Administration Forms, Fpsrvadm, and Fpsrvrem. For information about which tool to use for a specific task, see Using FrontPage Server Extensions Tools.