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Thread: Automate website creation

Last post 03-04-2008 11:28 AM by Enterhost_Nathan. 2 replies.

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  • 03-03-2008, 9:41 AM

    • The_ZoRo
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 03-03-2008, 2:11 PM
    • Posts 1

    Automate website creation

    Hello.

    This will probably be a long and very complex question, so sit back and enjoy the ride (and feel free en point out any flaws in my logic/flow).

     

    I have the ungrateful task of making new websites for our customers (we make travel websites, and as such have a lot of domains, accounts and other stuff), just the admin part, not the code and designing part. We run IIS6.0 in a windows 2003+2003R2 environment.
    I have made a web page which have inputs for the name, description and where the website should end up. (one input for name, one for description and one for destination, naturally)
     

    So, with that bit of background, it's time for the real meat of the question:

    I would like to make a few (okay, a lot of) scripts that makes the following:

    1) Make two users in AD: One NameApp and one NameWeb with different passwords. I assume that it's possible to make in some way, although I haven't found one yet) 

    2) Makes a folder in a specific dictory (which I assume is 'Md C:\folder\name\ <enter>)
     

    3) Make a new application pool (based on the website input: NameApp)

    4) Make a website: With description (from website), Host header ('name' from website), a path to home directory (\\network\path\name ), it should allow anonymous access, use the authed user, have read and run scripts permissions.
    Use the new application pool (that was made in point 3) instead of the default one
    Change the directory security to use a different account (DOMAIN\nameWeb )

    5)  Copy the websites from one server to several others (the IIS 6.0 migration tool 1.1 is what we currently use, but it requires us to manually find the Identifier for each website and copy/paste it into the syntax for the IIS migration tool.

     

    *whew* So, now we're done for now.

    Any ideas, questions, answers, dirty und.... no, not that, but the rest. Feel free to fire away.

     
     /ZoRo

  • 03-04-2008, 10:23 AM In reply to

    Re: Automate website creation

    This is a lot easier to script in IIS 7, but you could loook at iisfaq.com and the Microsoft scripting center for help with the scripts you need.  Also, there are hosting resources from Microsoft that may help too.

    Jeff

    Look for Wrox's new book Professional IIS 7 in your local bookstore, or order now at Amazon.com
  • 03-04-2008, 11:28 AM In reply to

    Re: Automate website creation

    While this can be done through APIs and VBscripting, if you aren't up to the programming yourself, you might want to look into the Control Panels provided by HELM and PLESK. Many Hosting providers and web resellers use these to quickly handle a lot of the back end administrative footwork needed to create the foundation of a new website.

    Helm - http://www.webhostautomation.com/

    Plesk - http://www.parallels.com/en/products/plesk/ 

    There will need to be some configuration of either system in order to get things working, but once done, you will have a web driven control panel that will interface through a series of modules for many potential uses.

    In our own environment here at Enterhost, our techs use HELM to create new Shared accounts. In one session, we can create a unique anon webuser account for this specific website, create the physical and virtual directories, assign asp.net versions, cgi, mime types, handle the FTP account (including username and creation within IIS), create the DNS records, a temporary url through a domain name we own while our customers update their name servers, manage add-ons like SQL (along with ODBC connections), Merak Mail (among others), Statistics reporting... along with much more.

    HELM appears to be offering a Free trial at the moment, may want to check it out.

     


     

    Nathan S., MCP
    Enterhost Support Team
    www.enterhost.com
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