XCCC: How to Create a Virtual Directory in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server

This step-by-step article describes how to create a new Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS) 5.0 virtual directory by using Exchange System Manager. IIS 5.0 is included with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. IIS 5.0 differs from earlier versions of IIS in many ways. One of the most notable differences is how Active Directory interacts with the IIS metabase.

In IIS 5.0, most of the configuration information is stored in the metabase instead of in the registry where earlier versions of IIS stored the information. This metabase information is populated through a one-way process that writes the data directly from Active Directory. All the information in Active Directory that relates to IIS 5.0 is copied to the IIS metabase through the Directory Service/Metabase Synchronization (DS2MB) process. The DS2MB process does not add or modify the data while the data is written to the IIS metabase. For additional information about this process, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The DS2MB process copies the virtual servers and virtual directories that are created in Exchange System Manager to the IIS 5.0 metabase. This process overwrites changes that are made to these Exchange virtual directories from the IIS snap-in by using the information that is contained in Active Directory.

IMPORTANT: You must use Exchange System Manager to make changes or add virtual directories for Exchange 2000. If you use the IIS snap-in, your changes are overwritten in 15 minutes or less. For additional information about this issue, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Create a Custom MMC

To help manage your Exchange 2000 organization, you may want to create a custom Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that contains all the MMC snap-ins that you need. To create a custom MMC:

1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
3. Click Add, and then add the following snap-ins:
   
   • Active Directory Users and Computers
   • Exchange System
   • Internet Information Services
   NOTE: To add each item, click the item in the Available Standalone Snap-ins list, and then click Add.
4. After you add the snap-ins, click Close, and then click OK.
5. On the Console menu, click Save As.
6. In the File name box, type Exchange Management, and then click Save.

By default, the Exchange Management MMC that you created is saved in the Administrative Tools folder. To open this custom MMC, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Exchange Management. You can also create a shortcut to the Exchange Management.msc file.

Create a Virtual Directory

To create a new virtual directory:

1. Start Exchange System Manager. To do so, click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager. You can also start the custom MMC that you created earlier.
2. Expand First Organization (Exchange), and then expand Administrative Groups.
   
   NOTE: If the Administrative Groups node does not appear, right-click the Exchange organization, click Properties, click to select the Display administrative groups check box, and then click OK.
3. Click OK, and then restart Exchange System manager.
4. Expand the administrative group that contains the Exchange server that you want to associate with the new virtual directory. For example, expand First Administrative Group.
5. Expand Servers, expand the Exchange server that you want, expand Protocols, and then expand HTTP.
6. Right-click the Exchange virtual server in which you want to create the new virtual directory, point to New, and then click Virtual Directory.
7. In the Name box, type a name for the new virtual directory.
8. Under Exchange Path, do one of the following procedures:
   • Click Mailboxes for, and then click Modify to designate a specific messaging domain from your Exchange organization.
   • Click Public folder, and then click Modify to designate the particular public folder that you want this virtual directory to service. If you use the virtual server to provide public folder access, you may name the virtual directory Public.
9. Click the Access tab.
10. Click to clear the check boxes of the Access Control entries that you do not want to allow for this virtual directory.
11. Under Execute Permissions, click the level of permission that you want to allow. This is determined by the intended use of the virtual directory.
12. Click Authentication to modify the method of authentication for the virtual directory. After you configure authentication methods, click OK.
13. Click OK.

The new virtual directory appears under the virtual server in Exchange System Manager.