How To Troubleshoot IUSR_machine Permissions Problem

The following information is meant to provide general guidelines for troubleshooting permissions problems with the IUSR_machinename anonymous account and Visual InterDev.

Many permissions problems are related to the IUSR_machinename account not having sufficient permissions to access a resource. The purpose of the troubleshooting steps below is to create a new anonymous account that has sufficient permissions to access the resources in question, thereby confirming that the inability of the anonymous account to access a resource is due to incorrect permissions settings.

When troubleshooting permissions issues related to the IUSR account, it is often necessary to reset both directory and file permissions, which can then be difficult to reset to their original configuration. By creating a new IUSR_Test account and setting it up as the anonymous account in both Internet Service Manager and NT User Manager, permissions settings for the anonymous account can be changed without affecting existing permissions; to reset permissions back to their original settings, replace the IUSR_Test account with the original IUSR_machinename account.

Context

Visual InterDev client working against a Windows NT Server (standalone local domain IIS_Box) hosting Internet Information Server (IIS); NT Server (standalone local domain SQL_Box) running SQL Server 6.5 (or shared directory with Access database); Primary Domain Controller (PDC domain name DomainName).

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Create a new domain account on the PDC computer using the IUSR_Test domain account.
2. Grant logon locally rights on both the IIS and SQL computer using the DomainName\IUSR_Test account.
3. Start and stop IIS so that the settings take effect. Shut down and restart the browser to ensure that there is no caching of permissions.
4. Set up the new DomainName\IUSR_Test account as the anonymous account in the Internet Service Manager.
5. Test the new account by logging off the IIS computer, logging back on as IUSR_Test, and trying to access the resource in question (such as the .mdb file or the SQL Server database).
6. Ensure that the IUSR_Test account can access and run ASP pages.