Error Converting a UNC Virtual Directory to a Sub Web (215459)
The information in this article applies to:
- FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions from Microsoft
This article was previously published under Q215459 SYMPTOMS
After you have created a virtual directory in Microsoft Internet
Information Server (IIS) that is mapped to a Uniform Naming Convention
(UNC) path, you attempt to convert the virtual directory to a sub Web. At
the end of the conversion, you get the following error message:
Server Error: "Cannot read or set the permissions for file, \\server\web\:
initializing the SD failed".
If you do succeed without receiving this error message, you will still get
it by opening the Web in FrontPage and viewing permissions.
You will also note that FrontPage also incorrectly modified the
permissions on the UNC folder attempting to apply the correct permissions.
The access control lists (ACLs) will show Account Unknown because the
accounts do not exist on the computer the UNC path points to.
CAUSE
In a UNC path configuration, it is not possible to configure permissions
that will provide adequate security. When you point a virtual root or
virtual server's home directory at a UNC, you have to tell IIS the account
to use when accessing the share. When a virtual directory or virtual
server is configured as a UNC path, you cannot impersonate an
authenticated user or the Anonymous account. All access to the files is
done as the single specified user. For that reason, the drive works
similarly to a FAT partition. You can turn Anonymous Access on or off, but
even if it's off, any user with a valid Windows NT account has as much
access to the content as any other. For this reason, configuring FrontPage
Webs on a virtual server or virtual directory configured with a UNC is not
supported.
RESOLUTION
The resolution is to not install the server extensions on a virtual server
or virtual directory that is mapped to a UNC path. The alternative is to
create a virtual directory or virtual server on the server where FrontPage
Server Extensions and IIS are installed. FrontPage does support non-
contiguous Webs. You could create virtual directories anywhere on your
server that FrontPage can convert to Webs as long as the virtual
directories and virtual servers reside on the same computer as the server.
STATUSMicrosoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions.
Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 4/16/2002 |
---|
Keywords: | kbbug KB215459 |
---|
|