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Virtual Directories

Synapse Syndrome
3/1/2006 5:06:40 PM

iis ftp:

I just tried using the IIS FTP Server for the first time recently.

I think that having to make local user accounts for people a bit weird, so I
might go back to using Cerberus - but not before I learn more about this as
I might like it in the end.

This is a weird problem I can't seem to understand: I make a couple of
virtual folders pointing to folders on other partitions. They appear in IIS
manager, but people connecting cannot see them.

Then, when I put real files in the ftproot folder, the users can see these
files, but they don't show up in IIS Manager, like the invisible virtual
folders do.

What am i misunderstanding here?

Cheers

ss.

Re: Virtual Directories

Chris Crowe [MVP 1997 -> 2006]
3/2/2006 12:00:00 AM

You are not missing anything - this strange behavior is by design.

Your users can browse into those virtual directories if they know they
exist. The only other way for the users to know that they are there is to
create a physical folder with the same name as the virtual directory in the
parent folder.

So for example

FTP Root = c:\inetpub\ftproot
Virtual Directory "XYZ" points to "d:\XYZ"

Create a physical folder called "XYZ" in c:\inetpub\ftproot and the user
will then see the folder when they browse the ftp site and the content will
come from d:\xyz

You are correct also about the files - it is just I assume some warped
employee at Microsoft who obviously persuaded their manager that this odd
functionality is the norm.

The FTP Server is being re-written as we speak and will be released with
Vista so we assume such strange configuration will no longer be the norm.

--

Cheers

Chris Crowe [IIS MVP 1997 -> 2006]
http://blog.crowe.co.nz
------------------------------------------------

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Re: Virtual Directories

Synapse Syndrome
3/2/2006 1:01:00 PM

"Chris Crowe [MVP 1997 -> 2006]" <IISMVP2005@iisfaq.homeip.net> wrote in
message news:en2Cr%23VPGHA.2064@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
[quoted text, click to view]

Thanks for your reply Chris.

I think I have got virtual directories working, but now that I have deleted
and remade the site using Isolation Mode I'm not sure if they work yet as
have come across another related obstacle. I can't figure out how to make a
virtual folder in the [real] user root folder as they do not appear in IIS
Manager.

But this page says that they should: "Both virtual directories and physical
directories (directories without an alias) appear in IIS Manager . A
modified folder icon indicates a virtual directory."

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/5367e9a0-327a-4364-bb74-435d83e2b0c31033.mspx

Have I got some setting wrong that is stopping me from seeing the real
folders in IIS Manager along with the vitual folders? It seems impossible
to do anything otherwise when using Isolation Mode.

Cheers

ss.

Re: Virtual Directories

Synapse Syndrome
3/2/2006 1:07:48 PM

[quoted text, click to view]

PS. I should add that I have a user that can connect ok, but he can only
see what is in his root directory, and he can't navigate out of it. I need
to somehow put a virtual directory in his root directory, but as the user
root directory is a real folder it doesn't appear in IIS Manager so I cannot
make a virtual directory in it. This just has to be possible somehow.

ss.

Re: Virtual Directories

Synapse Syndrome
3/2/2006 1:56:29 PM

[quoted text, click to view]

Hi again Chris

I read your reply in the discussion "FTP isolation mode and Virtual FTP
Directories", and then managed to make a real folder in the user root folder
which was named the same as a virtual directory in IIS Manager, and the user
can see the files in the virtual directory ok. But now, how can I make
virtual directories within that virtual directory? I made another virtual
directory within the root virtual directory in IIS Manager and then made a
real folder within the real user folder with the same name, but as far as
the user is concerned that folder is empty and cannot see the virtual
contents. All this pointless complexity and seemingly lack of flexibility
is very surprising.

ss.

Re: Virtual Directories

Chris Crowe [ IIS MVP 1997 -> 2006 ]
3/3/2006 12:00:00 AM

Lets try an example

Our user is called "XYZ" on the domain "DOMAIN"

Our users FTP Home is c:\inetpub\ftpsites\DOMAIN\XYZ

You create a virtual directory in IIS manager called "vdir1" which points to
"c:\testing\vdir1"

Now your user XYZ if he logs in now will not see "vdir1" but he could change
into "vdir1" and get a directory listing.

For the user to see the virtual directory when they log on you need to
create a physical directory called "vdir1" in
"c:\inetpub\ftpsites\DOMAIN\XYZ"

( this is about where you are now )

Now I assume from what you want are saying you want inside of "vdir1" to
create a virtual directory called say "vdir2"

In IIS Manager expand the FTP Site and select "vdir1" and create your new
Virtual Directory "vdir2" and point it to "c:\testing\vdir2" (or whereever
you want)

Now if the user knows that vdir2 exists he can change into that folder.

cwd /vdir1/vdir2

( I think you got to here )

Now all you need to do to make the vdir2 visible is to create a physical
directory called "vdir2" in the "c:\testing\vdir1" folder.

Simple isn't it.....

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/5367e9a0-327a-4364-bb74-435d83e2b0c31033.mspx
"Both virtual directories and physical directories (directories without an
alias) appear in IIS Manager"

The statement above is wrong for FTP....

"All this pointless complexity and seemingly lack of flexibility is very
surprising"

Well it is rather confusing - Microsoft is re-writing their FTP server for
the release with Vista so I hope they take conversations such as this and
make a decent ftp server.

They could have a simple option "[*] Show in directory listing" on their
dialog for a virtual directory and that would get around a lot of this and
of course enumerate the physcial directories for either a virtual or
physical directory in their IIS Manager.

--

Cheers

Chris Crowe [IIS MVP 1997 -> 2006]
http://blog.crowe.co.nz
------------------------------------------------

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