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HomeHomeUsing DNN Platf...Using DNN Platf...Administration ...Administration ...IIS setup. One website/many host headers? or many websites pointing to same DNN install?IIS setup. One website/many host headers? or many websites pointing to same DNN install?
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4/9/2007 7:45 PM
 
David Kieffer

Joined: 1/26/2004
Posts: 49

What is the correct way of setting up DNN with multiple portals?

-I currently have one install of C:\DNN441. (its all working, but i just want to confirm the best way)
-An IIS website called say,,, "webDNN441"
-that website "webDNN441" has its "host headers" lists "all the other domain names" too, say "Site1", "Site2", "etc..." (I added them to the host headers of website webDNN441) It works....but..

Question:
Should I have created a website for each domain name, and point its location to C:\DNN441 and let DNNs portal alias direct the site within the single DNN install?  Or is this even possible to have each domain have its own IIS website pointed to C:\DNN441 and let DNN handle the portal alias?

How else can anyone track or limit the bandwidth of any portal site?

 
 
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4/10/2007 11:38 AM
 
Antony Slater


www.webpc.net
Joined: 9/21/2004
Posts: 499

I believe it depends on what you want to control and how you go about it.  You can always mix and match and have one IIS site that listens on an IP but doesn't use host headers and other sites that do use host headers, with all using the same code and database.

A security best practice is to always use 'host headers' in IIS, yet this does impose an additional layer of management outside of DNN. 

If you want to control a specific portal's bandwidth then configuring IIS so that this portal is a seperate  IIS site from the 'catchall site' and uses host headers is the way to go.

Another thing to consider is the monitoring of the sites statistics.  If you are wanting to go further than the level of analysis provided within the core (or via 3rd party modules) then you have to consider the package you are going to use.  LiveStats for example can report on the different Domains that are used to access the site but it cannot split these up so that different clients only see thier own stats.  If you want this then each portal has to have its own IIS site, which will create an IIS log for each site. SmarterStats though, can split out individual Domains from the one set of log files but each unique Domain is an account (and counts towards the licensing in SmarterStats) so you have to do a manual process of aggregating the figures, if a Portal has multiple Domains that it can be accessed by.

I have also heard conflicting points of view on the benefits of grouping sites under the the one IIS site and Application Pool.  Over time the App Pool will recycle after which the first access to a site using this app pool will take longer as everything is reloaded.  One angle is, grouping say a number of low traffic DNN portals into the one IIS site/app pool aggregates the traffic and therefore will keep the app pool loaded longer and also spread the start up delay over all the portals.  Another view which I do have my doubts about (but hopefully someone else can clarify) is you can gain the same benefit by using a single code/database with different IIS sites which all use a common App Pool.

Confusing?

 
 
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4/10/2007 1:10 PM
 
David Kieffer

Joined: 1/26/2004
Posts: 49

Thanks WebPC,

I was thinking the same thing about how sites could be split up, or all use one catchall iis site and just use lots of host headers for that one site. Thanks for the Application Pool reference, I forgot about even looking at that aspect when I start to host a lot of sites (currently only a few low bandwidth stuff, friends businesses). 

Can anyone else comment on or "list" the pros and cons of each setup? When to use one setup and when to use another? Best Practices? security issues?  I would have thought this would have been documented process or documented setup with diagrams in the Cores Documentation. I do relize that This is not a major topic, but DNN being the multi portal solution, It seems that how to setup and manage a multi portal DNN install, IIS Settings, App Pool recommendations, Bandwidth settings and monitoring best practices, Logging, reporting, ...etc  would be a topic also....

Sure, DNN is Great, I love it, But the whole Multi portal setup, MORE than just explaining how to create a parent/child portal with the wizard...needs a little documentation for best practices and options.

 
 
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