IIS Tools allow you to manage a number of settings for your web hosting service. To access IIS Tools, go to Control Panel > Tools & Utilities > IIS Tools.


IIS Settings tab

Stop / Start Site 
This tool is used to disable HTTP (web browser) access to your site.  Stopping the site here will cause a "Web Page Unavailable" page to be displayed when someone visits your site.

Note that the "Web Page Unavailable" page will only be displayed when you visit 'http://YourHostedDomainName.com'.  If you visit a subdirectory (such as http://YourHostedDomainName.com/app/) you will see a generic IIS 404 error.


 
Recycle Application Pool
The Application Pool Recycle Tool allows you to shut down the process hosting your web application and spawn a new process.  Think of it as a sort of "reboot" for your web applications.  DiscountASP.Net hosts each web site in its own isolated application pool, so this tool can be used without affecting other user's web sites.

The Recycle App Pool tool is useful for:
  • Recycling a hung application
  • Releasing locked files or databases
  • Resetting session variables
Note that when the application pool is recycled, all session variables are deleted.

More information on application pool can be found in these articles:
Working With Application Pools in the Internet Information Server
IIS and ASP.NET: The Application Pool

The Recycle App Pool tool is also useful in determining whether your application has an issue that may be causing a problem with your site's availability.  If your site is unresponsive or very slow, try recycling the application pool to see if the problem is alleviated.  If so, you can rule out server issues and troubleshoot the application.

 
Framework Version
Use this tool to set the Framework version on your account.  Note that you can only select one Framework to apply to your account, different versions cannot run concurrently.


 
Application Pool Pipeline Mode
You can configure your account to use the classic .NET Application Pool Pipeline Mode or Integrated Application Pool Pipeline Mode.

Notes on the Application Pool Pipeline Mode: 

Integrated Mode Benefits - 
  • Allowing services provided by both native and managed modules to apply to all requests, regardless of handler. For example, managed Forms Authentication can be used for all content, including ASP pages and static files.
  • Empowering ASP.NET components to provide functionality that was previously unavailable to them due to their placement in the server pipeline. For example, a managed module providing request rewriting functionality can rewrite the request prior to any server processing, including authentication, takes place.
  • A single place to implement, configure, monitor and support server features. For example, single module and handler mapping configuration, single custom errors configuration, single URL authorization configuration.

PHP Version
Use this tool to choose the PHP version on your account. Failed Request Trace Settings
This tracing tool allows you to troubleshoot and diagnose failed request-process in IIS.

Usage for Failed Request Tracing are:
  • Debug failures in application process
  • Trace steps in application request routing
To enable Failed Request Tracing you will need to place a check mark on the Enabled box.  Next you will need to define the path where the logs will be stored under your root.

The final step is to use IIS Manager to connect to the web server and define the tracing rule for the Failed Request Tracing module.  To connect to the web server with IIS Manager, use the Knowledge Base Article for instructions on how to connect to a web server with IIS Manager.
How to connect to the server using the Microsoft IIS Manager

To define the actual rules for the Failed Request Tracing module read this Microsoft TechNet links for some instructions.

Create a Tracing Rule for Failed Requests

 



MS IIS Manager tab

Your primary account user automatically has access to IIS Manager. If you wish to grant access to additional users, you can do so here.

 



FTP Manager tab

FTP Service STOP/START Tool
This tool allows you to disable FTP access to your site. Disabling FTP is a useful security measure, additionally, disabling and re-enabling FTP may remedy certain file-locking issues.

FTP IP Restriction Tool
Another level of FTP security is the ability to allow/disallow access based on IP address. This tool allows you to add IP addresses and either block or allow them.

FTP SESSIONS
This tool allows you to disconnect current open FTP sessions.


 


WebDav tab

WebDav is disabled by default. Use this tool to enable/disable WebDav.