Microsoft Internet Information Server problems

[ukdave]

Problem in using- Microsoft Internet Information Server Version: 5.1
Sorry guys, this is going to be a long introduction because I need to let you know as much as possible about the background and what I am trying to achieve together with the efforts I have already put in attempting to solve the problem myself. It is a difficult one and I feel that as much detail here is necessary from me in the hope that you can then offer me some pointers to a resolution.

Aim:
To use the Microsoft Internet Information Server in my studies and connect to a small database to use with my eventual website design. The study book I am working from is Foundation Dreamweaver UltraDev4 and I have got up to page 30 of 445! And I can get no further until I resolve this difficulty.

That's it really in a nutshell. My objective is to complete all the exercises in the book, however I cannot continue unless I can connect to my server known as http://localhost/KoolKards/ and this detail is all set out for me in the book. The remote folder is C:\netpub\wwwroot\KoolKards\ .

Problem:
Before contacting you today I decided for the 5th time of trying to go through all the 30 pages of study again. But again the same negative result. The exercise has basically instructed me to use the Insert Record Insertion Form live object from within Dreamweaver UltraDev4 which in turn put all the relevant fields into an already constructed web page in one operation. All this worked fine. Now the book states “It's now time to save your page (CTRL+S) and test it in your browser. Launch your web browser and type in your local web site address.http://localhost/koolkards/chapter1/...mer_record.asp
This will display the page you've just created. BUT IT DOESN'T. After 5 attempts it is still the same.

What does happen is this. The indicator lights that increase in blocks at the foot of the screen before it reaches the website, get to 4 blocks of green lights and then they stay there for a minute or so and subsequently indicate "Page cannot be displayed".I wrote to the website which has help regarding my study book a couple of nights ago explaining my difficulty and that this was important for me, because I cannot continue until I resolve this.

As they had not yet acknowledged my email I began to worry when I could get going again on this and thought I would contact the Forum for help.

It is realized by me that the server is not the best in the world once I was really up and running with a proper website and database because of concurrent connections etc. However for my study purposes it should be OK I understand. Another server could be used in its place later. However I am beginning to wonder if I should do that now because of all the time-wasting. Personal Web Server I believe is not for my operating system Windows XP Professional (SP1) and in any event I could not trace its availability anyway. All instructions have been carried out to the letter very carefully.

Other items of interest:
In a major respect I am not surprised by this not working. Let me explain. When eventually I had to DEFINE THE CONNECTION via UltraDev's Data Bindings window, using one of 2 choices which the book gave me (a) UltraDev should connect using DSN on the Application Server or (b)Using Local DSN (PWS) I was surprised at what happened. I went obviously to use the Application Server and here the book explained that another window would now open, which it did, and in the book's illustration it indicates “Select OBDC DSN” and has choices numbering ten, amongst which is the database called KoolKards, but also other ones such as MQIS, Visual FoxPro Database, Filter and Found and so on and so on..

However on my screen I was confronted with NOTHING, just a blank WHITE box containing only the title “Select OBDC DSN” As I could not choose anything I reverted to (which was silly of course) to PWS choice, and then I pressed the Test button and got the correct box indicating “Connection was made successfully” !! Can you begin to see where I am coming from when I say that I am finding this very difficult to confront. I went back in to the Administrative Tools/Internet Information Services Management Console to see if I could have missed something that would include that OBDC DSN choice for me – but could see nothing to help.

I have the latest MDAC 2.8 downloaded so Dreamweaver would not give a problem in that respect.

What I have written above I hope goes some way to let you know how hard I have attempted to solve this without just asking for answers, but I feel I have reached the end of my know how and I thought I was reasonably intelligent, and could perhaps get by on this Database/Server business. Now I know I was wrong.

Please help if you can guys, and by the way if you cannot – don't feel bad about it because I would fully understand your difficulty on this one believe me. Anyway do your best and if you can – that will be great.
Regards.

----David

[ukdave]

Hi everyone

I have decided to uninstall MIIS and call the whole thing off.

In its place I am going to try a Database creation program called Alpha Five V6 and see how I get on. It has its own Web Application Server. I have a free 30 day download Trial. At first glance it seems very efficient indeed.
Time will tell - so here goes...

Anyhow, thanks for having a look - but it seems that Microsoft Internet Information Server is just too complicated for the beginner such as myself. Despite following all the instructions it did not want to know. And, despite writing to that Book help website - they did not come back to me - so I gave up because I was wasting so much valuable time.

Regards.
----DAVID