We create and sell software tools which help to maximize up-time and automate many functions of Microsoft's Internet Information Server. 

We have automated the process of creating Web sites, virtual directories with SSL. We have created reports which will provide a display of each logfile and its data-transfer usage as well as other critical information an IIS administrator needs.

Our automation tools were designed for and are used by our hosting server at  bestcfhosting.com so you can be sure they have been fully tested and optimized.

 

What's New(s)  - the latest stuff

ARTICLE COMMENTS   

Who fixes MY computer?   :  Aww geez. My PC crashed. I got the blue screen when I try to boot. Some error message of  0x000000050.

Make IIS6 Index values more meaningful   :  When you create a new Web site through the Internet Services Manager (ISM) in Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, an identification number for that site is automatically generated and stored in the metabase. The number is based on the name of the Web site. In earlier versions, the Web site identification numbers are incremental.

A good FTP tutorial   :  One of the most commonly seen questions when dealing with firewalls and other Internet connectivity issues is the difference between active and passive FTP and how best to support either or both of them.

Man, can I procrastinate!   :  Man can I procrastinate. I’m good at it. I’m real good at it. I’ve had a lot of experience with it and it has always been a favorite pastime of mine.

All Articles

ARTICLE COMMENTS (Sat 3/10/07)

Who fixes MY computer? (Thu 6/22/06) :  Aww geez. My PC crashed. I got the blue screen when I try to boot. Some error message of  0x000000050.

Make IIS6 Index values more meaningful (Fri 2/11/05) :  When you create a new Web site through the Internet Services Manager (ISM) in Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, an identification number for that site is automatically generated and stored in the metabase. The number is based on the name of the Web site. In earlier versions, the Web site identification numbers are incremental.

A good FTP tutorial (Tue 12/14/04) :  One of the most commonly seen questions when dealing with firewalls and other Internet connectivity issues is the difference between active and passive FTP and how best to support either or both of them.

Man, can I procrastinate! (Fri 10/22/04) :  Man can I procrastinate. I’m good at it. I’m real good at it. I’ve had a lot of experience with it and it has always been a favorite pastime of mine.

DMOZ: Rotten To The Core  (Fri 10/22/04) :  I knew things were bad at DMOZ. But I guess I didn't realize how bad, until I started eavesdropping on a few forums, and reading the avalanche of e-mails I received on the subject.

Ten Steps To Higher Search Engine Positioning (Thu 10/14/04) :  There is perhaps no more level playing field in business than the Internet. It is this fact that has created millionaires from paupers.

Search Engine Friendly Design (Thu 10/07/04) :  So you have a beautiful website that you paid a pretty penny for and you are completely happy with it … except no one can find it.

John's Mini Reviews (Sun 7/18/04) :  My mini reviews and links page. This is stuff that I use daily. Here I tell you a little about it.

How to Write a Robots.txt file (Sun 6/27/04) :  This is a terrific article on how to write a robots.txt file. I didn't write this article. I wish I did. It's valuable.

A few Windows server security settings (Sun 6/27/04) :  A small list (but important) of security settings to minimize outside hacking or at least make it harder for them.

inetinfo.exe and dllhost share high CPU% . Ever happen to you? (Sun 6/13/04) :  One of our Web servers was exhibiting high CPU usage in inetinfo.exe and dllhost.exe; they each shared about equally in
the 100% usage. Some weeks everything was fine but some weeks were horrible.

Buddy Rich - The Best Drummer the World will ever know. (Fri 12/05/03) : 

You assign a role...you say ok Buddy Rich is the best drummer in the world. You don't re-examine it. You just accept it as a reality. And I think I went thru many years just accepting it without ever having to go back to the records or re-examining that opinion. Having the opportunity to do that made me realize...well, it was astonishing as to how good he was.

Neil Peart RUSH

News letter broadcast 12-02-2003 (Tue 12/02/03)

Is your server freezing, hanging, or spontaneously rebooting? (Mon 8/25/03) :  Let's say the server is freezing, hanging, or spontaneously rebooting. You are concerned that the existing MB, RAM or CPU is the culprit (these are the most likely components that would cause this behavior).

A Hack Attack and IPC$. Watch your backdoor(s)! (Sat 8/09/03) :  On M$ systems there are administrative shares that are created automatically. Some of these admin shares include: C$, D$, ADMIN$ and most importantly, IPC$ (a remote share). Hackers love 'em!

Unchecked Buffer in Windows Component May Cause Web Server Compromise (Fri 8/01/03) :  A security vulnerability exists in a Windows component that is used by WebDAV. This vulnerability occurs because the component contains an unchecked buffer.

An attacker may exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially formed HTTP request to a computer running Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). The request may cause the server to fail or to run code of the attacker's choice. The code would run in the security context of the IIS service. (By default, the IIS service runs in the LocalSystem context).

MetaBase 102 (Mon 6/09/03) :  In Metabase 101 we took a look at the IIS Metabase and how it stores data. We also (in our examples) looked at some vbscript code to access the metabase. This article will concentrate on the vbscript code and how it can be used to access and change metabase properties.

Can't find anything great about it except hype! (Mon 6/02/03) :  It's really amazing to me that, usually, the most hyped products are the ones you are least likely to...like! The products you find by accident are the best bets

Out of necessity... (Thu 5/22/03) :  Most of the tools that I develop are out of a sheer need to survive. Out of panic you might say. Tools which are written fast and furiously in the middle of crisis situations which mostly occur very late at night.

MetaBase 101. A simple tutorial on the IIS Metabase. (Wed 5/14/03) :  IIS MetaBase. If you plan on writing any automation programs for IIS you need to know what the Metabase is and does. John Cesta's simple, straight forward tutorial will help.

HTML Kit. A terrific HTML, and everything else, editor! (Mon 5/12/03) :  This is a one of a kind HTML editor you have just got to try out. You will not be disappointed with this product.

Wadda Ya Do? (Wed 5/07/03)

What is DomainReportIt PRO (Tue 4/22/03)

DomainReportIt PRO. A Short Brief - Part II. (Tue 4/22/03) :  Part II of a three part series. This brief provides a short explanation of the IIS metabase and how we used it to create DRP. Also, provides some tips on using this powerful program.

DomainReportIt PRO. A Short Brief - Part I (Tue 4/22/03) :  Part I of a three part series on one of our most powerful and best selling tools. Get the tips on this program and learn more about how we use it.

What it Means To Be a Search Engine Marketing Professional (Wed 4/16/03) :  What makes a real professional in the SEO world is being
someone who puts the client's needs above their own, says Jill Whalen. And those looking to become an SEO make also want to check out Jill's new 1/2 day workshop to be held next month, which is also listed in this article.

Click Fraud - Watch Out! (Wed 4/16/03) :  Working extensively with search engines for about 5 years I have found the new PPC (Pay Per Click) model to be the most advantageous way to get listed in the search engines to date. Actually, for the best search engines it's the only way to get listed. But, there is a down side to this model that the search engine's may not be able to overcome. It's called Click Fraud. Read about it in this article from Submit Express.

Dynamic Web Pages (Wed 4/16/03) :  There are plenty of other pages that can, and should, be dynamically driven, but there is no reason why a home page should be.

The ODBC Reporter (Tue 4/08/03)

The iMAIL Reporter What it does (Fri 4/04/03)

CityDesk. FogCreek Software's unique entry into the Content Management field (Thu 4/03/03) :  If you're like me, and can't find the time to churn through html code every time you want to add a simple page of text, images, or make quick changes to your site, then CityDesk is for you

Tom Dowd - Music producer (Mon 3/31/03) :  Tom Dowd, one of the most gifted record producers of our time dies in Hollywood, Florida.

A review of Double Take. Mirroring and disaster recovery software. (Mon 3/31/03) :  A review of Double Take. Mirroring and disaster recovery software. It's a little old but it should give you an idea of how to use Double Take in an IIS web hosting environment.

Jim Gordon (Mon 3/31/03) :  I was listening to Jim Gordon today.If you have ever heard the rock song Layla then you have heard Jim Gordon. He is the drummer on the Layla album.

My PDA. The iPAQ 3975 (Mon 3/31/03) :  Recently I purchased an iPAQ 3975. I was thrilled and I wrote this article. It will give you an idea of just how powerful the Pocket PC is and how it can allow you to leave your laptop at home!!

eWebEditPRO (Mon 3/31/03) :  eWebEdit PRO is a browser based WYSIWYG editor. With it you can edit html pages directly through the web browser. If you have MS Word on the client it will even spell check.

Article Manager (Mon 3/31/03) :  Article Manager is a complete Web based article management solution. From its browser based WYSIWYG article creation screen to its web feed generator, everything you need to distribute articles on the Internet is included.

WebEditPro (Sun 3/30/03) :  WebEdit Professional is a browser-based website management application with a complete online WYSIWYG HTML Editor that you can use to create, edit and update your entire website

LogFileManager config.ini file (Wed 3/19/03)

DomainReportIt PRO config file (Wed 3/19/03) :  By reading thru the config file you will get an idea of exactly what DomainReportIt PRO will do for you. Don't worry, it just looks like a lot of info. Most of the directives you will only set once.