If any changes are made to the Microsoft IIS configuration or settings, including Application Pools, permissions, etc., then the IIS Services need to be restarted to apply the changes. Below we look at two methods of restarting the IIS, one using the Management console, and the other using a command prompt.
How it works
We are going to stop and restart all the IIS processes so that they take into account any configuration changes. There are two ways to do this:
Restarting the IIS using the Management Console:
- Be sure to check if there are any other applications using the IIS before you issue a restart command.
- Open the IIS management console by running inetmgr.exe.
- Select the hostname in the left hand pane.
- Locate the Actions panel on the right hand side of the console.
- Click Start or Restart button depending on which one is highlighted.
Make sure you are restarting the IIS at the root level and not the individual website application. You must have the hostname of the computer selected when you press Restart, and not one of the installed websites.
Restarting the IIS using a command prompt:
- Be sure to check if there are any other applications using the IIS before you issue a restart command.
- Run the command prompt as Administrator.
- If you do not have a shortcut, the location of the file is system32\cmd.exe:
- In the command window, type iisreset:
If installed, the following services will be restarted when the IIS is restarted at the root level:
- IIS Admin service: manages all the services of IIS other than the WWW service like FTP, NNTP, SMTP, etc.
- WWW service: provides Web connectivity between clients and Web sites.
- HTTP SSL service: provides secure Web connectivity between clients and Web sites.
- FTP service: provides FTP connectivity and administration through IIS Manager.
- SMTP service: transports electronic mail across the network.
- NNTP service: transports network news across the network.