Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

DAvid — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 18:59:54 GMT

Ok, thats the problem any ideas on the fix ?

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

David.Wang — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 22:11:04 GMT

David - I presume you are referring to ASP.Net 1.1. Since the behavior is by-design, there is really nothing to "fix".

For example, you may try to configure ASPNET_ISAPI.DLL to be an ISAPI Filter (even though it isn't an ISAPI Filter) and find that IIS6 now returns 503. Since ASPNET_ISAPI.DLL is not an ISAPI Filter, the behavior is by-design and there is nothing to "fix".

Similarly, you may try to configure ASPNET_ISAPI.DLL to be a wildcard application mapping (even though it was never written to be one) and find that some URL processing does not work correctly on IIS6. Since ASPNET_ISAPI is never written to be a Wildcard application mapping, the behavior is by-design and there is nothing to "fix".

If you are asking for a "work-around" - as URLs in the blog entry show, since ASPNET_ISAPI.DLL is unable to hand the request back to IIS for DefaultDocument resolution, that resolution has to happen somewhere else. Some people have added hard-coded redirections into their HttpModules to identify these DefaultDocument redirections and handle it, but it is certainly not the only way. You've got the details now; figure it out.

//David

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

David — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:30:34 GMT

Hi,

I think i typed it more in hope than in anything else. Im not a boffin im afraid. I do know that I did not knowingly install anything to bring about this problem on the server e.g no application mapping or what not. I have uninstalled iis and re installed it etc. but im left with the same problem. I think my symptoms are the same but the problem is different.

Thank you .

David

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

David.Wang — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 01:04:42 GMT

David - the key message is that you should not ask for a "fix" for something that is not broken. And you need to describe your problem thoroughly if you need assistance.

What is described here is not default behavior. So, you have either knowingly or unknowingly made a server configuration change to result in this state. Possibilities include:
1. Custom ISAPI Filter
2. Custom ISAPI Extension configured as Wildcard Application Mapping
3. Misconfigured IIS HttpRedirection
4. global.asa or global.asax with misconfigured HTTP Redirection

//David

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

Scott — Mon, 29 May 2006 15:37:48 GMT

Fix or no fix many applications rely on the ability to send all requests to asp.net where they're processed. While its not recommended or supported it very neccessary and since its changed it means that migrating applications from 1.1 to 2.0 is taking far longer than hoped.

For me the requirements were:
o) Have 2 web apps
http://mainapp/
http://mainapp/subapp
o) Configure subapp with wildcard to pass all requests to asp.net
o) Add handler mapping to webapp's web.config
<httpHandlers>
<add verb="*" path="*" type="MyBrowseHandler, Application" />
</httpHandlers>
o) Add handler code to redirect as required.

None of the files or directories that are called exist and all the responses are generated on the fly.

This is a fundamental requirement for my application but to do this now is difficult bordering on impossible.

I've tried to configure this for the subapp but it is still passing back 404 errors.

IIS 6.0 does not serve unknown MIME types
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=326965

Any help or suggestions are most appreciated.

Thanks.
Frustrated Developer trying to convert applications from ASP.Net 1.1 to 2.0

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

David.Wang — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 01:07:34 GMT

Scott - What you are describing is a common failure pattern for users that configured ASP.Net 1.1 as a wildcard application mapping and then upgrade to ASP.Net 2.0 on IIS6.

In the near future, I will be posting a blog entry about:
1. What is actually going on
2. Why it broke on upgrade
3. How to do the necessary configuration to get similar behavior

Since this is ultimately not an officially supported scenario of ASP.Net 1.1 and ASP.Net 2.0, you will find that things will again break when you upgrade from IIS6 to IIS7. I can only suggest that you learn and understand what is actually going on... which is what I am going to blog. :-)

//David

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

Nathan Ridley — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:35:43 GMT

@John and Joel

Set your web application to have a wildcard mapping as per usual. Then for your images directory (and whatever other directory you want), in IIS make that folder a virtual directory via the 'Create Application' button in the 'Home Directory' tab. Then click 'Configuration' and remove the wildcard mapping. The change will apply only to that virtual directory and not the root web application, thus causing all requests in that directory to get processed normally.

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

John Bailo — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:02:00 GMT

I am having a problem setting up a wildcard mapping for a Web Site.

I can set it up (aspnet_isapi.dll) for a virtual directory, but when I configure it for a Web Site, the mapping doesn't fire (I get a page not found, 404 error, when it should be running my URLRewrite HttpModule).

Any suggestions?

re: Why Wildcard application mapping can disable Default Document resolution

David.Wang — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:11:01 GMT

John - You most likely have custom ScriptMaps set on virtual directories themselves which will override any ScriptMaps (including wildcard) set at the Web Site level.

In other words, global wildcard application mapping works... unless a virtual directory redefines its Application Mapping such that it does not contain that wildcard application mapping.

//David