Microsoft Internet Information Server Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Microsoft Internet Information Server facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which IIS 4.0 component is responsible for resolving client hostnames from IP addresses in log files? → DNS lookup
2. Which IIS log file format includes the most fields by default and is recommended for detailed forensic analysis? → W3C Extended Log Format
3. A researcher is validating that IIS output caching is effective. Which Performance Monitor counter provides the most direct evidence of cache hit rate? → Web Service Cache\Kernel: URI Cache Hits %
4. Which tool introduced in IIS 7 allows administrators to delegate management of specific web features to site owners without granting server-level access? → IIS Manager (with Feature Delegation)
5. A risk assessment reveals that IIS recycles application pools at fixed times, causing brief outages. Which configuration reduces this availability risk? → Switching to memory-based recycling thresholds with overlapping recycle mode
6. What is the role of professional journals in Microsoft Internet Information Server practice? → They disseminate current research, best practices, and professional developments
7. What role does active listening play in Microsoft Internet Information Server practice? → It ensures accurate understanding, demonstrates respect, and improves outcomes
8. In IIS, which security control reduces the risk of clickjacking attacks on hosted web applications? → Adding X-Frame-Options response header via HTTP Response Headers
9. An IIS administrator must configure WebDAV and ensure only authenticated users can publish content. Which two settings are required? → Enable WebDAV and set authoring rules to allow specific roles with authentication required
10. In IIS 4.0, what is the default port for HTTPS (SSL) connections? → 443
11. What is the purpose of regular risk reviews in Microsoft Internet Information Server practice? → To identify new risks, evaluate control effectiveness, and update mitigation strategies
12. Which IIS feature can automatically compress static files and cache the compressed versions to reduce bandwidth usage? → Static Content Compression
13. Which IIS feature enables HTTP/2 protocol support, and what is the minimum requirement for it to activate? → It is built into IIS 10 on Windows Server 2016+ and requires HTTPS
14. Which evidence-based methodology does Microsoft recommend for capacity planning IIS deployments: measuring at what CPU utilization threshold to add servers? → 70–75%
15. What SSL/TLS binding type in IIS 8+ allows multiple SSL certificates on one IP address using SNI? → SNI (Server Name Indication)
16. How do Microsoft Internet Information Server professionals build trust with clients or stakeholders? → Through consistent competence, transparency, reliability, and ethical behavior
17. When deploying a web application to IIS, which practice ensures that application configuration secrets are not stored in plain text within web.config? → Encrypt configuration sections using aspnet_regiis -pe
18. What is the purpose of the IIS 'Request Filtering' module? → Blocks requests that match potentially dangerous patterns or exceed size limits
19. Which IIS 4.0 component supports newsgroup hosting using the NNTP protocol? → NNTP Service
20. In IIS Request Filtering, which setting controls the maximum size of an HTTP request body that IIS will accept? → maxAllowedContentLength
21. In IIS 4.0, which MMC snap-in is used to configure and manage all installed Internet services? → Internet Service Manager
22. What does the '.NET CLR version' setting in an IIS application pool specify? → Which version of the .NET framework the pool uses to run managed code
23. For a FedRAMP Moderate baseline, which IIS SC-8 (Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity) control implementation is required? → Cryptographic mechanisms (HTTPS with TLS 1.2+) must protect all transmitted information
24. Which IIS health monitoring feature automatically restarts a worker process after it has served a configured number of requests? → Request limit recycling
25. In IIS, what does SNI (Server Name Indication) enable? → Hosting multiple SSL certificates on a single IP address and port
26. What does the IIS 'Failed Request Tracing' (FREB) feature capture? → Detailed trace events for requests that match defined failure conditions
27. Which IIS feature allows you to rewrite incoming URLs to different internal paths without redirecting the client browser? → URL Rewrite Module
28. In IIS, what does the applicationHost.config file store? → Global server-level and site-level configuration
29. What does the IIS Worker Process Recycling schedule setting allow you to configure? → Automatic recycling of the worker process at specified times or intervals
30. How does a Microsoft Internet Information Server professional communicate risks to stakeholders? → By presenting risks clearly with context, potential impacts, and recommended actions