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iTesting Your Installation
iThis section describes procedures for testing ILS. It details the testing scenarios that you can create to be sure the preproduction configuration works. When you complete this milestone, you will have resolved setup and configuration problems and ILS will be stable.
By this time, a number of components and interfaces should be installed on your computer as part of the ILS installation. It is important to test these components before proceeding. Dynamic directory services are tested through the LDAP, ULP, and HTTP interfaces.
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Before You Begin
To test ILS, you will need the following client-side software components:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.01 (IE 3.01) or later, to interact with ILS through an HTML form
- Microsoft Internet Mail and News client software, used to test the LDAP interface of ILS
- Microsoft NetMeeting version 1.0, used to test the ULP interface of ILS
Each of these programs is used to interact with ILS from a client computer. You can exercise your installation using the verification page provided to create, query, and delete entries.
If you have not installed Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.01 with Active Server Pages scripting and Microsoft NetMeeting, you can download them from the Internet now.
To download Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft NetMeeting
- Set up any Internet browser that works with Windows 95 on your client computer. Connect to the Internet and point your browser at http:/www.microsoft.com/ie.iiii
- Follow the online instructions to download IE 3.01.
- Exit your browser and open IE 3.01.
- Point the browser at http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting and follow the online instructions to download and install Microsoft NetMeeting.
You can use the Internet Mail and News client to test ILS, so install this version on your client computer.i
To download Microsoft Internet Mail and Microsoft client
- Open IE 3.01.
- Point the browser at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/imn and follow the online instructions to download and install Microsoft Internet Mail and News.
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Running the Tests
In addition to the HTTP and LDAP interfaces, ILS supports a ULP interface, which NetMeeting version 1.0 uses to access and store dynamic directory information. If you plan to support NetMeeting 1.0 clients, testing this interface is recommended.
Use the following instructions to test the installation.
To test ILS
- Use NetMeeting to log on to ILS. When NetMeeting starts, it attempts to create an entry for you on the ILS server that you specify.
- Use a Web browser to query for the entry that NetMeeting created. This exercises the HTTP interface and the ILS ActiveX server component.
- Quit NetMeeting to delete the entry from the ILS database.i
To create an ILS entry using NetMeeting
- Run NetMeeting.
- If this is the first time you have run NetMeeting, it asks for your personal information and the network name of the ILS server. (This server is referred to as a "User Location Server" server within NetMeeting.) Give the network name of your ILS server.
- On the Call menu, click Select Directory. Verify that you are registered on the ILS server. This exercises the LDAP interface.
iiTo view the ILS entry through a Web browser
- Open the Web browser.
- In the Address box, type ils_computer_name/ILS/Verify/Verify.htm,
where ils_computer_name is the computer name of your ILS server.
- Follow the directions for entering and viewing an ILS entry. This exercises the HTTP interface.
-or-
On the Call menu, click Web Directory. Verify that you are registered on the ILS server. This exercises the ULP interface.
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Evaluating System Stability
In general, if you successfully complete the tests in this section, ILS should be operationally stable. All server interfaces and a majority of core system functionality are exercised using these tests, including:
- The ability to create and manipulate ILS entries through the Web interface.
- The ability to use an LDAP-enabled client application, such as the Microsoft Internet Mail and News client, to access the dynamic database.
- The ability to use the ULP interface, through a client application such as Microsoft NetMeeting or Intel Internet Phone, to store dynamic directory information in ILS.
- The ability to see ILS information through a Web interface.
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Troubleshooting Your Installation
If you were unable to complete one or more of the tests in the previous sections, ILS might not be properly installed or configured. The following suggestions may help you solve the problem:
- If you cannot establish a connection between the client and server computers, make sure that the network routers are properly configured. Make sure that the network cards in both computers are configured properly.
- If the client and server computers can communicate on the network but ILS does not respond, make sure that ILS is running. Check the IIS Internet Service Manager or use the Services applet in Control Panel. ILS is listed as the LDAP service. If it is not running, select it and click Start.
- Make sure that ILS is enabled. Check the Enable ILS Server option on the ILS Server tab of the LDAP Service Properties page in Internet Service Manager.
- If ILS works but you cannot connect with a Microsoft NetMeeting or Intel Internet Phone client, make sure that the ULP interface to ILS is enabled. Check the Enable ULP Interface option on the ILS Server tab of the LDAP Service Properties pages in Internet Service Manager.
- If the client and server computers are separated by a firewall, make sure that the firewall is configured to permit LDAP and HTTP packets. If you plan to use NetMeeting 1.0 through a firewall, the firewall must also be configured to allow ULP packets through.
- If NetMeeting 1.0 cannot see logged on users, make sure that the ULP interface is enabled. Select the Enable ULP Interface option on the ILS Server tab on the LDAP Service Properties pages in Internet Service Manager.
- To get information that will help you in your troubleshooting, use the following URL: http://servername/scripts/ulserver.dll?act=dir. This will give you the following feedback:
- Is the Web server up?
- Is the Ulserver.dll file in the \Scripts virtual root?
- Does the virtual root have execute permissions?
- Does the virtual root have read permissions?
- Is the Ulserver.dll file loading and functioning?
- Has anyone signed on to this instance of the Ulserver.dll?
Answering the following questions may also help you solve the problem.
Question: I have been using Internet Locator Server for several months with no problem. Today when I tried to start the service it would not start. Why?i
Answer 1: The Windows NT registry has become corrupted. Check the following:
- Check the configuration parameters in the following registry key:
- Check the event list in Windows NT Event Viewer to see whether you can determine the cause. Error messages can often provide help in tracking down a specific problem. Definitions for the Windows NT events for ILS are provided in Chapter 2 of the Microsoft Internet Address Book Server Operations Reference.
- Check the log files for potential failure listings. Descriptions of log file contents for ILS are provided in Chapter 5 of the Microsoft Internet Address Book Server Operations Reference.
For more information about registry keys, see Chapter 3 in the Internet Locator Server Operations Reference, and see the documentation for the Windows operating system.i
Answer 2: The DLL file is missing. Under certain circumstances, such as when software is uninstalled, files are marked for deletion but are not deleted until the computer is restarted. Because you may not restart your computer after uninstalling software, this problem may not appear right away. To avoid this situation, make sure that you stop all Internet services, including LDAP, NNTP, WWW, Gopher, FTP, Mail, and others before you uninstall any software. If you do encounter this problem, you can correct it by reinstalling the software.
Question: I cant seem to access the ILS Web pages. Why?
Answer: Your virtual roots may not be configured correctly. Check your virtual roots settings using the WWW Service Properties Directories tab. Make sure that the directory names exist and that they match where the files are placed.i
Question: I have ILS running on my machine. I just installed the Membership Broker agent on the ILS server. But when I try to log on, I cant. Why?
Answer: There are several reasons for failed logon attempts. Here are some suggestions:
- Check the registry keys, Windows NT events, and log files, as described in the previous question.
- Check cables and network connections. Make sure that the hardware is functioning on all computers involved.
- If one ILS client cannot connect to the ILS server, try another.
- Restart the ILS server. Make sure that it comes up and that a client can connect to it.
- The logon account name or password may be incorrect. Check the account name and password you use for logging on to the server.
- The logon account you used may not have sufficient privileges. Make sure that the account you use for logging on to the server has administrative privileges.
- The Password Authentication option on the LDAP Service Properties page may not be set correctly. NT Challenge/Response is selected.
- If you are using Microsoft Membership System for authenticating, make sure that DPA is at the top of the list in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LdapSvc\Parameters \NTAuthenticationProviders registry key. For more information about setting up ILS for security, see "Extended Security" earlier in this chapter.
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Scaling ILS
iiiiScaling ILS involves adding servers to handle query load. Although actual performance numbers will be determined by operation experience, as a general rule, a single ILS server is designed to scale to tens of thousands of users and handle millions of queries per day. As your site reaches capacity, you will need to configure additional servers. Each server has a different name, and a list of all of your servers can give your users flexibility when logging on. You may find it useful to support your users with a list of servers available at your site, perhaps providing names for your servers that cause users to group themselves. For example, your Web page could list servers by area of interest names or locality designations.

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