Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 and FrontPage Server Extensions 2002 go together like peanut butter and jelly. Unfortunately, installing FrontPage Server Extensions 2002 is a little more complicated than slapping together a quick PB&J. Here are the steps you need to follow.

First, find the setup file you need
Before installing Server Extensions on an IIS box, you need to locate the FrontPage Server Extensions setup file. This file can be obtained from several sources:

For this article, I’ll describe how to install the Server Extensions using Microsoft’s FrontPage 2002 Web site. There are three reasons why it’s best to download the Server Extensions directly from Microsoft. First, Microsoft’s FrontPage 2002 Web site has the most current Server Extensions file. Second, installing the Server Extensions from the FrontPage 2002/SHAREPT folder also installs SharePoint Team Services, which may not be a good idea. SharePoint isn’t always used and consumes additional system resources. Third, the version on the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM (FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions) is outdated.

Why use FrontPage Server Extensions?

FrontPage Server Extensions allow Web administrators and developers to maximize FrontPage features. FrontPage Server Extensions are server-side applications that run on the Web server. Using these Server Extensions, developers and administrators can publish content directly to a FrontPage Web site via a network or Internet connection. More importantly, site reporting, discussion boards, search capabilities, and other features require that FrontPage Server Extensions be installed on the Web server.

Second, verify that the IIS box meets requirements
Before downloading the FrontPage Server Extensions, make sure that the IIS 5.0 server meets the following minimum requirements to support the extensions:

  • 166-MHz Intel Pentium processor
  • 128-MB RAM
  • 13 MB of free disk space

For Internet service providers (ISPs), the recommendations are considerably higher:

  • 1-GHz or higher Intel Pentium III processor
  • 1-GB RAM
  • 13 MB of free disk space

FrontPage Server Extensions carry another requirement. They must be installed to a partition formatted with the NTFS file system.

Third, install the Server Extensions
Install FrontPage Server Extensions 2002 by executing the setup file. At the time of this writing, the most current version is 5.0.2.2623 and is named Fpse02_x86_ENG.exe.

Double-clicking the executable file triggers the FrontPage Server Extensions 2002 Setup program, which walks you through the installation. The first screen requests user information. Provide a username, the user’s initials, and the organization’s name.

The second screen presents the End User License Agreement. Read the agreement, and if its terms are agreeable to you and your organization, select the I Accept The Terms In The Licensing Agreement check box.

The next screen lists the space required to install the Server Extensions and the available space. Click Install to proceed.

The Setup program will track the installation’s progress as new files are copied to the Web server. When the process completes, a dialog box will appear telling you that Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions 2002 were successfully installed. Click OK to close the dialog box, thereby completing installation of FrontPage Server Extensions 2002.