Active Server Pages Automatic Configuration Solution

Requirements:

Windows NT4 Server

 

Service Pack 4 -- http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/recommended/nt4svcpk4/nt4svcpk4.asp

 

NT Option Pack -- Contains Internet Information Server 4.0
http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/recommended/NT4OptPk/default.asp

 

Active Directory Services Interfaces 2.0 -- Interfaces required to get user information from NT
http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/other/ADSI2/default.asp

 

Automatic Configuration ASP Setup

  1. Copy AUTOCFG.ASP to a directory where scripting is allowed. All directories under INETPUB\WWWROOT allow scripting by default.
  2. AUTOCFG.ASP should be given Everyone Read access and the Internet User Account (IUSR_computer name) should have No Access.
  3. For this example 3 INS files have been included: IE_DEF.INS, IE_MARK.INS, and IE_PROD.INS. The INS files simply customize the browser title to show the INS file name. To make this work for your company, you should create new autoconfiguration packages using the Profile Manager.
  4. Copy the 3 sample INS files into a Read and Execute directory named "INS" which is located in the same directory as the AutoCfg.ASP file, I.E. if AUTOCFG.ASP is stored in INETPUB/WWWROOT/ then the INS files would be stored in INETPUB/WWWROOT/INS/
    Everyone can have Read access.
  5. After all files have been copied to the proper directories, launch Internet Service Manager. In ISM, enable both Allow Anonymous and NT Challenge Response authentication options for AUTOCFG.ASP
  6. Open User Manager for Domains. Create the desired groups. All groups must be named with the IE_ prefix. To use the provided example files, create 3 groups: IE_DEF, IE_MARK, IE_PROD.
  7. Assign domain users to each of these groups

 

How ASP Automatic Configuration Works

This ASP solution was developed so Corporate Administrators can point users to one URL in the automatic configuration script box in the LAN settings dialog and have the server return the proper INS file based on the user's logon domain and name.

When autoconfiguration occurs (during browser launch), the server queries the connecting user's domain name and user name. If the user was not authenticated, such information would not be available, which is why the Internet User Account must be given No Access to the ASP file. The server then uses ADSI to query which NT account groups the user belongs to in the domain and uses the first group it finds which starts with "IE_" (eg. IE_MARK, IE_HR, etc.)

Once the correct group name is known, the server redirects to the INS file with the same name located in the INS subdirectory. If the server does not find the user within any of the autocounfiguration groups, it will redirect to IE_DEF. Maintenance of the autoconfiguration packages can be done via the Profile Manager, with packages saved directly to the INS subdirectory.

 

Troubleshooting

The ASP file has a debug mode which can be used to identify the source of problems that might occur when using the file. Edit the ASP file and set DEBUGFLAG to TRUE (FALSE by default). Open the file directly through the browser by navigating to the URL of the ASP file. The ASP file will display a web page with all of the information that the server gathered while trying to find the correct set of automatic configuraton files.