I have an asp.net (dynamic data) website set up as an application in a subdirectory of another site. This site requires different security settings from the top level site. Something like:
<authorization>
<allow roles="ADMIN"/>
<deny users="*"/>
</authorization>
These settings are ignored in the sub site. However, they work on the top level site, but even when set on the top level site, they are not inherited by the sub-site, and it's freely accessible. What could cause these settings to be ignored? I've tried adding:
<location path="." inheritInChildApplications="false">
to the top level web.config and then setting the above authorization rule in the sub site, even tried just denying all users. When visiting the site it looks like: http://mysite/mybrokensite
I am using windows authentication.
I think the key thing is this
website set up as an application in a
subdirectory of another site
If it's a separate application within IIS it should have it's own web.config file and the security settings can be set from there. So you'll have one web.config for the main site and one for the subsite. really they are two applications.
If it's just a subfolder under your website then this doesn't apply. It depends how you've set it up under IIS. If it's a seperate app then the icon will be a world/cabbage type icon. If it's a sub-folder they the icon will be ... well a folder.
To elaborate on Tim's answer, make sure in IIS that it is set up as a virtual directory. Look at the property page for that directory in IIS Admin, Directory (or Home Directory) tab. If the Application label is greyed out, hit the Create button. Now IIS will load the web.config from that directory.
I typed up a summary since many were facing the same situation regarding subfolder authentication.
Subfolder Authorization
- ASP.NET can only have a single
authentication mode for one
application.
- The different
applications CANNOT share resource
among them.
Scenario
Let's say the home page should not prompt login dialog. It should let users pass through without whatever login is. However, in the same applicatiopn, in a different folder presumably, another page needs to check user permission against database table using user network login ID. By default IE treats all web site with only hostname a Intranet. By its default intranet setting, it will not prompt the login dialog and pass user login and password to the application if Windows Authentication is used. However, the tricky party is, if the application has an actual domain, IE will think it is an Internet site, and it will prompt the login and password if Windows Authentication is used.
The only way to not to promopt login dialog for Internet site using Windows Authentication, is to also turn on the anonymous authentication in IIS. However, you will lose the ability to capture the login info because the Anonymous has precedence over the Windows Authentication. The good news is there is a way to resolve that issue. If an application subfolder needs to capture the login information, you will need to overwrite the parent authorization in Location element in web.config.
1 In IIS, configure Authentication as follows:
- Enable Anonymous Authentication,
- Enable Windows Authentication
2 Add the followings in Web.Config.
<authentication mode="Windows" />
<authorization>
<allow users="*" />
</authorization>
<!-- secured is the relative subfolder name. deny anonymous user, so only the authenticated login will pass through -->
<location path="secured" allowOverride="true">
<system.web>
<authorization>
<deny users="?" />
</authorization>
</system.web>
</location>
