Sql Reporting Services fails to install to non-default website

Last week I was installing Sql Reporting Services on an existing development box running Windows Server 2003/IIS6.0 and ran into an error during setup that indicated an IIS configuration error.  After checking to make sure the service was started, and the usual permissions were correct, I checked the Install Log and found that the install would only work when installed to the "Default Web"  (metabase path "/LM/W3SVC/1/1016") which was created when IIS is installed.

Because this was a dev box, I had deleted the "Default Web" at some point and was now operating off a perfectly good hand-created web site (via IIS Admin).  All other ASP.NET websites worked perfectly on that site, but still Sql Reporting would always fail during install.

Note: Here is an article by another developer who encountered the same problem.

In the above article, his workaround was to hack the metabase to change the current web site to use the same metabase identifier as the original "Default Web".  I had tried the same thing, but with less success due to some additional security related issues that appeared later.  In the end, I decided to uninstall IIS, reinstall to get my "Default Web", and was finally able to successfully install Sql Reporting Services.

 Does anyone know of a legitimate reason why MS would create an installer so restrictive as this?  Is there some magic or voodoo relating to the "Default Web" created by the OS during setup?  Can someone throw me a clue, or at least confirm that they too believe this is stupid?

2 Comments

  • that has been a pain for me to!



    I generally nuke the default web and make different folder like E:\web\<name of site>



    right at the start of a new server build... in part due to the hacks on C:\ as the assumed parent to the web folder tree.

    and I do not like to add files to the C: of any server... I put apps and data on other drive letters.

  • Very good point! In fact, thats likely part of the reason I did it too.

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