Moving IIS7+ configuration to another IIS7+ server

We have had to move config from one server to another, and we have discovered a general procedure for achieving this. We were just trying to copy over the applicationhost.config, but found sometimes the application pools would fall over.

Now as you might be aware, the majority of IIS7 website config is held in the applicationhost.config file, usually located in the

<windows folder>\system32\inetsrv\config

folder. There are instances where the config will be configured in web.config files, in the root of the website\virtual directory physical folders. But I won’t go into that here.

You can just copy over the applicationhost.config file to the new server, but you will have problems with passwords as the encrypted machine keys will not match. We need to export from the original sever and import into the new server. You can do this.

aspnet_regiis.exe found here

c:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\

Exporting

aspnet_regiis.exe -px "iisConfigurationKey" C:\temp\iisConfKey.xml -pri
aspnet_regiis.exe -px "iisWasKey" C:\temp\iisWasKey.xml -pri

Copy files to new server.

Importing (use -exp so the keys can be exported again)

aspnet_regiis.exe -pi "iisConfigurationKey" c:\temp\iisconfkey.xml -exp
aspnet_regiis.exe -pi "iisWasKey" c:\temp\iisWasKey.xml -exp

This should allow the application pools to properly function.

Moving IIS7+ configuration to another IIS7+ server