IIS6 + Tomcat configuration, old classic

So you're not a IIS guru, nor a Windows guru and somebody forcefully give you the job to configure IIS6 with tomcat. You're unfortunate enough to go to all web wide tutorials which point you on how to place the ISAPI redirector dll, where to put it, to configure it through registry or properties file. I certainly prefer properties file as you don't want to hear my oppinion on windows registry (or maybe you want: it's a pile of shit !). After all workers.properties and uriworkermap.properties correctly configured it still doesn't work. You start searching frantically on the internet.

There are two things you will certainly miss cause they are missing from most of the tutorials I have read:

• create a virtual directory (right click on your IIS web site you're configuring) named jakarta and give it execute run and read priviledges (most of the time read and execute should be enough) pointing to the folder containing the ISAPI redirector DLL, named as in the extension_uri ISAPI redirector configuration property aka: extension_uri=/jakarta/isapi_redirector.dll
• create a web service extension (right click on web service extensions, add, name it tomcat point it to the redirector DLL and make sure you check the magical 'Allowed' status)

So after all the isapi_redirector.properties, workers.properties, uriworkermap.properties and correctly defining the DLL in the ISAPI Filters tab of your web site and seeing the magical green arrow victoriously pointed UP nothing works ? Well shit happens. REMEMBER to perform also the above points with the virtual directory and web service extension and you'll save yourself 2 days of frustrating windows restarting, IIS stopping and starting instead of playing a nice game.

Happy IIS-ing and if you're doing this on a regular basis ... find another job !