Javascript document write not working after iis5 to iis6 m..

External Since: Jun 29, 2004 Posts: 3

We have an application that has been running on IIS4 and IIS5 for
quite some time, without problem We're now migrating to IIS6
(windows/2003), and have run into a what might be a Javascipt
problem/question, or might be an IIS issue...

The snippet of code in question is:

<script language="JavaScript">></script>

The included filename is a variable, and does not have a .js
extension. It points to a filename among several thousand files. The
included files ARE javascript files, and contain nothing but
javascript.

This code works fine in IIS4 and IIS5. But when moving to IIS6, the
<script> statement is ignored (because the includename does not end
with .js). If (as a test), I do add a .js on the end of the
includename in the script statement (and create a matching include.js
file), then things work fine.

Our problem is we cannot rename the thousands of files to .js
extensions (they are produced and used by other processes, and the
filename changes would mean more changes in these systems).

I've tried specifying the language, and the type, in the script
statement, but it does not make a difference:

<script language="JavaScript">></script>

It still ignores the <script> statement.

I'm not sure if this is an IIS6 issue, or a Javascript issue. Is
there some way to tell IIS6 to accept the included filename in the SRC
statement as Javascript (as worked in IIS4/IIS5), knowing that the
files do not end in .js?

Thanks for your thoughts.

External Since: Aug 25, 2003 Posts: 2419

Here is what's going on.

When the browser processes your <script> injection, it is going to cause it
to make an additional HTTP request to the server for /fp/something

IIS processes this request like any other (the browser is expecting a
file-download so that it can interpret the script file on the client).
Problem here is that your web pages require resources with "no extensions"
to be downloadable, and that is not enabled by default. IIS6 does not allow
unknown MIME Type resources to be served, and "extension-less" resources
belong in this unknown category. So to fix this, you need to add a MIME
Type for the "extension-less" extension.

And actually, there is a bug (fixed in WS03 SP1) in that you currently
cannot define a MIME Type for an extension-less resource. Thus, the only
solution (very hacky) is to create a MIME Type for .* (i.e. all extensions)
to make it downloadable.

If these extensionless resources are only in the /fp vdir, then I suggest
setting the MIME Type of .* for only the /fp vdir (so you don't screw up
other applications with a global setting). This should allow those
resources to be downloaded, and you can move forward with your application
migration.

The security feature of only allowing resources with defined MIME Types to
be downloadable is one of many security changes made in IIS6. This feature
alone would prevent people from somehow tricking IIS6 into serving .ASP
files without processing them (to steal DB connection username/password, for
example). ASP files do not have a defined MIME Type, thus IIS6 won't allow
files of those extensions to be downloadable.

I highly suggest you read IIS Documentation to get a feel for the dramatic
changes between IIS5 and IIS6, many of them introduced for security reasons.

--
//David
IIS
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
//
"Kevin Potter" <krpotter DeleteThis @co.douglas.or.us> wrote in message
news:64f69747.0406292028.3599ad37@posting.google.com...
We have an application that has been running on IIS4 and IIS5 for
quite some time, without problem We're now migrating to IIS6
(windows/2003), and have run into a what might be a Javascipt
problem/question, or might be an IIS issue...

The snippet of code in question is:

<script language="JavaScript">></script>

The included filename is a variable, and does not have a .js
extension. It points to a filename among several thousand files. The
included files ARE javascript files, and contain nothing but
javascript.

This code works fine in IIS4 and IIS5. But when moving to IIS6, the
<script> statement is ignored (because the includename does not end
with .js). If (as a test), I do add a .js on the end of the
includename in the script statement (and create a matching include.js
file), then things work fine.

Our problem is we cannot rename the thousands of files to .js
extensions (they are produced and used by other processes, and the
filename changes would mean more changes in these systems).

I've tried specifying the language, and the type, in the script
statement, but it does not make a difference:

<script language="JavaScript">></script>

It still ignores the <script> statement.

I'm not sure if this is an IIS6 issue, or a Javascript issue. Is
there some way to tell IIS6 to accept the included filename in the SRC
statement as Javascript (as worked in IIS4/IIS5), knowing that the
files do not end in .js?

Thanks for your thoughts.