 | ETagFix Documentation |
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Introduction to ETagFix
Getting Started - (Installation Procedures)
Running the Setup Wizard
Configuring IIS Using ETagFix
Configuring IIS Manually
Files to be Installed
Feature List
Configuration
User Interface
QuickStart
License
Manual Configuration Via Config File
Frequently Asked Questions
Uninstalling
System Requirements
Release Notes
Licensing/Purchasing
Technical Support
Contact Information
Etags are a method of informing web browsers and crawlers when a web page has changed. Using etags, your web browser or crawler will determine when a cached page may be used and when the page must be downloaded to present the current information.
Sounds simple and useful, right? Well, yes and no. True, it's important for browsers to download a page when it really has changed. However, it's not necessary to take the time and bandwidth required to download a page when the etag has been updated due to restarting the web server, but the page information hasn't changed.
EtagFix stabilizes the etag that Internet Information Services (IIS) generates so that it doesn't change each time the web server is restarted.
Before a web page is downloaded by a web server such as IIS or Apache, the page sends out an etag to help the browser determine if the page has changed since the user last visited it. Each etag contains a unique ID generated by the web server. When the browser determines that the etag has changed, the page is downloaded again. Normally, changes in etags are not a problem. However, IIS changes the etag each time the web server is restarted, which means the visitor will be required to download the page again-even if the information has not changed. Downloading the page wastes time and bandwidth.
ETagFix ensures that IIS does not change your web page's etag when the server is restarted. Stabilizing the etag means a reduction in the amount of bandwidth used, especially if your web site has several pages. And, since the more bandwidth a server uses to operate, the more expensive it is to run. By reducing bandwidth, ETagFix also saves you money!
ETagFix uses a setup wizard to make the installation process as easy as possible. The next four sections will help you run the setup wizard, configure IIS to use ETagFix, and provide you a list of files that are installed.
To run the setup wizard for ETagFix:
- Double click on the setup file to display the setup program. A screen titled "Welcome to ETagFix Setup Wizard" will appear and ask you to verify that you want to install ETagFix.
- Click "Next" to continue the setup.
- You will be asked to select a destination or installation directory. Click "Next" to continue setup. (Note: ETagFix's default installation destination is "C:\Program Files\ETagFix\". However, you can install it in any directory you specify.)
- Click "Install" to confirm that ETagFix is to be installed on the computer and finalize the customization of the ETagFix installation.
- When the installation is complete, a screen titled "Completing the ETagFix Setup Wizard" will appear. The screen includes two checkboxes: "Auto-configure IIS to work with ETagFix" and "Launch ETagFix." Selecting the Auto-configure box will allow the setup program to prepare IIS to immediately begin working with ETagFix. (Note: It is best to restart after the setup is complete.) However, if you choose to leave the Auto-configure box unchecked, you may use the configuration tool later to manually configure or auto-configure ETagFix to work with IIS.
- Click "Finish" to close the setup program.
To set up IIS to work with ETagFix:
- Open the ETagFix configuration tool.
- Click on the QuickStart tab near the top of the window.
- Click the "Add to Webserver" button. (Note: If this button is disabled, it means that IIS is already configured to work with ETagFix. To remove the ETagFix configuration in IIS click on the "Remove from Webserver" button. This will stop IIS from running ETagFix.
IIS can be configured manually to work with ETagFix using the following steps:
- Open the Internet Information Services configuration utility. (You can access this utility by opening Control Panel, double-clicking on Administrative Tool, and clicking on Internet Services Manager icon).
- Right-click on the server that ETagFix will be installed on and select Properties.
- Under the Internet Information Services tab is a group of options called Master Properties. Click on the "Edit" button and select the ISAPI Filters tab.
- Click on the "Add" button to add ETagFix to the list of filters IIS uses.
- In the Filter Properties dialog enter the following information:
- Under Filter Name, enter "ETagFix."
- Enter the location of the ETagFix DLL file. (Note: The DLL file is is always located in the directory where ETagFix was installed "C:\Program Files\ETagFix\." To locate the file in Windows Explorer, click "Browse".)
- Click "OK" until you return to the Internet Information Services configuration utility.
- Right-click on the server and select Restart IIS. When the restart is complete, IIS is ready to work with ETagFix.
For further step-by-step instructions, visit our Quick Help support area, which shows screenshots of how to install and uninstall an ISAPI plugin with IIS.
The following files are installed during setup and are required to allow ETagFix to run properly:
| File Name | Description | | etagfix.exe | ETagFix Application | | etagfix.cfg | ETagFix Configuration File | | etagfix.dll | ETagFix DLL | | etagfix.htm | ETagFix Help Documentation | | elmsg.dll | ETagFix Event Log DLL |
All the settings for ETagFix can be configured using the ETagFix configuration tool. The configuration tool has several tabs: QuickStart and License. These tabs provide access to all of ETagFix's settings, which make it possible for you to configure ETagFix to meet the needs of any web server application.
The "Load" button (located at the bottom of the ETagFix application) allows you to load new configuration settings from a configuration file. You can save the configured settings to a configuration file using the "Save" and "Save As" buttons. Use the "Reset" button to reset the current configuration to the ETagFix default values. No changes will take effect until they are saved. ETagFix periodically checks to see if a new configuration file is available. If the configuration file currently available is newer than the one ETagFix has loaded, it will load the new one into memory. one into memory.
When ETagFix is started, by default the configuration file that is located in the directory where ETagFix was installed (usually "C:\Program Files\ETagFix\") is started up as well.
QuickStart is a fast and easy way to configure ETagFix. With QuickStart, you can integrate ETagFix into IIS with the click of a button.
With this option, it is possible to have ETagFix globally start or stop altering etags. ETagFix will still load in IIS but will cease from alterating etags produced by IIS. This option is mainly for debug purposes.
Unlike other ISAPI filters for IIS, you can start or stop ETagFix from being loaded by IIS using ETagFix's configuration tool. ETagFix allows for maximum control within IIS without having to adjust the Internet Services Manager settings or manually configure ETagFix to work on IIS. Instead, ETagFix can configure itself into or out of IIS with minimal effort on your part. To allow the ETagFix filter to be loaded by IIS, click on the "Add to Webserver" button. IIS will start using ETagFix the next time IIS is restarted or the next time the computer is restarted. To stop the ETagFix filter from being loaded by IIS, click on the "Remove from Webserver" button. ETagFix will then be removed from use by IIS the next time IIS is restarted or the computer is restarted.
The License tab provides information about the current copy of ETagFix, including the version number, the number of ETagFix copies that have been used, and the number of copies that can still be used with the current serial number.
It is possible to configure ETagFix manually by editing the configuration (.cfg) file for ETagFix, which is located in the directory where ETagFix was installed. This is recommended for advanced users only. The configuration file can be edited by loading it into notepad. The format is similar to the format for Windows INI files. After changes have been made to the file and the etagfix.cfg file is saved, ETagFix will automatically reload the configuration file and use its new settings. Entries that take integers look like this: MinFileSize:1000. Entries that take strings look like this: LogDirectory:"logs" or SupportProxyIP:"TRUE".
Logging
LogEnabled:[TRUE/FALSE] default: FALSE
LogDirectory:[string] default: log-etagfix\
Event Log Notification
NotifyStartStop:[TRUE/FALSE] default: FALSE
Functionality
FixEnabled:[TRUE/FALSE] default: TRUE
To Uninstall ETagFix, click on the Uninstall icon that is located in the Program Folder for ETagFix in the Start menu. This will run through the uninstall program and uninstall ETagFix. If the ETagFix filter is currently in use by IIS, the ETagFix DLL file that IIS uses will be deleted the next time the system is restarted.
For further step-by-step instructions, visit our Quick Help support area, which shows screenshots of how to install and uninstall an ISAPI plugin with IIS.
ETagFix requires Windows NT/2000/XP Professional/2003 .NET with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.x or 6 and at least 128 MB of RAM.
Version 1.00 - First release of ETagFix
For important information on purchasing a copy of ETagFix, please contact ISAPILabs at http://www.isapilabs.com/.
All technical support is available via our support page located on the World Wide Web at http://www.isapilabs.com/.
To contact us, please visit our contact page.
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