IIS: web applications warmup

Question

After IIS reset, first hit taking a long time because AppPool is starting and other .NET components, DB connections are initializing.

What would be the best way to warm up IIS applications and preload required components (e.g. GAC Assemblies, WCF, WWF libraries)

I'm working on IIS 6, Windows 2003 server x64

(I know there is warmup module for IIS 7, but I'm on IIS 6.how that warmup module in IIS 7 works internally?)

Answer 1

You can checkout FastCGI if it helps http://www.iis.net/expand/FastCGI.

Answer 2

Some tips on warm up scripts:

http://www.andrewconnell.com/blog/archive/2006/08/21/3882.aspx

More info on the IIS site:

http://blogs.iis.net/steveschofield/archive/2009/05/30/application-pool-warm-up.aspx

Check out the latest news under "Auto-Start Web Applications" section here:

http://www.asp.net/LEARN/whitepapers/aspnet4/default.aspx

Answer 3

You will find the script posted on http://blogs.msdn.com/joelo/archive/2006/08/13/697044.aspx. Though it is meant for sharepoint but it will work just as fine with any IIS web project. You may need to adjust the file to make it hit the different applications pages you want.

Answer 4

I faced with this problem and found a kind of way of tackling with it. It has a drawback but can be considered.

http://www.yasarmurat.com/Blog/33/asp-net-application-warm-up-by-using-windows-service.aspx

Regards,

Murat Yasar