Article 10153: Creating a Redirect Page that Directs users to Multiple TASKE Web Applications

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Summary

Sites deploying multiple TASKE web applications may want to create a single web page that can direct users inside and outside of the site's firewall to any of these applications. This article provides instructions for creating this page, its associated web site in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), and creating the proper DNS (domain name system) host records for routing the links on the redirect page to the desired destinations.

Reason

Creating a single access point for all TASKE web applications the site is deploying makes it easier for users to access the appropriate site.

Solution

This solution uses a fictional business called ABC Widgets that has a web address of www.abcwidgets.com. In this example, ABC Widgets is deploying TASKE Contact and TASKE Essential and wants to create a web page with links to the Sign In page for each application. ABC Widgets has both local and remote users of these applications and wants to make this page available to users inside and outside of the company's firewall.

Background

Following is a summary of what ABC Widgets must do to deploy the redirect page and make it available to all users of TASKE Contact and TASKE Essential:

• install and configure both TASKE Contact and TASKE Essential
• create a web site or virtual directory (called TASKEAPPS for this example) in IIS to contain the redirect page
• create the redirect page
• configure IIS so that the redirect page is accessible using the server computer name
• create internal and external DNS host records for the TASKEAPPS web site, TASKE Contact, and TASKE Essential

After deploying the redirect page, the following will occur when a user wants to visit the redirect page and go to TASKE Contact (use the information in the table below for descriptions of the IP addresses and DNS names):

1. The user opens a web browser and goes to http://taskeapps.abcwidgets.com.
2. ABC Widgets' external DNS server resolves http://taskeapps.abcwidgets.com to 202.235.1.31.
3. ABC Widgets' internal DNS server resolves 202.235.1.31 to 124.122.1.1.
4. The TASKEAPPS web site returns the redirect page to the user.
5. The user clicks the link to TASKE Contact on the redirect page, which goes to http://contact.abcwidgets.com.
6. ABC Widgets' external DNS server resolves http://contact.abcwidgets.com to 202.235.1.32.
7. ABC Widgets' internal DNS server resolves 202.235.1.32 to 124.122.1.2.
8. TASKE Contact returns the Sign In page to the user.

Note: alternatively, if ABC Widgets firewall software is capable of routing HTTP traffic using host headers, it is possible to assign the same IP address to both TASKE web applications.

Deploying the Redirect Page

To begin the configuration, ABC Widgets must install TASKE Contact and TASKE Essential on their respective servers and verify that the applications are functioning properly. Further, IIS must be configured so that the Sign In page for both web applications is accessible using the server computer name. Article 10152: Making a TASKE Web Application Sign In Page the Default Web Page for the TASKE Server Computer provides instruction for performing this configuration.

Next, the company must create the redirect page using any HTML editor and save the file to the folder that will become the TASKEAPPS web site or virtual directory. Once the page is complete, use IIS to create the TASKEAPPS web site or virtual directory and, as with the TASKE web applications, configure the site so that the redirect page is accessible using the server computer name.

Finally, in order to deploy the redirect page to all users inside and outside of the firewall, internal and external DNS host records must be created for the TASKE site, TASKE Contact and TASKE Essential. This requires creating host records that resolve the DNS names for the web sites to the external and internal IP addresses for these sites.