How IIS 3.0 Handles Client Language

• Microsoft Internet Information Server version 3.0

SUMMARY

This article explains:

• How Internet Information Server (IIS) handles the HTTP "Accept-Language" field
• Why the client may be unable to access to the IIS Web Site if its language setting matches the name of an IIS virtual directory.

MORE INFORMATION

The Accept-Language http field allows the client browser to specify the list of "preferred" languages. For instance if you select Danish with the Regional Settings Control Panel tool, for each HTTP request Internet Explorer will add "Accept-Language = da in the HHTP packet. This allows the Web Server to customize the response based on the client language.

When IIS receives the request Accept-Language field, IIS tries to see if the "Accept-Language" virtual directory exist. If yes, then IIS modifies the query and adds the language to the URL.

A sample is shown below. In this sample, the IIS Web Server has two directories defined:

• Home -> C:\Inetpub\WWWROOT
• Virtual directory named da -> C:\Danish

First Request

Client language: Danish

Client request: GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = da

1. IIS receives the request : GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = da

2. IIS processes the language and checks if a virtual directory named "da" exists.

3. The "da" virtual directory exists. So IIS modifies the request from GET /yyyy.htm to GET /da/yyyy.htm.

4. IIS tries to return the /da/yyyy.htm page. If c:\Danish\yyyy.htm does not exist, an error message is returned to the client.

Second Request

Client language: Italian.

Client request: GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = it

1. IIS receives the request : GET /yyyy.htm Accept-Language = it

2. IIS processes the language and checks if a virtual directory named "it"

       exists
   

3. In this case the "it" virtual directory DOES NOT exist. IIS does not modify the request.

4. IIS tries to return the /yyyy.htm page.

Keywords          : iisvirtual kbusage
Version           : WinNT:3.0
Platform          : winnt