10/4/2017 ConfigureaSQLServertoMaintainSessionState(IIS7)

Configure a SQL Server to Maintain Session

State IIS 7
Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista

Outofprocess session state mode preserves session state data by running in a worker process outside the worker processes
where ASP.NET applications are running. One type of outofprocess session state uses a SQL server to store session state data.
The advantage of this configuration is that session state is preserved despite recycling of the application's worker process, or if
either the Windows state service or the Web server goes down.

When a SQL server runs on the same Web server that has the applications for which it maintains state, it supports a Web garden
configuration, which increases the Web server's scalability. When the SQL server runs on another server, it supports a Web farm
configuration, which greatly increases scalability across a group of servers.

Important

The Windows state service Aspnet_state.exe must be running for outofprocess session state to take effect. By default, this
service is installed when WindowsServer2008 is installed and is configured for manual start. You must change the start
behavior to Automatic.

Important

Before you configure a SQL server for session state, you must run the InstallSqlState.sql script on the server. By default, this
script is stored in %systemroot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\V2.0.50727.

Prerequisites
For information about the levels at which you can perform this procedure, and the modules, handlers, and permissions that
are required to perform this procedure, see Session State Feature Requirements IIS 7.

Exceptions to feature requirements

None

To configure a SQL server to maintain session state

You can perform this procedure by using the user interface UI, by running Appcmd.exe commands in a commandline
window, by editing configuration files directly, or by writing WMI scripts.

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User Interface

To Use the UI

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to the level you want to manage. For information about opening IIS Manager, see
Open IIS Manager IIS 7. For information about navigating to locations in the UI, see Navigation in IIS Manager
IIS 7.

2. In Features View, doubleclick Session State.

3. On the Session State page, in the Session State Mode Settings area, click SQL Server.

4. Type a connection string in the Connection string text box, or click Create to create a connection string. If the
SQL server is on the server you are managing, select LocalSqlServer in the Connection string text box.

5. Type a timeout value in the Timeout text box.

6. Optional Check the Enable custom database check box to use a custom database for storing session state data.

7. Optional Configure cookie settings in the Cookie Settings area on the Session State page.

8. Optional Check the Use hosting identity for impersonation check box to use Windows authentication and the
host process identity either ASP.NET or a Windows service identity for remote connections to the SQL database.

9. Click Apply in the Actions pane.

Command-line
To configure a state server to maintain session state, use the following syntax:

appcmd set config /commit:WEBROOT /section:sessionState /mode:SqlServer /sqlConnectionString: string

/sqlCommandTimeout: timeSpan /useHostingIdentity:True|False

The variable mode:SqlServer sets the session state mode to store session data in a SQL server database. By default, the
variable string defines the connection string that the SQL server uses. The default setting is LocalSqlServer. The variable
timeSpan sets the time, in seconds, that the connection to the SQL server is maintained. The default is 30 seconds. The
variable useHostingIdentity:True|False enables or disables the use of Windows authentication and the host process
identity either ASP.NET or a Windows service identity for connections to the database. The default value is True.

Note

When you use Appcmd.exe to configure the <sessionState> element at the global level in IIS7, you must specify
/commit:WEBROOT in the command so that configuration changes are made to the root Web.config file instead of
ApplicationHost.config.

For more information about Appcmd.exe, see Appcmd.exe IIS 7.

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Configuration
The procedure in this topic affects the following configuration elements:

<sessionState>

<sessionPageState>

For more information about IIS7 configuration, see IIS 7.0: IIS Settings Schema on MSDN.

WMI
Use the following WMI classes, methods, or properties to perform this procedure:

SessionStateSection.Mode property "SQLServer" flag

For more information about WMI and IIS, see Windows Management Instrumentation WMI in IIS 7. For more information
about the classes, methods, or properties associated with this procedure, see the IIS WMI Provider Reference on the MSDN
site.

See Also
Concepts
Configuring OutofProcess Session State
Configuring Session State in IIS 7

Community Additions

2017 Microsoft

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