Anonymous Accounts

When anonymous logons are accepted, no authentication occurs, but the user is logged on to the server as either an IIS anonymous account, a P&M anonymous account, or a Windows NT Server anonymous account. Depending on the ACL set on the resource and the authentication mode in effect (either Membership Authentication or Windows NT Authentication), the anonymous logon is achieved using one of the following accounts:

• IUSR_machinename. The default IIS anonymous Internet user account created as a Windows NT local account. The user is logged on as this account when all of the following conditions are true:

  • The user is requesting a resource on an IIS virtual server over HTTP.
  • Allow anonymous is enabled for the resource indicated in the URL.
  • The Everyone group appears in the ACL on the resource being accessed.
• cn=Anonymous. The default P&M anonymous user account created in the Membership Directory for anonymous access to Membership Directory objects. The user can bind to the directory as this account when all of the following conditions are true:

  • Membership Authentication is used.
  • The user is requesting an object in the Membership Directory.
  • Allow anonymous is enabled on the LDAP Service.
• LDAP_Anonymous. The default P&M anonymous user account created as a local Windows NT account for anonymous access to Membership Directory objects. The user can bind to the directory as this account when all of the following conditions are true:

  • Windows NT Authentication is used.
  • The user is requesting an object in the Membership Directory.
  • Allow anonymous is enabled on the LDAP Service.

  
  

• If public content is located on a computer that is remote from the Web site computer, the IUSR_machinename account must be created as a local Windows NT account in User Manager on the remote computer, and must have the same account name and password that it has on the Web site computer. The name and password must also be identical in Windows NT (User Manager) and in Internet Service Manager (IIS) for both computers.

For detailed information about using anonymous access on Web sites, see the IIS documentation.

For information about default Windows NT groups, see the Windows NT Server documentation.

Related Topics

• Authentication
• Developing a Security Model
• Securing a Membership Directory
• Managing Access Control
• Setting Authentication Methods on Application Servers, Virtual Directories, and Files
• Setting Access Control on Application Server Content
• Setting Access Control on Membership Directory Objects