---
title: Creating virtual directories and application pools in IIS 7.5 and 7.0
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

If you need to install Kentico manually on a remote server or restore it from a backup and, at the same time, you run Kentico in a sub-folder (in contrast to running Kentico in the root of the website), you need to create a new virtual directory for the folder where you have the web project files.

> **Note:** **Application root**
>
> The root of the website or the virtual directory must be the same as the folder that contains the _web.config_ file of Kentico. This folder is called **application root**.

## Creating a virtual directory in IIS 7.5 and 7.0

Since IIS 7, there exists a separate concept for a _virtual directory_ and an _application_.

- You can map a virtual directory to a physical directory that is located on a local or a remote computer. The physical directory (under the specified name of the virtual directory) then becomes part of the application's URL.
- An application, on the other hand, is a group of files that provides services over protocols. So if you want to run your website as http://localhost/KenticoCMSDemo, you have to **use an application instead of a virtual directory** and specify KenticoCMSDemo as the application's alias.

> **Info:** You can find more information about virtual directories in [Understanding Sites, Applications, and Virtual Directories on IIS 7](http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/planning-your-iis-architecture/understanding-sites-applications-and-virtual-directories-on-iis#About7.0).

To create a virtual directory:

1. Open IIS Manager

- On Windows 7: Open **Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security** category **-> Administrative Tools -> Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager**.
- On Windows Server 2008: Open **Start -> Control Panel -> System and Maintenance** category **-> Administrative Tools ->** **Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager**.

2. Expand **local computer -> Sites ->** right-click on **Default Web Site** (or other website if you're running multiple websites on the same computer) and choose **Add Virtual Directory...**

   ![](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0/image2.png)

- An **Add Virtual Directory** dialog appears.

3. Enter the Virtual Directory **Alias**. If you want the website to run as _http://localhost/KenticoCMSDemo_, enter alias **KenticoCMSDemo**.

4. Type a path or browse to the physical directory that contains the chosen directory.

   ![](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0/image1.png)

5. Click **OK**.

- The system creates a new virtual directory.

6. Right-click the virtual directory and choose **Convert to Application**.

- An **Add Application dialog** appears.

7. Click **Select...** and choose the **ASP.NET v4.0** application pool from the drop-down menu.

   ![](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0/image.png)

8. Click **OK**.

The system converts the virtual directory to an application.

Alternatively, you can create an application in one step by right-clicking a web site and choosing **Add Application...** and filling the required information in the **Add Application** dialog as mentioned above.

## Configuring application pools in IIS 7 and IIS 7.5

Application Pools provide you with additional level of website management. You can configure them in the **Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager** under **local computer -> Application Pools.**

![](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0/image5.png) 

You can check and change the assigned application pool by right-clicking an application under **local computer -> Sites -> Default Web Site** (or other web site) and selecting **Manage Application -> Advanced Settings...**

![](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0/image4.png) 

You can set the Recycling and other options by right-clicking on an application pool under **local computer -> Application Pools** and selecting **Advanced Settings...**.

![](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0/image3.png) 

### Recommended Application Pool Configuration

- It's highly recommended that you run Kentico in a separate application pool. If you share the pool with other websites, the system may behave unpredictably.
- We do not recommend to run multiple websites in a single pool.
- It's recommended that you specify some value in the **Recycle worker** processes on the **Recycling** tab. This value shouldn't be too short (less than **60 minutes**) or too long (more than **1440 minutes**/1 day). Setting this value ensures that the **memory is recycled and the application is automatically recovered from failures** by regular restart. **If your website freezes** time to time, you can temporarily set the value to 30 minutes to ensure that the website is restarted automatically. **Short intervals** may lead to high server load and slow response since after each recycling, the application needs to be restarted and data reloaded to the cache.
- It's recommended that you **do not limit the maximum virtual or used memory**. If you need to use some value, use **at least 100 MB**. If your website is being **restarted too often**, it may be caused by low maximum memory limit. You can check the frequency of application restarts in Kentico [Event log](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/developing-websites/troubleshooting-websites/working-with-the-system-event-log.md).
- The **Maximum number of worker processes** on the **Performance** tab must be set to 1. If you set a higher value, the worker processes will not be synchronized and Kentico website will not work correctly. This may lead to **unexpected caching of content and system objects**.
- You can configure the **user account** under which the application runs on the **Identity** tab. This information is useful if you need to troubleshoot issues with **permissions**, such as disk write permissions.
- Kentico **does not support Web garden**. Therefore, the **Maximum number of worker processes** has to be set to **1**.