FastCGI Application <application>

Overview

The FastCGI <application> element contains the configurations settings for a specific FastCGI process pool definition. When FastCGI is used, IIS will use the value in the maxInstances attribute of the <application> element to determine the number of FastCGI processes that can run in the process pool.

Compatibility

  IIS 7.0 IIS 6.0
Notes The <application> element of the <fastCgi> collection is new in IIS 7.0.

N/A

Setup

To use the FastCGI environment, you must first install the CGI role service. The installation process registers the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) role service in both the <globalModules> and <modules> element. You do not need to perform any other steps to install the FastCGI environment.

Windows Server 2008

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
  2. In the Server Manager hierarchy pane, expand Roles, and then click Web Server (IIS).
  3. In the Web Server (IIS) pane, scroll to the Role Services section, and then click Add Role Services.
  4. On the Select Role Services page of the Add Role Services Wizard, select CGI, and then click Next.

  5. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.
  6. On the Results page, click Close.

Windows Vista

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows Features on or off.
  3. Expand Internet Information Services, then select CGI, and then click OK.

How To

Note: Some of the steps in this section may require that you install the Microsoft Administration Pack for IIS 7.0, which includes a user interface for FastCGI settings. To install the Microsoft Administration Pack for IIS 7.0, see the following URL:

http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/415/

How to create a global FastCGI handler mapping for PHP

Note: For the steps in this section to work, you must have already installed binaries that will execute the file path or file name extension that you specify. This example uses a PHP implementation available from www.php.net.

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  2. In the Connections pane, click the server name for which you want to configure FastCGI handler mappings.
  3. In the Home pane, double-click Handler Mappings.

  4. In the Actions pane, click Add Module Mapping...

  5. Enter the following information, and then click OK.
    • Enter the file name extension in the Request path text box. For example, "*.php".
    • Click FastCgiModule in the Module drop-down list.
    • Enter the path to the scripting engine in the Executable box. For example, "C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe".
    • Enter a unique name for the handler mapping in the Name box. For example, "PHP-FastCGI".

  6. If you are prompted to create a FastCGI application in the Add Module Mapping dialog box, click Yes.

    Note: This will automatically create a FastCGI application for the handler mapping that you just created. If you choose No, you can manually create a FastCGI application later.

How to create a FastCGI application for PHP

Note: For the steps in this section to work, you must have already installed binaries that will execute the file path or file name extension that you specify. This example uses a PHP implementation available from www.php.net.

Note: Adding a FastCGI application does not automatically add a handler mapping. To do so, you would need to follow the steps in the How to create a FastCGI handler mapping for PHP section of this topic.

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  2. In the Connections pane, click the server name for which you want to configure FastCGI settings.
  3. In the Home pane, double-click FastCGI Settings.

  4. In the Actions pane, click Add Application...

  5. In the Add FastCGI Application dialog box, enter the following information:
    • Enter the path to the scripting engine in the Full Path box. For example, "C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe".
    • Enter the maximum number of requests for the FastCGI application.
      Note      : For PHP, this number must be lower or equal to the maximum number of requests for PHP environment, which is configured by using the PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS environment variable.

  6. Click the ellipsis next to EnvironmentVariables to open the environment variables collection editor.
  7. In the EnvironmentVariables Collection Editor dialog box, click Add.

  8. Enter the following information, and then click OK.
    • Enter "PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS" for the Name.
    • Enter "10000" for the Value.

  9. Click OK to close the Add FastCGI Application dialog box.

How add a FastCGI environment variable for PHP

Note: For the steps in this section to work, you must have already installed binaries that will execute the file path or file name extension that you specify. This example uses a PHP implementation available from www.php.net.

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  2. In the Connections pane, click the server name for which you want to configure FastCGI settings.
  3. In the Home pane, double-click FastCGI Settings.

  4. Highlight the PHP application in the FastCGI Settings pane, then click Edit... in the Actions pane

  5. In the Edit FastCGI Application dialog box, click the ellipsis next to EnvironmentVariables to open the environment variables collection editor.

  6. In the EnvironmentVariables Collection Editor dialog box, click Add.

  7. Enter the following information, and then click OK.
    • Enter "PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS" for the Name.
    • Enter "10000" for the Value.

  8. Click OK to close the Add FastCGI Application dialog box.

Configuration

You can configure the <application> element at the server level in the ApplicationHost.config file or at the site level, application level, or directory level in a Web.config file.

Attributes

Attribute Description
activityTimeout Optional uint attribute.

Specifies the maximum time, in seconds, that a FastCGI process can take to process. Acceptable values are in the range from 10 through 3600.

The default value is 30.
arguments Optional string attribute.

Specifies the command-line arguments for the FastCGI process.
flushNamedPipe Optional Boolean attribute.

Specifies whether named pipes are flushed at the end of each request. This property applies only when the named-pipe protocol is used.

The default value is false.
fullPath Required string attribute.

Specifies the full path of the FastCGI process.
idleTimeout Optional uint attribute.

Specifies the maximum amount of time, in seconds, that a FastCGI process can be idle before the process is shut down. Acceptable values are in the range from 10 through 604800.

The default value is 300.
instanceMaxRequests Optional uint attribute.

Specifies the maximum number of requests that can be processed by each FastCGI worker process before it is recycled. Acceptable values are in the range from 1 through 10000000.

The default value is 200.
maxInstances Optional uint attribute.

Specifies the maximum number of FastCGI worker processes that can be started in an application pool. Acceptable values are in the range from 1 through 10000.

The default value is 4.
protocol Optional enum attribute.

Specifies the transport mechanism used to communicate with the FastCGI process.

The protocol attribute can be one of the following possible values.

The default value is NamedPipe.
Value Description
NamedPipe The named-pipe protocol will be used to communicate with the FastCGI worker process.
Tcp The TCP protocol will be used to communicate with the FastCGI worker process.
queueLength Optional uint attribute.

Specifies the maximum number of requests that can be queued for a FastCGI process pool. Acceptable values are in the range from 1 through 10000000.

The default value is 1000.
requestTimeout Optional uint attribute.

Specifies the maximum time, in seconds, that a FastCGI process request can take. Acceptable values are in the range from 10 through 604800.

The default value is 90.

Child Elements

Element Description
environmentVariables Optional element.

Specifies a collection of environment variables that IIS will pass to the FastCGI application.

Configuration Sample

The following configuration sample adds an FastCGI application for PHP, sets the instanceMaxRequests attribute to "10000", and sets the PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS environment variable to "10000".

<fastCgi>
   <application fullPath="C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe"
         arguments=""
         maxInstances="4"
         idleTimeout="300"
         activityTimeout="30"
         requestTimeout="90"
         instanceMaxRequests="10000"
         protocol="NamedPipe"
         flushNamedPipe="false">
      <environmentVariables>
         <environmentVariable
            name="PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS"
            value="10000" />
      </environmentVariables>
   </application>
</fastCgi>

Note: For PHP, the value of the PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS environment variable must be lower or equal to the  value specified by the instanceMaxRequests attribute of the FastCGI <application> element.

The following configuration sample adds a global FastCGI handler mapping for PHP files to IIS and specifies the full path to a FastCGI executable file.

<configuration>
   <location path="" overrideMode="Allow">
      <system.webServer>
         <handlers>
            <add name="PHP-FastCGI"
                path="*.php"
                verb="GET,HEAD,POST"
                modules="FastCgiModule"
                scriptProcessor="C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe"
                resourceType="Unspecified"
                requireAccess="Script" />
         </handlers>
      </system.webServer>
   </location>
</configuration>

Sample Code

The following code samples add an FastCGI application for PHP, set the instanceMaxRequests attribute to "10000", and set the PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS environment variable to "10000". Each sample also adds a global FastCGI handler mapping for PHP files to IIS and specifies the full path to a FastCGI executable file.

AppCmd.exe

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.webServer/fastCgi /+"[fullPath='C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe',arguments='',maxInstances='4',idleTimeout='300',activityTimeout='30',requestTimeout='90',instanceMaxRequests='10000',protocol='NamedPipe',flushNamedPipe='False']" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.webServer/fastCgi /+"[fullPath='C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe'].environmentVariables.[name='PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS',value='10000']" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.webServer/handlers /+"[name='PHP-FastCGI',path='*.php',verb='GET,HEAD,POST',modules='FastCgiModule',scriptProcessor='C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe',resourceType='Unspecified',requireAccess='Script']" /commit:apphost

C#

using System;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Web.Administration;

internal static class Sample
{
   private static void Main()
   {
      using (ServerManager serverManager = new ServerManager())
      {
         Configuration config = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration();

         ConfigurationSection fastCgiSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/fastCgi");
         ConfigurationElementCollection fastCgiCollection = fastCgiSection.GetCollection();
         ConfigurationElement applicationElement = fastCgiCollection.CreateElement("application");
         applicationElement["fullPath"] = @"C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe";
         applicationElement["arguments"] = @"";
         applicationElement["maxInstances"] = 4;
         applicationElement["idleTimeout"] = 300;
         applicationElement["activityTimeout"] = 30;
         applicationElement["requestTimeout"] = 90;
         applicationElement["instanceMaxRequests"] = 10000;
         applicationElement["protocol"] = @"NamedPipe";
         applicationElement["flushNamedPipe"] = false;

         ConfigurationElementCollection environmentVariablesCollection = applicationElement.GetCollection("environmentVariables");
         ConfigurationElement environmentVariableElement = environmentVariablesCollection.CreateElement("environmentVariable");
         environmentVariableElement["name"] = @"PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS";
         environmentVariableElement["value"] = @"10000";
         environmentVariablesCollection.Add(environmentVariableElement);
         fastCgiCollection.Add(applicationElement);

         ConfigurationSection handlersSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/handlers");
         ConfigurationElementCollection handlersCollection = handlersSection.GetCollection();
         ConfigurationElement addElement = handlersCollection.CreateElement("add");
         addElement["name"] = @"PHP-FastCGI";
         addElement["path"] = @"*.php";
         addElement["verb"] = @"GET,HEAD,POST";
         addElement["modules"] = @"FastCgiModule";
         addElement["scriptProcessor"] = @"C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe";
         addElement["resourceType"] = @"Unspecified";
         addElement["requireAccess"] = @"Script";
         handlersCollection.AddAt(0, addElement);

         serverManager.CommitChanges();
      }
   }
}

VB.NET

Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports Microsoft.Web.Administration

Module Sample

   Sub Main()
      Dim serverManager As ServerManager = New ServerManager
      Dim config As Configuration = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration

      Dim fastCgiSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/fastCgi")
      Dim fastCgiCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = fastCgiSection.GetCollection
      Dim applicationElement As ConfigurationElement = fastCgiCollection.CreateElement("application")
      applicationElement("fullPath") = "C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe"
      applicationElement("arguments") = ""
      applicationElement("maxInstances") = 4
      applicationElement("idleTimeout") = 300
      applicationElement("activityTimeout") = 30
      applicationElement("requestTimeout") = 90
      applicationElement("instanceMaxRequests") = 10000
      applicationElement("protocol") = "NamedPipe"
      applicationElement("flushNamedPipe") = False

      Dim environmentVariablesCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = applicationElement.GetCollection("environmentVariables")
      Dim environmentVariableElement As ConfigurationElement = environmentVariablesCollection.CreateElement("environmentVariable")
      environmentVariableElement("name") = "PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS"
      environmentVariableElement("value") = "10000"
      environmentVariablesCollection.Add(environmentVariableElement)
      fastCgiCollection.Add(applicationElement)

      Dim handlersSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/handlers")
      Dim handlersCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = handlersSection.GetCollection
      Dim addElement As ConfigurationElement = handlersCollection.CreateElement("add")
      addElement("name") = "PHP-FastCGI"
      addElement("path") = "*.php"
      addElement("verb") = "GET,HEAD,POST"
      addElement("modules") = "FastCgiModule"
      addElement("scriptProcessor") = "C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe"
      addElement("resourceType") = "Unspecified"
      addElement("requireAccess") = "Script"
      handlersCollection.AddAt(0, addElement)

      serverManager.CommitChanges()
   End Sub

End Module

JavaScript

var adminManager = new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager');
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST";

var fastCgiSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/fastCgi", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST");
var fastCgiCollection = fastCgiSection.Collection;
var applicationElement = fastCgiCollection.CreateNewElement("application");
applicationElement.Properties.Item("fullPath").Value = "C:\\PHP\\php-cgi.exe";
applicationElement.Properties.Item("arguments").Value = "";
applicationElement.Properties.Item("maxInstances").Value = 4;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("idleTimeout").Value = 300;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("activityTimeout").Value = 30;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("requestTimeout").Value = 90;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("instanceMaxRequests").Value = 10000;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("protocol").Value = "NamedPipe";
applicationElement.Properties.Item("queueLength").Value = 1000;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("flushNamedPipe").Value = false;
applicationElement.Properties.Item("rapidFailsPerMinute").Value = 10;

var environmentVariablesCollection = applicationElement.ChildElements.Item("environmentVariables").Collection;
var environmentVariableElement = environmentVariablesCollection.CreateNewElement("environmentVariable");
environmentVariableElement.Properties.Item("name").Value = "PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS";
environmentVariableElement.Properties.Item("value").Value = "10000";
environmentVariablesCollection.AddElement(environmentVariableElement);
fastCgiCollection.AddElement(applicationElement);

var handlersSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/handlers", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST");
var handlersCollection = handlersSection.Collection;
var addElement = handlersCollection.CreateNewElement("add");
addElement.Properties.Item("name").Value = "PHP-FastCGI";
addElement.Properties.Item("path").Value = "*.php";
addElement.Properties.Item("verb").Value = "GET,HEAD,POST";
addElement.Properties.Item("modules").Value = "FastCgiModule";
addElement.Properties.Item("scriptProcessor").Value = "C:\\PHP\\php-cgi.exe";
addElement.Properties.Item("resourceType").Value = "Unspecified";
addElement.Properties.Item("requireAccess").Value = "Script";
handlersCollection.AddElement(addElement, 0);

adminManager.CommitChanges();

VBScript

Set adminManager = WScript.CreateObject("Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager")
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST"

Set fastCgiSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/fastCgi", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST")
Set fastCgiCollection = fastCgiSection.Collection
Set applicationElement = fastCgiCollection.CreateNewElement("application")
applicationElement.Properties.Item("fullPath").Value = "C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe"
applicationElement.Properties.Item("arguments").Value = ""
applicationElement.Properties.Item("maxInstances").Value = 4
applicationElement.Properties.Item("idleTimeout").Value = 300
applicationElement.Properties.Item("activityTimeout").Value = 30
applicationElement.Properties.Item("requestTimeout").Value = 90
applicationElement.Properties.Item("instanceMaxRequests").Value = 10000
applicationElement.Properties.Item("protocol").Value = "NamedPipe"
applicationElement.Properties.Item("queueLength").Value = 1000
applicationElement.Properties.Item("flushNamedPipe").Value = false
applicationElement.Properties.Item("rapidFailsPerMinute").Value = 10

Set environmentVariablesCollection = applicationElement.ChildElements.Item("environmentVariables").Collection
Set environmentVariableElement = environmentVariablesCollection.CreateNewElement("environmentVariable")
environmentVariableElement.Properties.Item("name").Value = "PHP_FCGI_MAX_REQUESTS"
environmentVariableElement.Properties.Item("value").Value = "10000"
environmentVariablesCollection.AddElement(environmentVariableElement)
Call fastCgiCollection.AddElement(applicationElement)

Set handlersSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/handlers", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST")
Set handlersCollection = handlersSection.Collection
Set addElement = handlersCollection.CreateNewElement("add")
addElement.Properties.Item("name").Value = "PHP-FastCGI"
addElement.Properties.Item("path").Value = "*.php"
addElement.Properties.Item("verb").Value = "GET,HEAD,POST"
addElement.Properties.Item("modules").Value = "FastCgiModule"
addElement.Properties.Item("scriptProcessor").Value = "C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe"
addElement.Properties.Item("resourceType").Value = "Unspecified"
addElement.Properties.Item("requireAccess").Value = "Script"
Call handlersCollection.AddElement(addElement, 0)

adminManager.CommitChanges()
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