You receive an SSL required error message after you use IIS HTMLA (198968)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0
This article was previously published under Q198968

SYMPTOMS

After you use the Internet Information Services (IIS) HTML Administrative Web site (HTMLA) to enable the Require a secure channel (SSL) option or the Require 128-bit encryption option on a Web site, you receive an error message that is similar to the following when you try to browse the Web site:
The page must be viewed over a secure channel

The page you are trying to view requires the use of "https" in the address.
Please try the following:
Try again by typing https:// at the beginning of the address you are attempting to reach.

HTTP 403.4 - Forbidden: SSL required

Internet Information Services
Technical Information (for support personnel) Background:
This error indicates that the page you are trying to access is secured with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the HTMLA Administration forms do not check to see if an SSL certificate is assigned, or bound, to the Web site before it permits the Require a secure channel (SSL) option to be enabled.

RESOLUTION

If you want to use SSL, you can install a certificate on the site. For more information about how to install a certificate on the site, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

299875 How to implement SSL in IIS

If you do not want to use SSL, you can use the HTMLA to disable the Require a secure channel (SSL) option.

You can use the HTMLA to disable the Require a secure channel (SSL) option and the Require 128-bit encryption option. You can also modify the metabase directly to disable these options.

To edit the metabase, follow these steps:
  1. Locate the site number for the Web site that you want to modify. To do so, follow these steps:
    1. Right-click the Web site in the IIS Manager, and then click Properties.
    2. Click the Web site tab, and then click Properties.
    3. At the bottom of the Extended Logging Properties dialog box, the log file name is listed. The site number is indicated by the path. For example, W3SVC1 indicates that the site is number one.
  2. Click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
  4. Change the directory to the Inetpub\Adminscripts directory. By default, this is in the root of the system drive.
  5. Enter the following command to remove the SSL requirement (where the number 1 is the site number that you want to modify): 
    cscript adsutil.vbs set w3svc/1/Root/AccessSSL 0
  6. If the Require 128-bit encryption option is also enabled, run the following command for the correct site number:
    cscript adsutil.vbs set w3svc/1/Root/AccessSSL128 0

Note These changes should take effect immediately without restarting IIS.

REFERENCES

For more information about this problem in IIS 4.0, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

224389 Err Msg: HTTP Error 403, 403.4, 403.5 Forbidden: SSL Required


For more information about a fix that affects the Web Administration pages in IIS 4.0 and IIS 5.0, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

825073 Web Administration interface does not work correctly after you install MS03-018

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/22/2005
Keywords:kbpending kbprb KB198968
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