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Q284285: HOW TO: Use Wfetch.exe to Troubleshoot HTTP Connections

Article: Q284285
Product(s): Internet Information Server
Version(s): 3.0,4.0,5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbfile kbHOWTOmaster kbgraphxlinkcritical
Last Modified: 16-AUG-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Internet Information Server versions 3.0, 4.0 
- Microsoft Internet Information Services version 5.0 
- Microsoft Internet Information Services version 5.1 
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IN THIS TASK
------------

- SUMMARY

   - Availability
   - Wfetch Features
   - Usage
   - Security Ramifications

- REFERENCES

SUMMARY
=======

This step-by-step article describes how to use the WebFetch utility to
troubleshoot HTTP connections.

Availability
------------

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

  DownloadWfetch.exe
  (http://download.microsoft.com/download/iis50/Utility/5.0/W9XNT4/EN-US/wfetch.exe)

Release Date: Mar-22-2001

For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click
the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

  Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current
virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was
posted. The file is stored on secure servers that prevent any unauthorized
changes to the file.

WebFetch Features
-----------------

When you are troubleshooting connectivity issues between Internet Information
Server (IIS) or Internet Information Services (IIS) and Web clients, you may
want to view data that is not displayed in the Web browser, such as the HTTP
headers that are included in the Request and Response packets.

WebFetch (Wfetch.exe) 1.2 is a free utility that is provided on an "as-is" basis.
Microsoft does not support the utility, but you can use it to provide detailed
information about the traffic between the client and server.

WARNING: This utility provides advanced features that can permit a user to expose
a server to potential security risks. For this reason, Microsoft recommends that
the utility be used only in testing, and not in a production environment. See
the Security Ramifications section for more information.

The following features are available in the current version of WebFetch:

- Multiple HTTP verbs (GET, HEAD, PUT, DELETE, TRACE, POST, OPTIONS)

- Configurable host name

- Configurable TCP port

- HTTP 1.0 and HTTP 1.1 support

- Multiple authentication types (Anonymous, Basic, NTLM, Kerberos, Digest,
  Negotiate)

- Client-certificate support

- Multiple connection types (HTTP, HTTPS, PCT 1.0, SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, TLS 3.1)

- Proxy support

- Advanced requests that are entered manually or read from a file

- On-screen and file-based logging

WebFetch does not log the TCP handshake data that is used to establish and close
TCP sessions. For additional information, click the article number below to view
the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q172983 Explanation of the Three-Way Handshake via TCP/IP

To troubleshoot connectivity issues (including TCP session data), use a utility
such as Network Monitor, which captures network packets.

Usage
-----

After you extract the utility to a client with TCP/IP access to a Web server,
start the Wfetch.exe application and follow these steps:

1. In the Host box, type the name of a Web site (for example,
  www.microsoft.com).

2. In the Path box, select the path to the file, folder, or application on the
  Web site that you used in step 1 (for example, /default.asp).

3. Add any additional options based on the test that is being performed.

4. Click Go.

Security Ramifications
----------------------

- WebFetch permits a user to store a password for later authenticated logon
  attempts. By default, the Save check box is not selected. When the Save check
  box is selected, the password that is typed in the Authentication section is
  written in clear-text format to the system registry in the following key:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wfetch

  By default, the following accounts have Allow permissions on the Wfetch
  registry key:

   - Administrators (local): Read, Full Control

   - Restricted: Read

   - System: Read, Full Control

   - <CURRENT_USER>: Read, Full Control

- To test client certificate support, WebFetch can optionally install a test
  root certificate. Because of this, it is important that this tool not be used
  on production systems.

- When you are adding a test root certification authority, WebFetch
  automatically adds the test root certification authority as a trusted root
  certification authority, which can prevent the warning that typically is
  displayed when SSL connections are made to sites that use certificates that
  are issued by certification authorities that are not trusted.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information about the TCP/IP three-way handshake, click the
article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q172983 Explanation of the Three-Way Handshake via TCP/IP

For additional information about troubleshooting with Network Monitor, click the
article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q148942 How to Capture Network Traffic with Network Monitor

  Q252876 How to View HTTP Data Frames Using Network Monitor

For additional information about Digital Certificates, Cryptography, and SSL,
click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

  Q195724 Description of Digital Certificates

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

  Fundamental Cryptography and Certificates on the Internet
  http://www.microsoft.com/Seminar/Includes/Seminar.asp?Url=/Seminar/1033/Crypto_certs/Portal.xml


Additional query words: iis 5 wfetch

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Keywords          : kbfile kbHOWTOmaster kbgraphxlinkcritical 
Technology        : kbiisSearch kbiis500 kbiis400 kbiis300 kbiis510
Version           : :3.0,4.0,5.0
Issue type        : kbhowto

=============================================================================

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