Installing SAP content server on a windows 2012 with IIS 8.5

As I may have said once or twice before. SAP is "old" technology, and things built on legacy technology doesnt always hold up to modern times. A prime example is the Content Server, which certainly works on Windows 2012, and with IIS 8.5 You just can't install it with the installer (!!!)

Now, the problem isn't bigger than you have to do the installation manually (like we did before the installer tried to do everything for us). The major issue is that SAP has removed those installation guides, because the technology is no longer supported (Someone go smack the guy who decided to remove good, working knowledge from a knowledge database). So what you do is follow these simple steps (you may have to change the paths, depending on where you installed):

1. Install with the installer, as you normally would. Everything will look fine. But there will be no websites installed, even though you clicked the "install website".

2. Go to Internet Information Services Manager 

3. Right Click on Sites > "Add Website" to create a new Website.
- Site name  "SAP Content Server"
- port "1090"
- Physical Path "d:\sap\ContentServer"
- Application Pool > Select "DefaultAppPool"
- Click "OK"

4. Right click on the newly created website >> "Add Application"
- Alias "ContentServer"
- Application Pool > Select "AppPool_SAP Content Server"
- Physical Path "d:\sap\ContentServer"
- Click "OK"

5. Double Click on the website > Handler Mappings
- Select "ISAPI.dll" from the list >> Edit Feature Permissions
- Check the tick boxes for "Script" and "Execute"
- Click "OK"

6. Double Click on the website > Authentication
- Enable "Anonymous Authentication" (if it isn't already)
- Enable "Basic Authentication"
- Enable "Windows Authentication"

7. Double Click on the IIS Server name > ISAPI and CGI Restrictions >> Click on "Add"
- ISAPI or CGI Path "d:\sap\ContentServer"  > selecting "ContentServer.dll"
- Description "ContentServer.dll"
- Check the tick box "Allow extension path to execute"
- Click "OK"

8. Add rules to the windows firewall (ingoing port 1090 and 1095 if you are doing cache server too)

Lo and Behold: One running website with Content Server. And DO remember to set the storage somewhere you have enough space :)

As you may be able to imagine, the Cache Server .dll is very much the same steps.