Core Docs - Supporting Rock - Install Server Roles and Features

Rock Version: v19.0
Last Modified: 2025-11-06 12:42 PM

In this section, we'll install the required server roles and features needed for Rock.

Let’s open up Start > Server Manager. Once opened, the first thing we need to do is to install the Web Server role. That can be done by clicking on Manage and then Add Roles and Features.

Click Next.

On the next screen, select Role-based or feature-based installation.

Choose Select a server from the server pool and then highlight your server from the list below. Click Next.

On the next screen, check the box for Web Server (IIS).

HTTP Redirection
By default HTTP Redirection is not installed/activated. If it is installed, you'll typically want to redirect to nothing (Redirect requests to this destination will not be checked).

You will be prompted to add some required features for IIS. Click on Add Features. Then click Next.

On the Select Features screen, add .NET Framework 3.5 Features and click Next.

You will be presented with some information about the IIS feature. Click Next.

On the Select Role Services screen, scroll down to Application Development and check the boxes for ASP.NET 4.7 and Websocket Protocol.

Version Information
Server 2012 has ASP.NET 4.5, and Server 2016 has ASP.NET 4.6, instead of ASP.NET 4.7. Don't worry about that difference; just check the box next to the correct version and it'll work the same.

You will be prompted to add some required features for ASP.NET. Click on Add Features.

Next, check the box labeled Application Initialization. Then click Next.

On the final screen, select Restart the destination server automatically if required and click Install.

Warning:
If this is a production server, you might not want to have the server automatically reboot.

Alternate Sources
If the installation gives you an error about sources not being available (as in the screenshot above), you can click Specify an alternate source path before beginning installation. Make sure that your installation disc (or image) is available, then type in the path to it's the "sources\sxs" directory. For instance, if the Windows Server installation DVD is inserted in your D:\ drive on the server, type d:\sources\sxs in the alternate source path dialogue and click OK.

Installation will begin.

Performance: Disable Unnecessary Windows OS Services

Built-in Windows services, such as the Print Spooler can consume CPU resources and increase exposure to future security vulnerabilities. To optimize performance, stop these unnecessary services and set their startup type to Disabled.

Congratulations! The web server is now installed. Let's move on to configuring Internet Information Services.