Microsoft Sharepoint Products and Technologies Resource Kit eBook

Chapter 30: Default Tools to Customize Windows SharePoint Services 805
■ For portal sites: http:///_layouts/LCID
■ For a Windows SharePoint Services website: http:///sites/
/_ layouts/LCID
In all situations, these virtual directory URLs map to Local_Drive\Program
Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\TEMPLATE
\LAYOUTS\LCID where LCID is the locale ID. Whenever you extend a virtual
server, a virtual directory _layouts is created and by default is mapped to the system
file directory mentioned earlier. All _layouts virtual directories created for any sites
under these virtual servers also have their _layout virtual directories mapped to this
system file directory. Therefore, if you change the files or place new custom files in
this directory, you will be customizing all extended virtual servers and the site collections
that are hosted on the server. If you want to customize your deployment
on a virtual server by virtual server basis, copy the system file directory to another
location, and then, using the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager,
remap the _layouts virtual directory to the new file structure by expanding the website,
right-clicking the virtual directory _layouts, and clicking Properties. On the Virtual
Directory tab, as shown in Figure 30-3, click the Browse button next to the Local
Path box, navigate to the file structure, and then click OK twice.
F30xr03
Figure 30-3 Changing the mapping of the _layouts virtual directory
There are other virtual directories—such as _vti_bin, _wpresources, and
_layouts/images—that map, by default, to the same file directory for all virtual servers
on a front-end Web server. The process detailed earlier can be used for these virtual