Setting up a company Intranet

Hi Frances,

I'd recommend changing the permissions on your web server for a certain directory, and keep all the files you want to protect in that directory.

If your web server is IIS (windows), go to the IIS console and find the web site. Right click the directory you want to protect and choose Properties. Click the 'directory security' tab. Under the 'authentication and access control' section, press the 'edit' button. 'enable anonymous access' will usually be ticked by default. Untick this, and then choose an option for authenticated access.

Apache web server instructions here.

If you use CPanel or similar interface, see the help file of your particular interface, or ask your hosting provider.

Another option is to program in user log-ins with a server side scripting language such as CGI, PHP, ASP or dot.NET. You program in a check at the start of each page whether someone has the appropriate session variable set, and therefore permission to be on the page (if they don't, you forward them to a log-in page or 'access denied' page).

See also:
http://www.javascriptkit.com/howto/htaccess3.shtml
http://www.thesitewizard.com/apache/password-protect-directory.shtml
http://www.valleywebdesigns.com/vwd_passprotect.asp

Hope this helps.

Regards, Rich

PS. An 'intranet' is a web site that is only accessible internally and not available to anyone outside your organisation. See 'planning and creating an Intranet' on wikipedia.