Web Application Development With ASP - Step 2 - Setting up your Virtual Directory

Creating Virtual Directories
If your Web site contains files that are located on a different drive than the home directory, C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\, or on other computers, you must create virtual directories to include those files in your Web site. To use a directory on another computer, you must specify the directory’s Universal Naming Convention (UNC) name or alias name and provide a user name and password to use for access permission.

To create a virtual directory
1. At the Computer Management window, select Default Web Site to which you want to add a directory.
2. Click the Action button, and then point to New, and select Virtual Directory.
3. Use the New Virtual Directory Wizard to complete this task.

4. Give an alias name to your directory.

A virtual directory has an alias, a name that client browsers use to access that directory. Because an alias is usually shorter than the path name of the directory, it is more convenient for users to type.

An alias is more secure; users do not know where your files are physically located on the server and cannot use that information to modify your files.
Aliases make it easier for you to move directories in your site. Instead of changing the URL for the page, you change the mapping between the alias and the physical location of the page. This name is used later on the internet explorer to access your web site. i.e. http://localhost/mypage/. where "mypage" is the alias name of the directory.