A process whereby a Web server such as Internet Information Services (IIS) forwards a request for a file to a different directory, Web site, or application. Redirection enables client requests to always be fulfilled, even when content in a site is being updated or if the name of a virtual directory has been changed.
For example, if you want to replace an old version of a page named old.htm with a newer version named new.htm, but you don’t want to alter the navigational structure of your site or bother users with a notice of the change, you can enter a <META> tag in the <HEAD> section of the old.htm file to redirect browsers to the new page.
For example, the following tag in the <HEAD> section of the old page causes a browser accessing that page to be redirected to the new page after viewing the old page for 3 seconds:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" CONTENT="3;URL=NEW.HTM">
You can place a notice on the old page such as, “This page will be redirected to its newer version in 3 seconds.”
The term “redirection” is also used in printing. For example, if you are trying to print some documents but a print device has failed, Microsoft Windows 2000 lets you redirect all outstanding jobs for the print device to another print device that uses the same printer driver as the failed device. To redirect your pending documents, follow these steps: