For a site collection to be used as a content management system, it needs to be accesible in two different modes (or more appropriately called zones).
Zone one (Default zone) will only allow company’s internal users such as content authors, publishers and approvers to login and create content, publish and approve it.
Zone two (Internet zone) will allow public access .i.e any user who has internet access can access this site.
Basically, its the same site collection that will be accessed by two different kind of users with 2 different URLs and 2 different authentication methods.
Section I – Create Web Application and root site collection
To begin just create a web application and root site collection using SharePoint Central administration as you normally do.
Section II - Configure Default zone
1) Open Central adminsitration. Go to Application Management -> Manage Web Applications.
2) Select your web application. It will enable a link ‘Authentication Provider‘‘ in the ribbon at top. Click on that link.
3) Click on ‘Default zone’. Make sure that ‘Enable anonymous access’ checkbox is NOT checked. ‘Enable Windows authentication’ is checked and from drop down authentication method used is NTLM. These are the settings by default and keep them as is.
Also, note that URL for default zone is the same which you entered while creating a root site collection in Section (I). Lets assume it is something like http://servername.domainname.net (Default Zone URL)
Section III - Configure Internet Zone
1) Open Central adminsitration. Go to Application Management -> Manage Web Applications.
2) Select your web application. It will enable a link ‘Extend’ in the ribbon at top. Click on that link.
3) In the Extend web application form,
enter ‘Port’ as 80. You can choose other port # as well.
Say ‘Yes’ to ‘Allow Anonymous’
Enable ‘Windows Authentication’ checkbox and choose windows authentication method as NTLM. Please note both the zones(default and Internet) are using same authentication method .i.e. NTLM but default zone doesn’t have Anonymous access enabled.
In the ‘Zone’ drop down, choose ‘Internet’.
Enter URL as something like http://servername:80 or http://servername
Leave rest of the form as is.
Please note that steps performed under ‘Section (III)’ doesn’t enable ‘Anonymous access’ to all the site collections under your web application automatically. It just make the site collections configurable for anonymous access. Thats means we need to login to a site collection which should be publicly accessible to enable anonymous access on it. Lets do that in the next section.
Before we move further, lets keep in mind these URLs just to understand next steps.
Default zone Url – http://servername.domainname.net
Internet Zone URL – http://servername
Section IV – Enable Anonymous access to site collection
1) Login to the site collection(that you want to be publicly accessible) as an administrator using Internet Zone URL. Go to Site Actions -> Site settings.
2) Click on ‘Site Permissions’. In the ribbon, click on ‘Anonymous access’. Check ‘Entire website’ option and click OK.
We are done !!
Now, internal users can login to the site collection using http://servername.domainname.net and external users can access it thru http://servername.