Created a host header based web application in Windows 2008 Server based FarmPort 80When try to load the top level site collection (created in this web app) Prompts for Authentication 3 times - and fails to load the Site Collection - after providing correct farm credentials(which has Site Collection Administrator access) Added an entry in the host file - host header name pointing to local IP (WFE IP)Read/Write Permissions granted to the farm admin account in all folders in inetpub\virtual directory Wanted to understand if any more configuration is required to load this site without prompting for authenticationThank YouSam

It is a known issue with loopback check. Please read this article from Microsoft:http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/896861Paul Shkurikhin blog.sharepointalist.com

Paul,I had the exact problem and after loopback check I can see the Webapplication's toplevel sitecollection coming fine...After that I created one more sitecollection usinng stsadm and hhurl. When I open the newly created sitecollection it simply showing up the IIS7 home page. (you know the IIS7 logo and welcome in many languages)I set the ip and siteFQDN name entry in host file and added the hostnames in BackConnectionHostNames registry settings too.Non-host header sitecollections are openening fine! only sitecollections created with hostheaderwebapplicationurl parameters are shoing up iis7 log page rather the site :-) ?!?Any idea where I went wrong? { my configuration is Win2008 MOSS2007 Sql2008 }Gopikrishnaega