Resolving "This type of page is not served" Error in Sitecore

Sitecore is a popular web content management system used by many organizations. Recently, one of our clients encountered an error message "This type of page is not served" when attempting to access a file with the XML extension. In this blog post, we will explore the cause of this error and the solution to resolve it.

Cause:

The error was caused by a piece of code in the web.config file, specifically the HttpForbiddenHandler. The HttpForbiddenHandler is used to restrict access to resources and files from being downloaded through HTTP. When this handler is configured in the <httphandlers> section of the web.config file, it can prevent the server from serving certain file types, in this case, the XML extension.

Resolution:

To resolve the issue, we need to identify the code causing the restriction in the web.config file. By reviewing the log files and the web.config file, it was found that the HttpForbiddenHandler was preventing the server from serving the page with the XML extension. The solution was to comment out the line in the web.config file, as it was not being used in the current system.

Error Log:

1232 11:12:40 ERROR Application error.
Exception: System.Web.HttpException
Message: Path '/test.xml' is forbidden.
Source: System.Web
   at System.Web.HttpForbiddenHandler.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
   at System.Web.HttpApplication.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute()
   at System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStepImpl(IExecutionStep step)
   at System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously)

Configuration causing the issue:

<add verb="*" path="*.xml" type="System.Web.HttpForbiddenHandler" name="xml (integrated)" preCondition="integratedMode" />

In conclusion, by understanding the HttpForbiddenHandler and its configuration in the web.config file, the error message "This type of page is not served" can be resolved. This issue is not limited to XML files and can be applied to any file format extension. If you encounter this error in Sitecore, consider the information in this blog post to help you resolve it.