This is great advice, thanks.

I would add that this adjustment to the XML is done in the IIS web.config (C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectory\something.site.com80) for EACH front-end server, not the SharePoint web.config file (C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extension\12\CONFIG\).  Because the server will now detect that the files have been changed, an IISReset will happen and each user will get a 'fresh copy' of the SharePoint site.