Deploying ASP.NET Applications - Personal Learning Notes

Resources

• Deploying ASP.NET Applications - LinkedIn
• IIS Architecture
• IIS Installation
• What Is an IIS Application Pool - GREAT ONE!
• Publish WebAPI from Visual Studio to IIS using Web Deploy

Course Environment

Machine Configuration

• E.g. configuration: Windows 7 + Vistual Studio + Docker for Windows CE

Demo Apps

• Demo app from ASP.NET MVC: Building for Productivity and Maintainability - Jess Chadwick
• Demo app from Deploying ASP.NET Applications - Tiberiu Covaci
  • In case of Server Error in '/' Application like this one below
    • Could not find a part of the path ...
    • ... 'C:\Users\mant\Downloads\Ex_Files_Deploying_ASP_NET_Apps\Exercise* Files\DemoApp\DemoApp\Website\bin\roslyn\csc.exe'.*
  • Run this in Package Manager Console: Update-Package Microsoft.CodeDom.Providers.DotNetCompilerPlatform -r
    • Details: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32780315/could-not-find-a-part-of-the-path-bin-roslyn-csc-exe

IIS (Internet Information Server) is a web server for hosting web applications

• Including ASP.NET web apps

IIS - Terminology

Application Pool

• Collection of websites running as a single process, with a single identity ...
• ... each application pool consists of a process called w3wp.exe that runs on the server machine
• https://stackify.com/what-is-an-iis-application-pool/

Application Pool - Benefits

• Splitting websites over application pools allows ...
  • ... more rigid security between the websites
  • ... as well as preventing one website from crashing if another one does (better reliability/availability)
  • Application pools are used to separate sets of IIS worker processes ...
  • ... that share the same configuration and application boundaries
• Combining multiple sites into a single application pool ...
  • ... is to either share resources
  • ...or to leave a smaller server footprint on the server

Deployment Strategies (each uses IIS behind the scenes)

Operating Systems

• Client OS: e.g. Windows 7 (or newer)
• Server OS: e.g. Windows Server 2012 (or newer)

Deployment Strategies

• IIS --> on client OS
  • a lot of manual work
  • need to install IIS and Web Deploy
• IIS --> on server OS (on-premises server or Azure VM)
  • still a lot of manual work
• Azure WebApp/AppService
  • much less manual work
  • IIS is already preinstalled behind the scenes by Microsoft (infrastracture abstracted away)
  • just configure connection strings for DBs, staging areas etc.
  • avoid manual patching and updating
• Docker
  • Azure ACI
    • Azure Container Instances
  • Azure AKS
    • Azure Kubernetes Service

IIS Installation

Manual installation on the client OS

• Start --> "Turn Windows features on or off"
• Check "Internet Information Services" checkbox - this will check only necessary sub-items
• Check .e.g. "Internet Information Services" --> "Application Development Feautres" --> ASP.NET 4.8 - if your app uses it
• Recommendation: install only necessary features for your web app and nothing more - to avoid security risks
• Check installation: open web browser and navigate to localhost --> you should see IIS startup page (or any test page)

Manual installation on the server OS

• Start --> "Server Manager" --> "Add roles and features"
• Choose "Installation Type" --> "Role-based or feautre-based installation" or "Remote Desktop Service installation"
• Choose "Server Selection" --> server to install IIS on
• Choose "Server Roles" --> e.g. "Web Server (IIS)"
• Choose "Feautres" --> e.g. ".NET Framework 4.5" - if your app uses it
• Choose "Web Server Role (IIS) - Role Services" --> e.g. "Application Development - ASP.NET 4.5"
• Confirm --> Install --> Restart server
• Check installation: open web browser and navigate to localhost --> you should see IIS startup page (or any test page)

Automate IIS install with PowerShell

• https://github.com/michalantolik/powershell/blob/main/scripts/Enable-IISFeatures.ps1
• https://github.com/michalantolik/powershell/blob/main/scripts/Disable-IISFeatures.ps1
• https://github.com/michalantolik/powershell/blob/main/scripts/Get-IISFeatures.ps1

Automate IIS install with PowerShell DSC (Desired State Configuration)

• Copy this PS script to target machine: https://github.com/michalantolik/powershell/blob/main/scripts/Install-IIS-DSC.ps1
• Navigate to folder where you it was copied with PowerShell and run the following commands:

# Load the script
. .\IIS-Install-DSC.ps1

# Compile given DSC Configuration --> this will create "DeployWebApp" folder
DeployWebApp

# Start DSC Configuration from folder where it was compiled
Start-DscConfiguration -Path .\DeployWebApp -Wait -Verbose
DeployWebApp

• Check installation: open web browser and navigate to localhost --> you should see IIS startup page (or any test page)

Deployment using "Web Deploy"

Web Deploy - what is it

• Client-server application that works together with IIS ...
• ... and help us with the publishing of applications

Web Deploy - deployment stratagies

• Manual
• Automatic

Web Deploy - how to install - manually

• Enable feature called "Management Service" in "Server Manager"
  • Server Manager --> Server Roles --> Web Server (IIS) --> Management Tools --> Management Service --> ...
  • ... Next --> Install
  • ... to allow IIS web server to be managed remotely from another computer using IIS Manager
• Install Web Deploy application
  • Go to iis.net webpage --> Downloads --> Deploy & Migrate --> Web Deploy 3.6 --> Install this extension

Web Deploy - how to install - using PowerShell DSC

• Copy this PS script to target machine: https://github.com/michalantolik/powershell/blob/main/scripts/WebDeploy-DSC.ps1
• Navigate to folder where you it was copied with PowerShell and run the following commands:

# Load the script
. .\WebDeploy-DSC.ps1

# Compile given DSC Configuration --> this will create "WebDeployOnly" folder
WebDeployOnly

# Start DSC Configuration from folder where it was compiled
Start-DscConfiguration -Path .\WebDeployOnly -Wait -Verbose

IIS Deployment - Strategies

• Publish to Folder deployment

  • Publish to local folder from VS --> e.g. to C:\Deploy\FolderDeployment
  • Edit web.config file in C:\Deploy\FolderDeployment - e.g. replace local DB connection strings with production DB
  • Copy content of C:\Deploy\FolderDeployment folder to C:\inetpub\wwwroot
  • Browse to localhost to test the website

• Publish to Web Server (IIS) - Web Deploy Package

  • Package the application and deploy manually (copy)
    • Publish to Web Server (IIS) from VS
    • Web Deploy Package
    • Enter Package location
    • Enter Site name - "Default Web Site" by default in IIS
    • Enter production DB connection strings
    • Publish
    • Go to Package location and make sure that (zip + cmd + readme) + other files are there
  • Deploy the pacakged application to IIS manually
    • Open IIS Manager --> Deploy --> Import Application (google for it if missing) --> Select published ZIP file
  • Deploy the packaged application to IIS using script (cmd)
    • Open commandline in admin mode
    • Go to Package location
    • Run Website.deploy.cmd /T - to test - "what if"
    • Run Website.deploy.cmd /Y - to deploy - to local IIS
    • Run Website.deploy.cmd /Y /M:remote_machine_name /U:username_and_password - to deploy - to remote IIS

• Publish to Web Server (IIS) - Web Deploy

  • Publish to Web Server (IIS) from VS
  • Web Deploy
  • Enter Server: "localhost" or some remote server
  • Enter Site name - "Default Web Site" by default in IIS
  • Enter Destination URL: "http://localhost
  • Enter DB connection strings
  • Save & Publish
  • Destination URL should be open automatically to make sure that the process went fine

Azure Deployment - Strategies

• Publish to Azure App Service

  • Quickstart: Deploy an ASP.NET web app
    • Kudu ZIP Push Deployment
      • Manual, Azure Portal Kudu GUI