ASP.NET, steps to deploy a website

Question

I have recently inherited an ASP.NET website to look after.

I have a copy of all the files but coming from a PHP background I am not sure how to make changes and deploy it.

After I make changes to the site I presume I need to compile it. But can I then simply copy the site onto the server or do I need to create a setup package and 'install' it over the top of the production system?

Also, where does the code-behind DLL 'sit' in the file system?

Is there a decent guide to this kind of stuff?

Answer 1

You don't have to go for a setup. The answers to your questions differ based on whether you are using a 'WebSite' or a 'Web Application Project'. Please answer to following and we can follow up after that;

1. Which version of .Net / ASP.Net you use? (1.1, 2.0 or newer)
2. When you open up the package in VS (Visual Studio) and right click on the top most group (solution explorer) do you see options like Build web Site, Publish Web Site?

As a long-shot just try to create an IIS web site pointed to the root of your files and see if anything comes up. If this works the work process will be; 1. Do a change 2. Compile 3. Hit the web site URL and see whether it reflects

Answer 2

After making changes and testing them with your local copy (I'm assuming you know how to do that), click the "Copy Web Site" button at the top of the solution explorer. This lets you connect to a remote server (your production box, presumably) and will compare your local version of the web site to the one on the server, and flag any files that have been changed locally. You can then update the server version so that it matches your local version.

If you're deploying the web app as a compiled DLL (instead of as uncompiled CS files), the DLL should sit in the application's \bin folder. Even with a compiled DLL, you still need to deploy the ASPX files.