How to get .NET 2.0 web app into production, using which tools, and why use those tools and methods over other options?

Question

With VisualStudio Publish, CruiseControl.NET, MSBuild, aspnet_compiler.exe, and Web Deployment Projects out there, how would one know which tool to use to ultimately get a .NET 2.0 web application into a testing/production environment?

With .NET 1.1, I simply copied all files over to the server's directory and set it to a configured virtual directory in IIS. Unless I am really missing something, it seemed to work just fine. Now I'm reading about how important it is to put some good thought into 2.0 deployment and the the more I read, the more I get confused.

Please breakdown how to choose which tool to use, and why you would use that tool. If more than one tool is needed, please identify how they relate to this process.

Answer 1

CC.NET is for Continuous Integration it can build your setup projects as artifacts, but that is not it's main purpose. MSBuild is the Microsoft build system -- again, not related to deployment. aspnet_complier compiles your web sties, which may make deployment easier, but is not in itself deployment.

Web deployment projects is what you should be looking at. Here's a decent little post that goes over some of the options for deployment and a reference from MSDN. There are also commercial products.

Answer 2

I use TeamCity, which implements

1. Rebuilding solution with devenv.exe in command line
2. Changing settings in web.config (connection strings and debug mode) with sed.exe
3. Precompiling WebSite with the aspnet_compiler in command line.
4. Copying solution to FTP (with internal tool)