ASP.NET app running from CD

Question

Hello everyone,

I've developed a very simple ASP.NET (jQuery) application.
The RDBMS is MS Sql Server but I could easily convert it in MS Access.
My client would like to have it available on a CD, ready to run.

I was thinking to convert it in a WinForm app but, still, I have to install the framework on the client. Is there any other "possible" solution?

Regards

Alberto

Answer 1

If your users are running versions of XP, Vista, or Windows 7 that include IIS, you could conceivably install the application into a virtual directory. That's a lot to ask from end-users, though. Most users won't have IIS installed even if they are running a version of Windows that offers it.

Answer 2

You're going to have more trouble trying to run a web app on a client machine than you will a desktop application.

A web app requires some sort of web server running, but a desktop app just needs the framework.

You're going to be better off converting it to a desktop app.

Answer 3

I haven't tried this, but I just found it by searching for "portable asp.net web server"

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/aspnet/TinyWebServer.aspx

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to show up an ASP.NET project where IIS was not accessible? Have you ever thought of if there can be a way to carry your web server wherever you go, i.e., on a USB flash stick or even a CD?

If so, then this cool TinyWebServer is for you! This tiny portable web server can be used for testing and developing ASP.NET projects, wherever IIS is not available.

Answer 4

You maybe able to do this by using something like cassini http://www.asp.net/downloads/archived/cassini/. This is a simplified version of the visual studio web server that you see when you run from visual studio.

In my team we have used this and wrapped it in a exe that allows us to start the cassini server and start a browser to the cassini server address.

This still relies on the right version of .NET Framework being installed.

EDIT: Some more recent links http://ultidev.com/Products/Cassini/ and http://blogs.msdn.com/dmitryr/archive/2008/10/03/cassini-for-framework-3-5.aspx

Answer 5

Should be simple if you convert it to HTML & jquery script. As HTML doesn't require any seperate runtime & also worth considering asp.net runtime also does the same thing when the response is sent to the client.