I'm not very experienced with ASP.NET, I've started to learn about all of this a month or so ago, I've made a very simple website that I would like to test online, there are no database connections or anything of the sorts.
My previous experience with the Web has taught me to just upload files via an FTP client and being done, this is obviously not the case with ASP.NET.
I'm running Visual Web Developer Express and having a really hard time understanding how to get my website online on my host. I've read a few things about the web.config file, I've changed my server to support version 4.0, but I still battle with error after error after uploading my files onto my server. I've also read that the Express edition is limited in the "Publish Website" department.
I'd just like a direct answer on how to publish my website onto my host.
Make sure that your hosting company supports ASP.NET websites. Get a FTP client like FileZilla. Copy all of your files to the remote directory. If you are using a database, change the connection string in your web.config file to match the connection string of your new database. You get the connection string from the hosting company.
There are different ways to deploy your Asp.net web site.
Web Setup Project: Create a web setup project and use the resulting files to deploy your application. Read More
Copy Web Site Tool: Update and deploy websites in environments with multiple developers and servers. Read More
Publish website tool: Pre compile your websites.
Read more
Related
I'm sure there's something simple I'm missing.
I'm attempting to help a buddy move his ASP site from one host to another to avoid some questionable billing practices. I usually work with PHP-based sites (Wordpress etc.) and, unfortunately, have no experience with VS or ASP.
He's temporarily moving to Godaddy on their Plesk offering temporarily until he can work out something else. He provided me with all of the files contained within his ftp (containing his site's default.asp file, header, footer etc.) as well as an archive.xml, parameters.xml, and a systemsinfo.xml file. No .snl file or anything like that.
The files did not come with a web.config file. The error I keep getting, after uploading the FTP files is "HTTP Error 502.5 - Process Failure". From my understanding, it's often related to the web.config file. And from what I understand, you can have one generated by deploying the site through VS. Problem is, I'm at a loss as to what the proper actions to deploy this project.
Plesk provides a .publish settings file, I'm just at a loss as to how to properly open this file in VS to then have it create a "web.config" file and proceed to have it publish to the hosting. Part of this is I'm unsure how to properly open a project like this in Visual Composer to then proceed with the process of setting a web.config file and going forward with the deploying.
Not knowing exactly how to open this project without an .snl file or anything, I tried creating a new project and dropping in the other files to try and set up the process that way with no luck. Considering that Plesk provides a deploy file with that information, I'm assuming if I can properly open the project, working locally, I can then go through the deploy process. I'm just at a loss as to how I can properly setup a new project with someone else project files without an .snl file or otherwise.
Any guidance that you provide would be awesome.
Thank you.
Well, if you missing basic files required to operate the site such as web.config, then you don't have the site or files required, right?
Either FTP down the existing site, or you go to the source code and VS project, and re-compile the code, and re-publish. In fact, I suggest publishing to a local simple file folder.
Even publishing to a local file folder is a good start. Now, just copy that local folder that you published from the source code project, and that published folder should work on the new site. But, really, missing files like web.config? Rather fundamental that you have ALL files of that existing published site, or you have to go back to source code project in VS and re-publish.
since that site has vb.net or c# code? Then it also not clear if the original site was a
asp.net web site
or
asp.net web site application.
Rather critical you determine the above. The reason is that for a asp.net web site application, then at publish time, all code is complied at publish time, source code is stripped out, and then you have a working site.
If this is a web site (not web site application), then all source code is in fact published to the web site, and IIS is now responsible for compiling the .net code.
but, gooly, without a web config file, you simple don't have the files for that site to work - NOT even close!!!
but, as noted, if you have the original source code and VS project, then I would of course use the source code project for the publish. As noted, you can publish via FTP, and several other ways - but I in most cases use folder/file publish to a local folder, and then that is FTP up to the site.
You also don't mention if a database is involved. But, the connection strings to the database will FOR SURE change on the new site - and that boatload of required information will of course be in the web config file.
So, what road will much depend on if you going to download the exiting site, or your going back to the original source code and Visual Studio project.
So, first step - which will take about 10 seconds of your time is to determine if this is a asp.net web site, or a asp.net web site application.
If the existing published site has the c# (or vb.net) source code, then this was/is a web site.
If the existing published site does NOT have the source code, then of course this was a asp.net web site application - and Visual Studio is responsible for compiling the code BEFORE publish.
I guess this really comes down to if you have the source code and the original project used to build the site in VS or not?
I mean, if you have the source code (not compiled) of that site and have the full project in VS, then that's your best starting point. And if that site was published asp.net web site (application), then FTP and downloading the site WILL NOT get you a working asp.net project in VS.
This is much like saying you have a some .exe program, but don't have the source code and project used to build that .exe.
Same goes for asp.net. but, as I stated, often the web site as opposed to web site application model is used, and in that case, then you would get and have the source code files by a simple FTP download. But, you don't even have the web.config file - and that makes no sense at all, since that going to exist in the current site if you download, and it would exist in the original VS project used to create that site in the first place. During a publish, we often have an additional config file that has the local database connections, and during publish, they are transformed into the correct database connections for the published site. But then again, you not even noted or mentioned if a database is involved here.
I mean, if I was handed a LAMP project (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), and had to publish that site? gooly, I not worked with LAMP, but I'm sure it would be a week, or more for me to figure that out, since I'm not familiar with LAMP, and how such sites are laid out, let alone how the configuration of such a site works. Big job if the whole system, programming language and framework is something you never used before.
I know that Godaddy use Plesk control panel too. But you need to make sure that Godaddy has support .NET Core. You may refer to this post https://dotnetblog.asphostportal.com/how-to-fix-error-502-5-process-failure-asp-net-core/. I believe it will solve your issue.
Scenario
I have an application that I have been developing for two years. I use the framework .NET to develop it in a language called Oxygene that comes from Pascal.
When I have something new in my code, I publish my application in File System method. I have a couple servers working on Amazon EC2, so I transfer this files to a folder in my IIS Server. In this IIS Server I already have a website that corresponds to my application, so I just replace the old files for the newest files.
I have another server that works as an SQL server.
Last detail is that in my application the user is able to attach files, import pictures, export PDF and Excel files. Attachments and pictures are stored in the same folder the application is located.
Issue
Here is my problem. I have got a new client that is kind of a big client. It seems like this company has a strong IT security, so the application must be located in their servers.
The big problem is that they required my application to be set in the following architecture:
I am used to only use an app server (works for external access) and a SQL server. They want the third server in DMZ net so they can let external access happen. The reason the application can't be placed in the DMZ is because there are the files I mentioned bellow that the user stores in the application. The database stores all the data, but not those files mentioned.
Solutions I have offered, but won't be accepted:
Publishing the application in a IIS server located in the DMZ: That won't be accepted since my application stores user attachments in the same folder the application is located. There are also images stored there.
Publishing the application in the app server, but also publishing a empty application in the DMZ server redirecting to the IIS server inside the LAN: That's the best solution I have come up.
Using a reverse proxy to protect the LAN Net: This is off the table, since reverse proxy is not safe at all.
I am kind of confused because I can't see a way to separate my application in two to make it work in that suggested architecture.
Can anybody give me a hint or ideas of how this would work?
-
You can't "redirect" to inside the LAN, a redirect is a client-side operation, so if the internal server isn't already exposed, you can't redirect someone to it.
A reverse proxy is likely your best bet. Why do you believe it is not safe? This is a tried-and-true solution, it allows you to leave additional ports/services open to internal requests (like a file server, which it sounds like you are trying to expose).
How are these files getting uploaded? Are you using FTP? SMB? HTTP? This solution will not expose those other protocols to the outside world (please don't expose SMB to the outside, it will result in tragedy). Do the external users need to upload these files?
I finish creating my website using Visual Studio 2010.. also I already have a domain name... My question is how do I publish/upload my website to my domain through the FTP server... I'm a total newbie at this and web tutorials are so complicated It makes my brain bleed...
I already tried using copy website but my website fails to appear on my domain... instead only my scripts/ ".aspx files" and resources appear on the page... in hyperlink format...
I also tried to publish the website but the same happened...
You are going to have 2 choices most likely. One is going to be some sort of ftp (or secure ftp). The other would be web deploy if the host offers it. What you want to do is publish your project to your local file system and then copy THAT output to the ftp (www) root (most likely). If you have web deploy you can also set that up in the publish settings in visual studio. Your web host should be able to provide the info you need in that case.
you need to publish your project to iis. make sure your iis is activated first in your machine, and initialize your asp framework with the iis. after all the setup are complete, then you can publish your project.
I finally finish my web services, I have test with local host and in my network now what I'd like to do is send my web service to be uploaded to the internet.
I wrote my web service in C#, asp.net using the nodepad (and not using visual studio), also I use IIS for the localhost, so the files i have in my virtual directory are:
Web-Based Service Consumer: WebApp.aspx
FirstService.asmx
FirstService.cs
FirstService.dll
Now in localhost works great, but I have no idea of how to publish on the internet. Can someone explain or send a guideline, let me remember that i am not using Visual Studio (and dont want to, don't ask why).
The only thing I know is that I have to have a server working with IIS. Is this true?
Yes now you need to pay for an IIS hosting account to serve your files remotely for the world to see.
For example:
http://uk.godaddy.com/hosting/web-hosting.aspx
They will probably give you an FTP account where you can upload your files and some sort of web interface for you to configure the server. If you talk to them, I'm sure they can walk you through it.
Good luck.
I'm basically wondering what the best way to deploy an Asp.Net Web Site is, mostly from the point of view of security. Right now, I'm trying to publish the website using Visual Studio 2010. Could someone direct me to a good tutorial on how to do this securely? For example, can it be done over an encrypted connection via Visual Studio? Is it necessary to install any software on the server to do this? Should I use a different program to open up an SSL (TLS) connection first, and if so, which program (does it come standard with windows)?
The server is running Windows Server 2008. Development is on Vista.
Many thanks in advance for any direction in this matter!
Andrew
I would publish the site to your local machine and file copy the files across to your test/production environment. As a rule we don't publish sites straight from VS to test or production.
For example you don't want to accidentally push things straight from dev into a live environment do you?
As far as the file transfer security goes you could use SFTP.
Note: First thing is to check with the owner of the server, as they often will provide you an FTP connection and will take care of configuring IIS.
If you want to add security, make a keyfile and sign your assemblies and consider running Dotfuscator on your dlls, the community edition is included in Visual Studio. Here is an earlier question where I've put more info on Dotfuscator.
If you have to do the deployment yourself, here's a few things to consider.
XCopy (easy)
MSI (have to create a setup program, you can do this easily in Visual Studio)
There is no security advantage in deploying using Visual Studio, but you can use Visual Studio to create a small setup program. One thing you want to make sure for security is DO NOT deploy any .cs files. Prepare your files, you should compile in Release mode, make sure debug is not enabled in your config file, keep your bin and it's dll, also the aspx, asmx, ascx, svc, css, js, and config files.
XCopy: Install a small FTP server, or use one your company alreayd has, this will allow you to get your files once you are logged into the target machine. You should be able to get an administrator account for the target machine, just ask the sysadmin of the domain, then log on using remote desktop, got to your ftp site, and download your files. Open IIS on the target machine, create a virtual directory and a pool. Copy your files to the location, configure your connection string to your DB if you use one, then test your website.
MSI: same process as above, except the setup will create the virtual directory and pool for you.
Here is extra info on best practices from the official ASP.Net website.
If you have some control on the server (e.g. to configure IIS7), you might want to look into Microsoft Web Deploy (new product just been released):
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/09/13/automating-deployment-with-microsoft-web-deploy.aspx
Haven't tried it myself, but looks quite slick and it apparently encrypts the data being copied up, so might suit you.