how to deploy a Asp.net web application?

Question

hi, i developed a web application using asp.net and sql server 2005. now i have to installed this project in 5 locations that are geogrphicaly very far from my location. is there any way to install my project without installing Visual studio and sql server 2005 on these locations? i want that i simply make an .exe or setup file for my project and then i send this file by email. and they run the setup and install my project.

Answer 1

You do not have to install Visual Studio on the target computer you're deploying your application.



As for the SQL Server, it is a must, unless you plan to centralize your data on a single server. However, since the locations are geographically distant, it is more likely that you will want each geographic location to have its own data store.



Deploying the web application itself is straight forward, and you do not need an installer for this (although you can have one). Installing an ASP.NET web application consists simply of copying the application to the target server.



Hope this helps.

Answer 2

After creating and testing your ASP.NET application, the next step is to deploy the application. Deployment is the process of distributing the finished application to be installed on other computer. We can use the built-in deployment feature that comes with Visual studio .NET to create a Windows Installer file - a .msi file for the purpose of deploying applications.



Deploying Applications



To start, open the Web Application project you want to deploy. Say, you have a project named "Deploy" with ten Web pages in it. Select File->Add Project->New Project from the main menu. From the Project Types pane select Setup and Deployment Projects and from the Templates pane select Web Setup Project. Type WebSetup1 for name and specify a location in the location box and click OK. The New project dialogue box looks like the image below.

Answer 3

Within your Visual Studio solution you can create a Web Setup project. This is what you should be constructing and sending to your clients. As for SQL Server, either you need to have one central copy installed which they'll all access or individual copies for each of them.