Deploying .NET Applications Lifecycle Guide The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This Documentation is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. This documentation is provided to you as a companion to Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, Visual Basic .NET, Visual C++, Visual C#, Visual J# .NET and/or the Microsoft .NET Framework SDK (any one of these, a “Microsoft Developer Tool”), specifically for your use in conjunction with the distribution or internal deployment of the Microsoft .NET Framework redistributable file (dotnetfx.exe). Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. Please refer to the end user license agreement you received with a Microsoft Developer Tool for information regarding distribution or internal deployment of the dotnetfx.exe. © 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, ActiveX, Authenticode, Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual J#, Visual Studio, Win32, Windows, Windows NT, and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Who Should Read This Guide . 1 Chapter Outlines . 2 Chapter 1: Introduction . 2 Chapter 2: Planning the Deployment of .NET Framework – based Applications . 2 Chapter 3: Implementing the Deployment of .NET Framework – based Applications . 2 Chapter 4: Maintaining .NET Framework – based Applications . 3 What Is Application Deployment? . 3 Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) . 3 The Deployment Process . 4 What Are .NET Framework – based Applications? . 7 What Is the .NET Framework? . 7 Common Language Runtime . 7 .NET Framework Class Library. 9 Types of Framework Applications . 9 Windows Forms Smart Client Applications . 10 ASP .NET Applications (Web-based Applications) . 10 XML Web Services . 11 Windows Services . 11 Console Applications . 11 Scripted or Hosted Applications . 12 Where to Deploy the .NET Framework . 12 Clients . 12 Web Servers . 12 Business Logic Servers . 13 .NET Framework to Database Servers . 13 Deploying the .NET Framework . 13 Requirements for Deploying the .NET Framework . 14 Further Requirements for .NET-based Applications . 14 Deploying the .NET Framework . 16 Localized Versions of the .NET Framework . 18 Summary . 19 More Information . 20 iv Contents Chapter 2 Planning the Deployment of .NET Framework-based Applications 21 What to Deploy with the Application . 21 Files and Folders . 21 Assemblies . 28 Installation Components . 35 COM Components . 37 Serviced Components . 39 IIS Settings . 40 Registry Settings . 43 Merge Modules . 43 CAB Files . 44 Localization . 44 Debug Symbols . 45 Choosing a Deployment Strategy . 46 No-Touch Deployment . 47 Windows Installer Package Deployment . 49 Deploying a Simple Collection of Build Outputs . 57 Summary . 62 More Information . 62 Chapter 3 Implementing the Deployment of .NET Framework-based Applications 67 No-Touch Deployment . 67 Security Considerations . 69 Installer Packages . 70 Adding Project Output Groups . 71 Adding Files . 72 Adding Assemblies . 75 Adding COM Components . 76 Adding Security Policy . 77 Managing Merge Modules . 78 Managing CAB Files . 81 Adding Dependencies . 82 Adding Launch Conditions . 83 Adding Registry Settings . 85 Adding File Associations. 86 Setting Project Properties . 86 Adding Custom Actions . 92 Design the User Interface of Windows Installer Files . 100 Building the Installer File . 101 Other Windows Installer Package Considerations . 103 Contents v Collection of Simple Build Objects . ..