Overview
One of the great appeals of Asp.Net application development is the ease at which these applications are deployed. But when you deploy your Asp.Net application to many servers, you are presented with the same deployment difficulties that plague regular windows client application deployment. Updating these “deployed” Asp.Net applications often require manual step-by-step procedures, as merely uninstalling the old and reinstalling the new is seldom a viable option.
Updating Asp.Net applications usually involve replacing files, updating databases, registering components, setting permissions, and modifying xml. AppLife Update performs all of these activities and more. Couple this with the assembly shadow loading features of IIS, and AppLife Update can provide excellent automated update capabilities for deployed Asp.Net applications.
AppLife Update is a very flexible application updating framework. Applications that are updated using AppLife Update host an Update Controller, which performs the tasks of checking for any available updates, downloading the update, and controlling the process of initiating the Apply Update process. Once initiated, the Update Engine performs the work of modifying the remote server. Using Update Action that the update engine will execute, you can easily automate the update process of your Asp.Net applications.
We present two separate approaches to implementing an update process for Asp.Net applications. You can utilize an administrative utility application that can apply updates that perform update activities for the Asp.Net application. This approach requires a direct logged on user session on the web server.
The second approach is to host an Asp.Net web updating control on a web form. This approach controls the update process through a web form within your Asp.Net application, allowing an application level admin user to manage updating directly from a web browser.
Administrative Win Forms Application
When an AppLife Update process is launched, the update process has access to the entire client file system. So to update an Asp.Net application root folder from a Windows Forms utility app, we simply need to know where the web application root folder is relative to the Windows Forms utility application.
To use a .Net admin utility to update an Asp.Net application, we can install it to a known location relative to the web root folder, preparing us for knowing how to configure AppLife Update file actions that will replace files in the Asp.Net application root folder.
To perform updates directly from an Asp.Net application, we can utilize the WebUpdatePostbackDisplay Asp.Net control. Using this control, you can quickly implement an update process into your Asp.Net application.
With either approach, we must ensure that the update process has sufficient permissions to perform update work. In the case of an admin utility, this can be ensured by requiring that the launching user hold sufficient privileges. In the case of the Web Update Asp.Net control, we will utilize the AppLife Update Windows Service.
The rest of this guide assumes a basic understanding of the AppLife Update product. We will demonstrate both approaches and discuss in detail the features of the Asp.Net controls provided with this guide. If you have not worked with the AppLife Update product, we recommend you look at the Simple Quick Start and spend some time familiarizing yourself with AppLife Update.
NOTICE
By using these controls you agree to be bound by the AppLife Update End User License Agreement.
AppLife Update EULA