Web Development

7-Dec-03 16:26

Hey guys, what's up? Just set up my remote server (using semi-isolated development mode) for web projects (namely C# ASP.NET projects), and found the info about updating to FPSE 2002.

I didn't think I -needed- FPSE, except that I don't want to run IIS on my development PC (Win2kPro). So I'm using my test server (Win2kServer) as a remote web server. Wound up with a ton of error messages (well, actually, only two), and found the answer in Microsoft KB # 320451. So apparently I need FPSE, because I really don't want IIS locally.

Anyway- should I upgrade the test server to FPSE 2002? Anyone done this? Any problems with it?

Or... like I said, I really don't want IIS running locally. But- I much rather like the idea of talking to my test server via a file share (wwwroot$). Would the ability to use a file share work if I installed IIS locally- but stopped the "World Wide Web Publishing Service" and the "IIS Admin Service"? That way, IIS gets installed on my client computer, but I'm wondering if ADSI (Active Directory Service Interfaces) would still work. The KB says it's integrated with IIS, but I'm not sure how. Did anybody try this? Or, /could/ anybody try this for me? I just tried to create a C# ASP.NET web application, and wound up with both of the error messages that KB #320451 talks about.

Oh, let me link up KB 320451 - click here for the article!

Thanks!!

-Thomas

Roger Wright7-Dec-03 21:26

7-Dec-03 21:26

ThomasH1 wrote:
upgrade the test server to FPSE 2002? Anyone done this? Any problems with it

I'm running Win2K Server and I tried using the latest 2002 version of FP Extensions on IIS. It killed my server.

"Your village called -
They're missing their idiot."

ThomasH18-Dec-03 3:57

8-Dec-03 3:57

Roger, thanks for the info!! I'll forget about FPSE 2002!

Do you use FrontPage to create your web projects? Just wondering if you know anything about my question regarding IIS (installing it locally but keeping the services and web page stopped, just to get the Active Directory Service Interfaces component installed.).

Thanks!

-Thomas

Roger Wright8-Dec-03 5:14

8-Dec-03 5:14

I didn't understand what you're trying to accomplish by installing IIS but leaving it off, so I didn't address that part. I leave IIS running all the time, but redirect the home directory to a different drive and host only one file on the default site (essentially a 'go away' page). Turning it off is no problem, but I suspect that the ADSI thing needs pages that are served, rather than merely shared. It's worth a try, though - I can't see that it would harm anything to try it.

"Your village called -
They're missing their idiot."

ThomasH18-Dec-03 7:12

8-Dec-03 7:12

I'm trying to follow the semi-isolated model of development, as written up in Microsoft's "Patterns & Practices" series. Find that document here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/tdlg_ch2.asp. Find another similar writeup here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dv_vstechart/html/vetchWebProjectsSourceControlIntegrationInVisualStudioNET.asp.

So according to that KB 320451, IIS needs to be installed in order to get the ADSI component installed, and the IIS5 docs say that the IIS Admin Object exposes ADSI methods to configure the remote web server. But I don't want IIS running... so I was hoping that I could install IIS locally, keep it off, but get the ADSI functionality that would "find" my remote webserver.

Well, I gave it a shot, and I was wrong- on ALL counts. I installed IIS, kept all services and the default web page running, but still got the error messages from KB 320451.

For kicks I tried my idea of shutting all of IIS down and trying to create a web project, of course, the same error messages came up.

So apparently my computer doesn't like ADSI at all, and I can't use the file share option for creating a web project.

But... now I'm wondering if it's because of my domain layout. I work in two domains- production and test. Each domain has it's own DNS server, the two domains are completely isolated from each other. My workstation PC (Win2kPro) is a member of the production domain. I can access the test domain thru exploring "my network places", or doing a start/run/\\servername.

And then I'm back thinking to Active Directory Service Interfaces. The only Active Directory that I can see by exploring "My network places" is the ad for the production domain. I can't see any ad for the test doman. So that makes me wonder if my file share method is failing because VS.NET is search the Production domain for my remote web server, when in fact, it should be searching the Test domain!

Ugh. I'm a 1/2 step away from calling Microsoft on this one. This wasn't a big deal with Visual Studio 6.0, but then again, when I developed my ASP apps, I used Interdev 6.0 to just create standalone files on a share from the test domain- I never used Interdev to create an actual application via FrontPage.

The shame is that the best practice for using Visual SourceSafe is via a file share... which I can't seem to set up.

Thanks for the help!! If you (or anyone else!) has any other ideas, please let me know! I'm wasting so much time on this that it's not even funny...

-Thomas

Roger Wright8-Dec-03 8:33

8-Dec-03 8:33

Just a thought (I haven't explored this at all) but I've noticed some new user accounts added since installing IIS and the server extensions. One, of course, is the IUSR account to allow web access from outside, but there are others that appear to be service accounts. Possibly some of these have to be given permission on the test domain for the running services to find those shares.

"Your village called -
They're missing their idiot."

ThomasH18-Dec-03 14:15

8-Dec-03 14:15

I double checked, and yep, I had added myself to all those groups. Looks like I'm SOL... I think my problem is that I'm trying to be a member of two domains. I think if I could see both active directory trees- or even just the tree for the test server, then my PC would be able to "find" the webserver (on the test domain).

I'm betting the only solution is to somehow create a forest between the two domains, but I really don't want to tie our production server into my test server. At least I figured out the error I was getting from FrontPage... it was telling me that "Unable to retrieve folder information from the server. Access forbidden." I finally traced it to something stupid... for the "Directory Security" tab of the "default web site" properties, I restricted the access to deny all but my subnet, and two other off-site ip addresses. Well, when a new project was made with Frontpage extensions, the new folder was taking ONLY the static IP's, not the subnet allowance. So I solved that one with a workaround; I just added my own static IP to the default web site's directory access, which actually wound up making my code a bit more secure. If I want anyone in my company to "use" my site, then I could give 'em access by their IP. So each new directory that Frontpage extensions creates has those three IP's, but it still neglects the subnet IP's- which doesn't bother me. Smile | :)

Tomorrow I might bring my laptop in, make it a member of the test domain (it's not a member of Any domain right now), and see if the file share option works 100%. I'll keep you (and codeproject.com) posted!

Thanks! Man, ya know, the setup of this environment was NOT supposed to be a pain; I figured the hard part would've been the coding and debugging. (laughs)

-Thomas

ThomasH19-Dec-03 4:53

9-Dec-03 4:53

OK, that's it, I've had enough. Roger (& all who might be reading), I can't even debug the application with FPSE!! Get this; I can create the page fine, no problems; it asks me for a login to the test domain, and creates the page. When I try to run/debug the project, it logs me out of the test domain, and tries to re-login with my MAIN domain credentials!! And of course those fail! So it throws up an error message and tries to be helpful by saying "make sure you're a member of the debuggers group." My test domain account is, but of course my main domain account isn't (and I'm not about to create a forest to join the two domains)!

So, I've had it. I'm going to load and run IIS locally, run the Microsoft IIS lockdown tool on it, and be done with it.

I'm also going to swipe your idea, Roger, if you don't mind- making the web site into a "virtual directory" pointing to a share on the test server/domain. And then I'm going to redirect my default location for my local project info (my docs\visual studio projects) onto the Main domain. This way I'll be able to work from home.

So my test server will be what it was when I was running VS6.0, just a server/domain used for compatability testing and load testing and etc... no development integration. Won't be able to use Visual SourceSafe then, but I'll just resign myself to manual backups again.

Maybe I'll attack all this again when Whidbey comes out. Big Grin | :-D

Thanks again for your help RW!!

-Thomas

Roger Wright9-Dec-03 7:35

Email server side question

9-Dec-03 7:35

ThomasH1 wrote:
my test server will be what it was when I was running VS6.0

Sometimes the old ways are best. Big Grin | :-D

"Your village called -
They're missing their idiot."

alex.barylski7-Dec-03 9:24

alex.barylski

7-Dec-03 9:24

Assume I have a database of 5,000,000 addresses (all opt-in) and there are 10 groups with variable number of emails belonging to them. I have to send all 5,000,000 every x number of days (could be 5, 10, 15, so on...).

Would it be best for me to send them manually one group after another, or should I send all at once and have the script queue remaining groups and have a cron service send them one after the other, as each group is finished, the other is started, kind of thing. I figure this way only a single process would be created for sending the emails and another process for accepting queueing other messages (i think). Otherwise I may have 10-15-20 scripts all competing to send emails at once which would tax the system I'm sure...

Opinions?

Thanks Smile | :)

The word of the day is legs, let's go back to my house and spread the word Poke tongue | ;-P

Re: Email server side question

Colin Angus Mackay7-Dec-03 18:27

Colin Angus Mackay

7-Dec-03 18:27

Some things to consider:

* Is the information time sensitive? In other words if the emails are sent sequentially would the 5 millionth be at a disadvantage over the 1st recipient?

* You've not mentioned the software your using. That might help to find an answer. All software has its little quirks and some are better at handling a task in a certain way.

* What sort of hardware are you using? On a single processor server with limited memory running 20 scripts sequentially could quite easily tax it. But if you have large amounts of memory with multiple processors then it might work out okay if you have concurrently running scripts.

--Colin Mackay--

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but perseverance." (H. Jackson Brown)

Enumerators in .NET: See how to customise foreach loops with C#

Icons

Rafael Fernández López6-Dec-03 5:43

Rafael Fernández López

6-Dec-03 5:43

Hi, i'm developing a new website and I need some icons for a forum, chat and so on... I would like them to be XP like. Where can I find icons for free on the web ? Thanks on advance.

Written by: Rafael Fernández López.

void life ( bool me, bool her )
{

if ( her )
{
me = true ;
}
else
{
me = false ;
}

}

Re: Icons

Roger Wright6-Dec-03 6:59