Efficient Deployment & Management of ASP.NET 2.0 Applications on IIS 6.0

1. Efficient Deployment & Management of ASP.NET 2.0 Applications on IIS 6.0 Alexis Eller Program Manager Internet Information Services Microsoft Corporation

2. Agenda • What is ASP.NET? • .NET Framework Concepts • Global Assembly Cache (GAC) • Configuration Layout • Code Access Security (CAS) • Versioning • Deployment & Management • Running x64 on ASP.NET 2.0 solutions • Summary / Q&A

3. What is ASP.NET? • Part of the .NET Framework • IIS 6.0: v2.0, v1.1 in Worker Process Isolation Mode • IIS 6.0: v1.0 in IIS 5.0 Compatibility Mode • IIS 5.0: only run one version at a time • Builds significantly on the power of ASP • ASP.NET is “managed” code - the .NET Framework manages memory, not the application (reduces the risk of memory leaks)

4. .NET Framework ConceptsGlobal Assembly Cache (GAC) • “Registry” for .NET assemblies • Add an assembly to the GAC: • Generate a strong name, assembly: 1) name, 2) version, 3) 64 bit public key hash - sn.exe,4) culture • Add to the GAC - gacutil.exe, .NET Configuration x.x (MMC Snap-in) • Viewing the contents of the GAC: • gacutil /l • start explorer %windir%\assembly • .NET Configuration x.x (MMC Snap-in) • Cannot XCOPY deploy GAC’ed assemblies • Security: all GAC’ed assemblies (for ASP.NET apps): • Run as Full Trust • Are accessible to all ASP.NET apps

5. Adding an assembly to the GAC

6. .NET Framework ConceptsConfiguration Layout Inheritance… ASP.NET + .NET Framework ASP.NET .NET Framework web.config root web.config \Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\config\web.config machine.config \Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\config\machine.config web.config files root configuration files

7. .NET Framework ConceptsCode Access Security (CAS) • Constrains managed code, including ASP.NET • Do you trust your content providers? • Do you trust that your applications can’t be exploited? • Control access to: file system, registry, printers • ASP.NET Trust Levels • Full, High, Medium, Low, Minimal (can define custom) • Defined by policy files: %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG\web*trust.config • Full trust by default • GAC’ed assemblies run as Full trust always

8. Access SQL Server Send e-mail via SMTP Access certain common environment variables Access files within the application's directory Access files outside the application's directory Use reflection Use sockets Access unmanaged code .NET Framework ConceptsASP.NET Medium Trust Can... Cannot... How to Use Medium Trust in ASP.NET 2.0: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnpag2/html/PAGHT000020.asp

9. Setting and customizing ASP.NET Trust Levels

10. aspnet_isapi.dll Authentication Forms Windows … ASPX Map Handler Trace … … ASP.NET Request Processing • IIS maps request to ASP.NET, forwards to aspnet_isapi.dll • ASP.NET ISAPI creates appdomain Authentication NTLM Basic Anon … Determine Handler CGI Static File ISAPI … Send Response Log Compress

11. Deployment and ManagementGetting started... • Manual: • MMC snap-in (in IIS Manager) • aspnet_regiis.exe command line tool • Edit web.config files using Notepad or Visual Studio • Automated: • Call aspnet_regiis.exe in a batch file • Program against the ASP.NET configuration API (System.Configuration)

12. Deployment and Managementaspnet_regiis.exe • Provides more functionality than MMC snap-in • Enumerate all ASP.NET script map settings • Install / uninstall ASP.NET • Enable / disable ASP.NET ISAPI extension • Unique version in each framework directory: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727 • Use in batch files for deployment / management • Combine with other utilities to create batch files for deploying applications, content and configurations

13. Deployment and Managementaspnet_regiis.exe (2) • Combine aspnet_regiis.exe with other utilities for automating deployment • Adsutil.vbs to create application pooladsutil.vbs CREATE W3SVC/AppPools/BusyPool "IIsApplicationPool" • IISweb.vbs to create the Web site in app pool IISweb.vs /create C:\MySource "MySite" /ap BusyPool /dontstart • Aspnet_regiis.exe to install ASP.NET 2.0 change the IIS scriptmap to 2.0C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\apsnet_regiis.exe –enable -ir C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\apsnet_regiis.exe –s W3SVC/<metabase path>

14. .NET Framework Versioning • Can run one version per application pool • Each framework version has it’s own version of aspnet_regiis.exe • Different IIS scriptmap behavior depending on existing ASP.NET

15. Running ASP.NET 1.1 and 2.0 Side-by-Side

16. Deployment and ManagementASP.NET 2.0 MMC Snap-In • Overview of the ASP.NET user interface • Configuration tabs • Understanding the behavior of the MMC snap-in

17. Deployment and ManagementOverview of ASP.NET MMC Snap-in • ASP.NET configuration is: • hierarchical and distributed • complex enough to warrant a user interface • The ASP.NET MMC Snap-in uses Microsoft® Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager’s extensibility

18. Deployment and ManagementOverview of ASP.NET MMC Snap-in • Prevents typo’s, incorrect XML tags • Manages versioning information • Indicates file and virtual path • Indicates the date file last modified

19. Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tabs • General • Connection strings, Application data • Custom Errors • Authorization • Authentication • Authentication settings • Membership provider • Role Manager provider and enable/disable • Application • Compilation, Globalization, Identity • State Management • Session State settings • Locations • User-defined settings entered as <location> tags in configuration

20. Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tab - General • What can be modified? • Database Connections • Application Settings • Which web.config file is edited? Depends on the object selected in IIS Manager... • Server (Web Sites) • Web Site • Virtual Directory / Folder

21. What can be modified? Enabling local or remote- only custom errors Redirect URLs for specific status codes Default redirect URL What cannot be modified? IIS’s custom errors configuration in the metabase Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tab – Custom Errors

22. Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tab – Auth’N and Auth’Z • What can be modified? • Authentication: • Forms vs. Windows • Forms authentication settings • Membership and Roles providers • Authorization Rules: only apply to content handled by the ASP.NET 2.0 ISAPI • What cannot be modified? • IIS Authentication: Anonymous, Basic, Integrated, etc. • IIS does access checks, not authorization rules per URL • IIS 6.0 ships with Authorization Manager ISAPI (urlauth.dll) - this is different than ASP.NET authorization

23. Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tab – Application • What can be modified? • Compilation and runtime settings • Assign a theme to specific page or master page • Debugging options • Used for development purposes • Should be used only in non-production environments (performance considerations) • Tip: <deployment retail="true|false" /> • Globalization options • Setting the Code Page, etc. • Identity settings • Use IIS’s impersonated token -or- override with a specified user identity

24. Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tab – State Management • What can be modified? • Enable ASP.NET Session State Server • Enable ASP.NET Session State in SQL Server • State management connection strings • ASP.NET Session State Server vs. ASP.NET Session State in SQL Server • ASP.NET State Server stores state in a process separate from the ASP.NET application • ASP.NET Session State in SQL Server stores application\session data in SQL

25. Deployment and ManagementConfiguration Tab – Locations • What can be done with the Locations Tab? • Lockdown of features at a granular level • Examples: • “AllowOverride=false” with a relative path • Advanced concept - requires a thorough understanding of configuration <configuration> <location path=“Default Web Site/App/Login.aspx” allowOverride=“false”> <authorization> ... </location> <configuration>

26. Configuring Forms Auth in the ASP.NET MMC Snap-in

27. Deployment and ManagementUnderstanding the MMC Snap-in Behaviour • Multiple configuration editors (such as administrators and developers) can cause errors in the configuration files • Configuration errors in the files will cause errors in the user interface • User interface cannot read invalid configuration files • Updates to web.config files reload the application’s appdomain – loses in process session state, caches, etc.

28. Running ASP.NET 2.0 on x64 • ASP.NET 1.1 – Requires WOW64 • 32 bit IIS worker processes on 64 bit OS • Virtual memory from 2 GB to 4 GB • Enable, from %systemdrive%\Inetpub\AdminScripts, run cscript.exe adsutil.vbs set W3SVC/AppPools/Enable32BitAppOnWin64 “true” • ASP.NET 2.0 – Runs native 64 bit or WOW64 • Virtual memory practically unlimited in native 64 bit • MMC Snap-in not supported on x64

29. Summary • Global Assembly Cache (GAC) • All GAC'ed assemblies run in Full trust • GAC'ed assemblies cannot be xcopy deployed • ASP.NET Trust Levels (CAS Permission Sets) • Full trust is not secure enough, Medium is recommended • Trust levels can be customized • aspnet_regiis.exe: automated deployment and management • ASP.NET 2.0 MMC snap-in: • provides a safe way to edit configuration • writes to hierarchical and distributed web.config • ASP.NET v1.1 and v2.0 run side by side on IIS 6.0

30. alexise@microsoft.com

31. Resources • ASP.NET "Whidbey" Documentation Center on MSDN • http://msdn.microsoft.com/asp.net/whidbey/default.aspx • ASP.NET user interface • http://msdn.microsoft.com/asp.net/articles/ui/ • ASP.NET 2.0 Fundamentals • http://msdn.microsoft.com/asp.net/articles/fundamentals/ • .NET Blog: When is ReflectionPermission needed? • http://blogs.msdn.com/shawnfa/archive/2005/03/08/389768.aspx • IIS Webcast Series: iiswcast@microsoft.com • http://www.iiswebcastseries.com