How do I copy a WebForms app to another server?

Hi Falanga, Rod, DOH ,

Thanks for sharing the contexts! Copying the WebForms files, setting up IIS, and installing SAP Crystal Reports is a reasonable start, but you must ensure the correct Crystal Reports runtime engine for .NET (matching version and bitness) is installed on the new server.

Also verify IIS application-pool settings: if the runtime is 32-bit, enable “32-bit applications”; if 64-bit runtime is used, run in 64-bit mode. 

Make sure you copy all related files, not just DLLs and aspx pages, but also .rpt report templates, any viewer/client-side resources, and any native/COM dependencies that Crystal Reports needs. 

Finally, before going live, do a full test under the new environment, not just page loads, but run every report (view/export/print) and check database connectivity, permissions, and error handling, only once all that works should you consider the migration done.

Hope this helps!

.net 4.5.2 still made use of gac installed assemblies. Also if the old site uses session, you will need to install the session services

To copy your ASP.NET WebForms application to another server, you can follow these general steps:

1. Prepare the Application: Since your application no longer builds from Visual Studio, ensure you have all the necessary files, including the compiled binaries (DLLs), configuration files (like web.config), and any additional resources (like images, scripts, etc.). You can zip these files for easier transfer.
2. Transfer the Files: Copy the zipped application to the new server. You can use various methods such as FTP, a file share, or even a USB drive, depending on your network setup and preferences.
3. Set Up IIS: On the new server, you will need to set up Internet Information Services (IIS) to host your application. Create a new website or application in IIS and point it to the directory where you extracted your application files.
4. Install Dependencies: Since your application uses Crystal Reports, ensure that the same version of Crystal Reports is installed on the new server. This is crucial for the application to function correctly.
5. Configure Application Settings: After setting up the application in IIS, make sure to configure any necessary settings in web.config, such as connection strings and other application-specific settings.
6. Test the Application: Once everything is set up, test the application to ensure that it runs correctly on the new server. Check for any errors and resolve them as needed.
7. Considerations for GAC and COM Components: If your application relies on any assemblies that need to be registered in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) or uses COM components, you will need to handle those registrations as well. This may involve using tools like Gacutil.exe or registering COM components with COM+ Services.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully copy your WebForms application to the new server. Make sure to plan for any downtime during the migration if necessary, especially if the application is in production.

References:

• Deploy an ASP.NET web application by using Xcopy deployment
• Manually Installing Web Packages