Web Add-in for TFS Installation Problem

Question

I am creating a simple web app for TFS2008, so I am using the "Microsoft.TeamFoundation.*" assemblies to access TFS. Everything was working really great until I decided to move it from my machine to a separate Win2003 server.

In fact, it was a clean server with latest updates applied. So, I copied my application's binaries and tried to run it. No luck (but what a surprise ;) )!

I had the following talk with system components:

• ME: Please start and do something
• It: "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" when the code tried to access WorkItemStore
• ME: Ok, please find "WorkItemTracking.Client.-" binaries in GAC
• ASP.Net: Unable to load "Microsoft.TeamFoundation.WorkItemTracking.Client.Cache" for some reason, can you do something?
• ME: Ok, just removed binaries from disk so the only left are in GAC. Can you take a look please once again?
• ASP.Net: Cool, it works!!!
• It: Hmmm, "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" again, are you blind?
• ME: Grrr! Ok, all binaries are in GAC? What now?
• It: Nope, don't you know the magic word?
• ME: A long talk with my friend
• ME: Ok, everybody quiet. Here is the tool that will make you all happy - MS Team Explorer 2008
• It: Yummy!!!
• ASP.Net: Cool!
• ME: Finally! MS TE2008 is godlike!

The question I have is as follows:

• Is there any way I can install my application on a clean Win2003 server without having to install Team Explorer 2008?
• Or, perhaps, I am missing something or did something wrong.

Please advise! Thank you in advance!

---

A little more information on the issue:

1. I have administrative permissions on the server
2. I am in the Team Foundation Administrators group in TFS, so I have all permissions here as well
3. The web application is running under separate application pool under my account
4. The cache folder specified for the TFS Cache components exists and web application full access to it
5. The "read-only" flag is removed everywhere (cache folder, web application folder)

Answer 1

The short answer is no. The long answer is discussed here: Deployment of code which uses the Microsoft Team Foundation Server APIs