Need suggestion for how to manage the web application

Question

• I have developed a web application also that has been deployed in many client area.

• I have created a installer to install this application at client area for first time.

• If i done any bug fix or add any new functionality to this site, should i create new installer for site? or How to update the existing site without creating new installer with latest bug fix?

• Or, Is there any other option to update existing application?

• Or, we can create a installer only install the latest updates?

Please guide me

Answer 1

You can start your journey using the built in web installer (part of Visual Studio).

Important thing is it will only install to a Virtual Directory of an existing web site.

If virtual directories are fine, you then need to worry about bug fixing and updates.

here is a solution...

If you are at the client or have easy access to the web sites via FTP.

You can map drives on your development / test environment to the production FTP sites, then just create a batch to copy stuff over.... best part is - if you're hosting on IIS, if you make any changes to the web.config or any assembly in \Bin you'll trigger an IIS Reset, so this means you shouldn't need to have remote access to their servers.

Make sure that batch updates all web applications in the farm.

You can also fully rely on the application installer - IF YOU'VE FULLY TESTED THAT IT DOES INFACT UPDATE YOUR FILES, LIKE IT SAYS IT SHOULD. Don't just assume it will, test that installer, and retest it... because I have had lots of problems with upgrading a web site, and you can't expect your client to uninstall, reinstall every time.

I wouldn't worry about creating a "patch installer" Web apps are relatively small anyways - and copying unchanged files won't make a huge differance.

Just be sure when you create the installer, you add project outputs to the installer file... and work with project outputs, rather than having to copy stuff in manually to the installer every time you make a change.

Hope this is at least a good starting point.