I have just completed (basically) a beginner's database application with SQL Server and Visual C#. I am using Visual C# Express, not the full-scale Visual Studio thing, which apparently makes deploying the application properly a bit more complicated. I've seen where some other people have asked about how to deploy such an application from that IDE, but I'm not able to fully understand and use some of the answers that they've been getting back.
Therefore I must ask how to deploy this application properly, but I must also ask that there be a simple walkthrough given. College doesn't teach much about how to deploy these things, so I'm very newbish at it. Thanks!
I don't know of an automated way to deploy the database. If it's the first time the database is hitting the server, I backup on the source, and restore on the target...simple.
As far as the code, here's what I do:
Publish (right-click, Publish) the code to a local directory (I use C:\Websites\SiteName).
Use and ftp client to promote the output to the server.
Make any necessary adjustments to the web.config to point correctly to your target database.
When and if you need to make changes later, you might want to consider a tool I use for this purpose, BeyondCompare. It can perform a diff between your local files and the target site via FTP, and tell you exactly what you need to deploy to make it work. This won't detect changes in your db, however, though there are plenty of Sql diff tools along the same lines. My general principle is "make the local site work perfectly, and then make the target site just like the local site".
Things to watch for in #3 above are that the target address is right in the connection string, along with whatever security credentials you will need to connect to the db.
HTH.
Related
Are there any Azure Automation DSC gurus who can help with some guidance and know-how for pushing through a couple impasses I am currently encountering?
The task at hand is: Use Azure Automation Runbook to provision a VM. That VM should immediately be associated with a DSC configuration, which will adjust Windows features, settings, and install SQL Server according to a specific configuration. All tasks conducted need to be written in PowerShell and should require no manual input via Azure portal at any point.
At this time, the Runbook provisioning the VM is working perfectly. However, associating this new node with a DSC configuration is still a manual process, which also is working (with the exception of the next issue mentioned below). However, this process needs to be automated instead. How is this done? Via DSC resources as children of the VM resource in the ARM template?
Getting SQL Server installed is the next step. The xSQLServer DSC module seemed perfect for achieving this, but it currently has a bug in Azure Automation, which means that the xSQLServerSetup resource is not available, even when using older versions of xSQLServer. So, there appear to be two possible workarounds to this…
Workaround 1: Not use xSQLServer and just run a PS script that is local on the newly provisioned VM to install SQL Server using a command line installation using an INI file. The PS script to install SQL works, but only when run manually. When attempting to have DSC run this script, Azure is throwing an error that the script is not digitally signed. So, there appears to be a permissions scoping issue at play, and the DSC credential is not able to run the local PS script even though the local admin credential is being passed in. How does one get around this?
Workaround 2: Apparently, it is supposed to be possible to provision a VM, compile the DSC MOF local on that machine (with the full version of xSQLServer), and then push that registration back to Azure Automation. Though, it is unclear how exactly this would be done, as it appears to also require the execution of a local PS script, thus providing the same impasse as the first workaround. Is this perhaps via a Custom Script extension in the ARM template, or…?
I can see all of the parts in play, and I’ve found several helpful resources online that give breadcrumbs to the solution. But, the breadcrumbs are too far apart, and the proper way of wiring everything together is proving to be elusive. So, I’m here humbly asking for help and guidance in getting this worked out.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
First of all that's a lot of questions instead of 1.
unless this is some kind of homework - there is no point in installing sql on a vm, there are a lot of vm + sql images in Azure and it would take 5 minutes instead of 60 to provision such a vm.
When attempting to have DSC run this script, Azure is throwing an error that the script is not digitally signed. - this means your script is not signed (not related to rights\permissions), look for execution policy, you need to set it to unrestricted before running your script (but you don't need to, because of the first point).
you compile mof or upload it and then you can "tie" a vm to that mof, it can be automated with powershell (both parts), there are a lot of guides on how to do that. Like this
As a general rule, use arm template to do the whole thing, again, there are lots of examples on how to achieve that (just browse this repo). Provisioning infrastructure with powershell (on azure) is not the best way of doing things.
I've got a wordpress site that I have been using for a year now and it is hosted with HostGator. I have got a few tests i would like to run on the site, but I would like to test it offline using wamp first before making it LIVE.
The problem is previously I was always making changes to the LIVE site, usually at hours when I get little to no traffic. However, that has changed now and I do get traffic most hours through out a 24hr day.
So my problem is:
How do i download my existing website to laptop (wamp) and make those changes with new theme? (total newbie, sorry!)
I use Windows 7, so not sure what I need to be doing to get the site working like a live site offline.
Once I have implemented the new changes, what is the best way to upload the updated site back to the HostGator server without having any downtime or errors for site visitors?
Is there anything else I need to install or do inorder for this to work? I hope you can give me as much information as possible or any links to any guides or articles that explain how to do this.
Thanks so much for any help you can offer!!!
If you're using Hostgator, the process is simple:
Install XAMPP or WAMPP on your computer;
Go to your cPanel, backup and download your website;
Extract the backup to your computer, specially the homedir and the sql;
Go to your local environment, access http://localhost/phpmyadmin
Create a new database, doesn't matter the name but for the example let's call it "database";
Inside that database, import the one taken from the backup;
create a new folder inside your htdocs with the name of your website, "example.com";
Extract the content of the homedir there;
edit wp-config with the following data:
Host: 'localhost'
Username: 'root'
Password: blank
access http://localhost/example.com
You can check a good tutorial about the subject here.
About putting the site live, I recommend you to use a GIT repository, however it's understandable that might be a little complicated and perhaps too much work for what you're trying to achieve.
Try to move your files directly from your local to live environment using Filezilla or WinSCP, the drag and drop should replace the files live and the downtime should be minimal.
Instead of WAMP, you can always use VirtualBox to install CentOS or Ubuntu/Debian.
You can go one further and install either CentminMod to automate creating a LAMP, or a full panel like ISPConfig or Virtualmin.
That take care of create the environment.
Create a new account on the LAMP, using the same domain name.
You can FTP with Windows to get the files, but networking Windows and Linux is a pain. The better option is to use the command line (CLI) in the Linux VM to ftp the files from Hostgator to the VM. This guide will help with that process: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/FTP-3.html
Then your only concern is the MySQL database. And for this, you have several options.
For me, the easiest is to buy (or try!) SQLyog on Windows, and then copy the database from the Hostgator source to the localhost destination. Some mild networking is needed for Windows to see the Linux VM, but nothing as complex as file sharing (the FTP issue). SQLyog is far quicker than backing up the database, then restoring it -- especially since you can run into memory issues doing it this way. It fully depends on the size of the database.
The cheap/free backup>restore method is to use phpMyAdmin.
WordPress also has plugins, of varying cost, but you still have the possible backup>restore memory issue there as well.
When done, just copy it the other way, again using SQLyog and CLI ftp. You'll still have some downtime, but it will hopefully be minimal.
As a newbie, this probably seems like rocket science, but at least it gives you a good place to start. Welcome to the world of locally dev'ing sites!
This is a subject of common discussion, but through all my research I have not actually found a sound answer to this.
I develop my websites offline, and then launch them live through my hosting account.
I utilize codeigniter, and on that basis there are some fundamental differences between my offline and online copies, namely base urls and database configurations. As such I cannot simply develop and test my websites offline and then upload them as it requires small configuration changes which are easy to overlook and good lead to a none working live website.
The other factor is that when I am developing offline, I might add a database table or a column whilst creating some functionality. When I upload my local developments to my host, they often do not work as I have forgotten to upload the new database structure. Obviously this cannot happen - there cannot be any opportunity for a damaged or broken live website.
Further to this, I'd like to be able to have logs of my development - version control of sorts such that if i develop a feature, and then something else stops working I can easily look backwards to at least see the code changes which could have caused the change.
My fourth requirement is as follows: if i go away on holiday for a week without my development laptop, and then get a bug report, I have no way of fixing it. If i fix it on the live copy, not only is it dangerous, but i'll inevitably not update it on my local copy - as such when i update my live copy next time, that change will be lost. Is there a way that on any computer i can access my development setup, edit and test, launch to the live site, whilst also committing it such that my laptop local copy is up to date.
So yes.. in general im looking for a solution to make my development processes more efficient/suitable. Any ideas?
Thanks
Don't deploy by simply copying. Deploy by using a script (I use Apache Ant) that will automate the copy of specific files for each environment, the replacement of some values, etc.
This just needs rigor. Make a todo list while developing, and check that every modification on the server is done. You might also test the deploy procedure on a pre-production server which has an similar configuration as the production server, make sure everything is OK, and then apply the same, tested procedure on the production server
Just use a version control system. SVN or Git are two free candidates.
Make your version control server available from anywhere. If it's an open-source project, free hosting solutions exist. Of course, if you don't have a development computer wvailable, you'll have to checkout the whole project, and probably install some tools to be able to develop, test and deploy. Just try to make it as easy as possible, or always have your laptop available. If you plan to work, have your toolbox with you. If you don't plan to work, then don't work. When you have finished some development, commit to the server. When you go back to your laptop, update your working copy from the server.
Small additions and clarifications to JB
Use any VCS, which can work (in a good way) with branches - your local and prod systems are good candidates for separate branches, where you share common code but have branch-specific config. It'll require some changes in your everyday workflow (code in "test", merge finished with "prod", deploy /by tools, not hand/ only after merge...), but it's fair price
Changing of workflow, again. As JB noted - don't deploy by hand, don't deploy wrong branch, don't deploy "prod" before finished merge. But now build-tools are rather smart, you can check such pre-condition inside builder
Just use VCS, maybe DVCS will be somehow better. I say strong "No-no" for Git as first VCS, but you have wide choice even without it - SVN (poor branch|merge comparing to DVCS), Bazaar (not a tool of my dream, but, who knows), Mercurial, Fossil SCM, Monotone
Don't work on live, never do anyting outside your SCM. One source of changes is a rule of happy developer. Or don't work at all at free-time, or have codebase always reacheable for you (free code-hosting /GoogleCode, SourceForge, BitBucket, Github, Assembla, LaunchPad/ or own server), get it as needed, change, save, deploy
I've got a website that runs on a shared hosting environment, using ASP.net 2.0 (C#) and MS SQL Server 2005. I've recently been asked if I can integrate my website with a piece of third party desktop software that uses the Access runtime as its database (transparent to the end user).
Primarily I want to be able to offer users of my website the option of exporting their data into the Access database on their local machine. The data schema's match sufficiently, the question is how to actually do this, and in the simplest way possible for the user.
Simply having a webpage update the local Access database isn't possible due to the obvious security restrictions. I've considered asking them to upload the Access database to the server, so I can migrate the data then allow them to download it again, however the competency of the users of this software is such that even locating the Access database, let alone uploading and downloading it from the website might be too complicated.
I've also considered if Adobe Air or Silverlight could help here, but don't know them well enough to know for sure. Similarly I'm assuming another exe could be written to perform this task that the user could simply download and run, however my experience is in web development, not program development, so this isn't a 100% certainty for me, or an ideal development option for me.
So, can this be done, and if so what technique can achieve this, with the stated aims being ease of use for the end user, followed by ease of development by someone with web development as their main skill. Many thanks!
You may find this answer of interest: Best way to stream files in ASP.NET
It is about transferring a file from the server. You could save Excel or CSV and use that to update Access.
Instead of trying to do this in a web page you might just expose some views from your sql server to some client specific logins.
Then within the Access application, allow them to tie to your sql server. You might even provide an access application for getting the data from your site and stuffing it in their local access database.
In my work we have done something similar that is transparent to the user by creating an ActiveX control. The problem is that you are limiting the users to use only Internet Explorer.
I think that the best way to achieve what you are trying to do is by installing a service in the client's computer. If creating a service is beyond your experience you can post a project in a place like oDesk and find somebody that can help you with the development for the money that you are willing to pay to complete your project.
Good Luck.
I've battled with modifying Configuration settings in the App.config file in the past, and gave up any hope of making it work. Now again, I find myself in the same shoes, but this time determined to sort it out!
The application Im creating is a WindowsForms .NET 3.5 (SP1) app. It is to be used in a closed, networked environment. It is not a SmartClient app, but an "always-connected" one, and transacts over the local network with a central database server.
The app works fine, and now that Im ready to deploy and create the setup files, I must ask 2 very important questions:
How do I (especially!) 'modify' the ConnectionString value from the Setup Wizards? ;and
How/where do/should I encrypt this value?
This is surely something every developer goes thru when moving from development to production, and I would sincerely appreciate any help.
Thank you!
This question provides good information on how to modify the configuration file (in general) during setup.