HOWTO: Deploying your Web Application

The information in this article applies to:

• Deploy
• Windows
• Web
• MTS & COM+, v1.0
• IIS, v5
• ASNA Visual RPG. Release 4.0 and lower
• ActiveX

SUMMARY:

Here is some information on what is needed to deploy your AVR 4.0 COM (Classic) web applications to Windows 2000 and NT 4 Server. Click here for Web Deployment to Windows 2003 Server. This article does not apply to AVR for .NET web deployment.

STATUS:

Current.

MORE INFORMATION:

Note: Please coordinate with your Network Administrator or Microsoft when working with Microsoft Transaction Server, Internet Information Server, or COM+ Application Server.

AVR Web Application Installation Requirements:

1. Web Server should have these products installed: Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) for NT v4 or Component Services (COM+) for Windows 2000 / 2003 and Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS).
2. Installation of ASNA's Deployment is required if you are installing ASP DLLs.  You can also create your own installation using InstallShield or equivalent Installation Package.  ASNA provides wizards for Windows based applications for InstallShield Express v2.x and InstallShield Professional - Windows Installer Edition v2.01.  These wizards are in the "C:\Program Files\ASNA\Deployment" folder.   You can modify these wizards to deploy the necessary files for your application.
3. If  using database files, you are required to:
   • Configure a Public Database Name on the Server where your web application will be installed.
   • Acceler8DB Web Server License.  You can email "codes@asna.com" or call ASNA's Sales for a license.
   • If the database is local (not recommended), you will need to install the Acceler8DB Engine.  We recommend having another Server (e.g. AS/400 or Acceler8DB on Windows Server) as a Database Server.  Make sure there are enough licenses for Acceler8DB Engine; otherwise, "user count exceeded" errors will be in the $$AVRERR.TXT file. You can email "codes@asna.com" or call ASNA's Sales for a license.
4. Your Web Application, which consists of: Web Pages (i.e. HTML, ASP, ASA files) and your AVR created ActiveX DLLs:

• Web Pages:

• How to create Virtual Directories & Web Sites: Web Site Administration
• Migration tips and tricks: http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/iis/ready.asp
• Click here to know what is a Virtual Directory

Once you have a Virtual Directory or Web Site created, you can install web pages into these locations.

• AVR ActiveX DLL:

NOTE: We recommend not installing and registering your AVR ActiveX DLLs in the "wwwroot" folder on the web server.  We recommend installing them in their own separate folder, for example: "c:\program files\<your company web dll>"

NOTE: Make sure you configure the identity with a user with that has sufficient permissions:

INFO: Rights and Permissions Needed by the Identity Account of an MTS/COM+ Package

Using Windows 2003, please read the information below:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/iis/6/all/proddocs/en-us/ca_configappstousecom.mspx

Configuring Launch Permissions for COM+ Server Objects

Changes in Windows Server 2003 Component Object Model (COM) services and IIS 6.0 have security implications for COM+ objects in ASP pages, ISAPI extensions, or any other application that runs on IIS. To minimize security risks, the new process model for IIS 6.0 requires all worker processes to run under an identity other than LocalSystem. If the identity of the worker process does not have launch permissions for that object, the object will not be successfully created. You must grant sufficient user rights to allow the IIS worker process to successfully create the object without granting so many rights that the identity poses a security risk.

The following recommendations can provide sufficient security while reducing administrative overhead:

•	Instead of adding individual users directly to the launch permissions for an object, create a group on the computer on which the COM+ object runs, and then add the individual users to this group. Then, add this group to the launch permissions for the object.
•	If a COM+ object was created from the GetExtensionVersion method of an ISAPI extension, from an ISAPI filter, or from an ISAPI extension that is running as the identity of the current process, add the IIS_WPG group to the launch permissions for the object. Important You should not modify the default launch permissions for an application.

NOTE: Creating COM+ (1.5) Applications on Windows2003 Server, changes compared to COM+ 1.0, click here. ****Click here for security settings to enable Launch privileges*****.

The two items you will need to successfully run your ActiveX DLL are:

• Windows NT: 
  1. Create a Package
  2. Add a Component
• Windows 2000 / 2003 / XP Professional (click here for COM+ overview, critical information):
  1. Create an Application
  2. Add a Component

5. If using any third party controls, you will need to refer to the vendors documentation to get them deployed.  If you don't know what third party controls, you can look in your Project References to see which third party controls are selected.  Please see the additional links below for more information.

NOTE: ASNA Miscellaneous Control (miscctls.ocx) is not a part of the standard ASNA Deployment.  You will need to deploy and register this control on the target machine.

TIPS:

• If a web application works correctly on a machine, then the best method of deploying is to "mirror" the IIS and MTS settings on to the new machine.
• Create a Public Database Name if the Server will not have a user Logged into the console.
• Have Firewall configured to allow Acceler8DB communications if going to AS/400.
• Creating a Secure Web Site with Verisign.
• Credit Card Validation and security via AIS Media, Inc

Other ASNA KB Articles:

• IIS Web Serving and AS/400 Security (DataGate/400 Security related information)
• INFO: Differences between Private and Public Database Names
• HOWTO: Securing an Acceler8DB Public Database Name (Acceler8DB Security related information)
• PROBLEM: Web Application doesn't run on Web Server
• HOWTO: Configuring Firewall to allow Connections to Acceler8DB
• Upgrading your Windows 9x/NT Web DLL to run in Windows 2000 or XP Professional
• Consequences of Web Application Deployment Without MTS
• PROBLEM: Error "File is busy" or "Access Denied" when trying to update a Web ActiveX DLL
• Component instantiation within MTS / COM+
• HOWTO: Shutdown a Windows 2000 COM+ Web Application from AVR
• Can't find Database Name when running within an ASP in a Web application

Here are other Microsoft KB Articles that you may want to refer to:

• PRB: COM+ Server Application That Uses Interactive User Identity Fails to Load
• MOD2000: How to Avoid Common Mistakes When You Create Distributable Run-Time Applications (Q247530)
• Licensing and Distribution of Microsoft components
• Determining what is required on the Web Server (helpful hints)
• Windows 2000: COM + Application Administration
• Windows 9x / NT: MTS Package Administration
• Stress testing your Web Application 
• MS TechNet Web Services
• MS Windows 2000 Internet Information Services (IIS)
• ActiveX Controls: Distributing ActiveX Controls
• Best Practices for Securing COM+ Applications (Security related information)
• MS Setting MTS Authentication Levels (Security related information)
• MS Setting MTS Package Identity (Security related information)
• MS HOWTO: Set System Package Identity (Security related information)
• MS Configure COM+ with IIS 6.0 (Security related information)
• INFO: Default Permissions and User Rights for IIS 6.0 (Security related information)

Keywords: deployment, web, application, MTS, COM+, IIS, test, client, install, secure, license, distribution