Deploying An Application (Visual Basic)
The .NET Framework provides several basic features that make it easier to deploy a variety of applications. This includes ClickOnce deployment.
Deployment Features in the .NET Framework
The following basic .NET Framework features help make deployment easier:
No-impact applications
Controlled code sharing
Side-by-side versioning
On-the-fly updates
Partially trusted code
For more information, see .NET Framework Deployment Guide for Administrators.
Deployment Basics
Deployment is the process by which you distribute a finished application or component to be installed on other computers. In Visual Studio, deployment can be done based on Microsoft Windows Installer technology or on ClickOnce technology. For more information, see Choosing a Deployment Strategy.
An application can be packaged as a single assembly, as a collection of assemblies, as cabinet (CAB) files, as a Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0 package, or as an installer package in another format. For more information, see .NET Framework Deployment Guide for Administrators.
An assembly is a collection of types and resources that are built to work together and form a logical unit of functionality. Assemblies form the fundamental unit of deployment, version control, reuse, activation scoping, and security permissions, and they provide the common language runtime (CLR) with the information it must have to be aware of type implementations.
This table shows common deployment tasks.
To |
See |
Create an assembly |
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Sign an assembly with a strong name |
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Sign an assembly, but defer assigning a private key until a later time |
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Create a public/private key pair to use in creating a strong name |
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View binding information in the log file |
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Deploy a Windows Forms control |
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Deploy an application for COM access |
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Deploy a .NET Framework application |
Versioning
Versioning, which records the specific version of an assembly and the versions of dependent assemblies in the assembly's manifest, is performed only on assemblies with strong names. Strong-named assemblies have identifiers that consist of the assembly's identity plus a public key and a digital signature.
By default, the CLR attempts to locate and bind with the exact version of the assembly that the application was built with, although this behavior can be overridden by configuration file settings.
For more information, see Assemblies in the Common Language Runtime, Assembly Versioning, and Strong-Named Assemblies.
ClickOnce Deployment
ClickOnce deployment enables you to publish Windows applications to a Web server or network file share for simplified installation. When you want to publish a Windows application to a network server, Visual Studio automatically generates the XML manifest files necessary for ClickOnce and publishes the application to the specified server.
ClickOnce applications are self-contained and install on a per-user basis, which means no administrative rights are required. Applications deployed using ClickOnce technology run with a limited set of permissions based on a security zone. For more information, see Securing ClickOnce Applications.
ClickOnce applications can be self-updating; you can control when and how updates are deployed.
This table shows tasks associated with ClickOnce deployment.
To |
See |
Choose which ClickOnce deployment strategy (installing from the Web or a network share, installing from CD, or starting from the Web or a network share) to use with your application |
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Choose which ClickOnce update strategy to use with your application |
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Deploy a ClickOnce application |
How to: Publish a ClickOnce Application using the Publish Wizard |
Choose whether to use a ClickOnce data directory, isolated storage, or other local files when reading and writing data |
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Specify an alternate location for deployment updates |
How to: Specify an Alternate Location for Deployment Updates |
Elevate a ClickOnce application's permission level on a client computer |
Difficulties when you deploy applications by using ClickOnce may be caused by HTTP compression issues, manifest parsing issues, server configuration issues, and versioning issues. For more information, see Troubleshooting ClickOnce Deployments.
Windows Installer Deployment
Microsoft Windows Installer technology creates installers that give you complete control over the installation process.
This table shows tasks associated with Windows Installer deployment.
To |
See |
Create a new setup project or add an existing deployment project to a solution |
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Create a new .cab file for Web download or add an existing one to a solution |
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Create a merge module for a component |
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Deploy a Windows-based application to another computer |
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Create a custom action to send a user to a Web site following installation |
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Pass data to a dynamic property during installation using a custom action |
Walkthrough: Using a Custom Action to Display a Message at Installation |
Use a custom action to pre-compile an assembly during installation |
Walkthrough: Using a Custom Action to Compile a Binary to Native Code at Installation |
Use a custom action to create a database during installation |
Walkthrough: Using a Custom Action to Create a Database at Installation |
Create a Web application that can be redirected to target a different XML Web service |
Walkthrough: Redirecting an Application to Target a Different Web Service at Installation |