(This post was originally from Channel 8 and was posted by Maz Zuckerman on 10/15/08)
It’s a good day to be a web developer… because now we’ve made available a web platform installer for free!
What does this give you?? In the simplest terms: “Using the Web Platform Installer’s simple user interface, you can select specific components or install the entire Microsoft Web Platform onto your computer.”
1. The Microsoft Web Platform Installer Beta (Web PI) is a free tool that makes it simple to download and install the latest components of the Microsoft Web Platform. It allows developers to quickly get started building web applications using Silverlight, ASP.NET and MVC. The application installs .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, IIS7.0 and Extensions, IIS FastCGI, Visual Web Developer 2008, SQL Server 2008 Express, SQL Server Management Studio, ASP.NET MVC and Silverlight Tools.
2. To help you stay up-to-date with product releases, the Web Platform Installer Beta tool always contains the most current versions and new additions to the Microsoft Web Platform. No more hunting for updated versions of .NET, IIS 7.0 Extensions, tools, database, and application framework. Now you can update the Microsoft Web Platform with a single installer.
3. Whether you’re looking to quickly set up a desktop to build web apps or get a Windows server ready for hosting, the Web Platform Installer is optimized to install the necessary components for both scenarios. This includes getting IIS 7.0 ready for PHP using FastCGI.
4. The new Microsoft.com/Web provides web professionals with a single location to stay updated on the latest news, techniques and solutions aggregated from top media outlets, blogs and Microsoft resources.
5. The Web Application Installer Beta is designed to help get you get up and running with the most widely used Web Applications freely available for Windows Server. The Web AI includes popular open source and .NET solutions in Ecommerce, Social and Personal Presence and Content Management. The beta release will include DotNetNuke, Drupal, Gallery, Graffiti, osCommerce, PHPBB, and Wordpress. New applications will be evaluated and added to the Web AI Gallery regularly.
6. The Microsoft Web Application Installer Beta handles the detail work such as configuring IIS 7.0, checking your computer for the required prerequisites, reaching out to download applications from their source locations in the community, and installing the application. For example, deploying Wordpress is now as simple as launching the installer, selecting Wordpress from the Application Gallery, selecting the type of website you want to install and entering in your credentials.
7. The Web Application Installer Beta ensures that you are always installing the latest versions of community applications. The Web AI does not store the actual application source code, but reaches out to the community source code repositories for the latest versions.
8. The Web Platform Installer Beta and Web Application Installer Beta are FREE to download and available now at Microsoft.com/Web/.
Q&A – The Microsoft Web Platform Installer Beta
How does this help if I already have IIS on my server or development machine?
The Web Platform Installer (Web PI) Beta allows you to install the 40 existing modules that ship with IIS 7.0. It also lets you stay in sync with the latest Extensions for IIS 7.0 from Microsoft that are released via the Web. The Web PI automates the discovery, download, and install processes for a range of IIS Extensions and other software that broaden the capabilities of your Web server in media, deployment and administration and runtime services.
What exactly does it configure and install for IIS?
It installs the modules that shipped with IIS 7.0 and downloads any new IIS Extensions we’ve released to the Web. The Web PI makes sure that users can discover and update their Web server with the latest production releases from Microsoft and continue to extend their Web platform.
How is this different from using Server Manager on Windows Server?
Server Manager allows you to install and configure the Web Server (IIS) role on Windows Server 2008 by choosing from the available modules that shipped with IIS 7.0. The Web PI installs these modules in addition to other software components of the Microsoft Web Platform, including IIS Extensions, database, application framework, and tools.
I'm a developer using VS/VWD with its built in web server. How does this help me?
If you are a VS Web developer targeting a server running IIS 7.0, you can create the full fidelity target environment using the Web Platform Installer Beta on your Windows Vista SP1 development machine. The built in “Cassini” Web server in Visual Studio and Visual Web Developer does not support IIS Extensions such as the URL Rewrite Module for IIS 7.0.
I already visit the MSDN and the ASP.net sites. Why would I visit /Web?
You can learn about the complete Microsoft Web Platform at Microsoft.com/Web, which is preferable to learning about different components from individual Microsoft web properties.
How does this help me with getting started with PHP?
PHP is not included as part of Web PI at this time. With this release, the Web Platform Installer will install the IIS 7.0 FastCGI module and other extensions that you need to host and run PHP applications. We plan to include PHP in a future release.
You say this makes keeping the web platform up-to-date easier, but how is it any different from Windows Update?
Windows Update doesn’t release new products or technologies; it releases software updates. In comparison, /Web releases updated software and extensions to existing technologies that you can use to run and build your Web applications.
I have Windows Vista Home edition on my computer, can I use this?
IIS 7.0 limits the number of modules it supports on Home Edition but there are still some items you can install to extend the default IIS configuration.
Q&A – The Microsoft Web Platform Installer Beta
I have a shared hosting account. Can I use the Web AI to install applications on my website?
In the beta release of the Web Application Installer, you must be an administrator of the computer hosting website to run the installer. The first release of the Web AI is designed to work in dedicated and dedicated virtual hosting environments. Shared hosting deployment support is planned for futures versions of the Web AI.
I don’t have IIS 7.0 or a database server on my computer. Will the Web AI install them for me?
The Web Application Installer community applications require IIS 7.0 to make use of their exciting features. If you have access to a remote database such as SQL Server or MySQL, the Web AI can install applications on one machine and create the database on another. The Web AI will determine if your system meets the minimum required prerequisites and offer advice on where you can get what you need. You can install IIS7.0 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Database for FREE with the Microsoft Web Platform Installer.
I don’t have PHP or MySQL installed. Will the Web AI install them for me?
The Web Application Installer will determine if your system meets the minimum application requirements such as PHP and MySQL. If you do not have PHP and/or MySQL installed, the Web AI will show you where to get it. Once you install PHP and MySQL, you can continue with the application installation of your choice.
I have Apache installed on my host computer. Can I use Apache instead of IIS 7.0 to install the PHP applications?
No, The Web Application Installer relies on IIS 7.0 extensions to create and run web applications on Windows Server.
What version of Windows is required to run the Web AI?
The Web Application Installer installs applications on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1.
I have IIS 6.0. Will the Web Application Installer work for me?
The Web Application Installer supports automated installations of community applications on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista SP1 and IIS 7.0. Support community applications can be installed manually for IIS 6.0. Guidance and resources are provided on the IIS.net website.
Is a live internet connection required to install the apps, or can I download the installer and run it offline?
The Web Application Installer requires a live Internet connection as it downloads the community applications from its publicly available Internet server location. Each application is downloaded directly from its respective community site.
Will the Web AI install the latest version of whichever application I’m installing?
The Web AI installs the most current version of the application that has been tested to run on IIS 7.0. Microsoft cannot guarantee that this version will always represent the most current version of the application available from the community.