Table 2-2 Download Sites for Core .NET Application Components

Installing ASP.NET and ADO.NET

In order to get started with ASP.NET development there are two approaches you can take:

Install Visual Studio .NET

Install the .NET Framework SDK Standard or Premium versions

If you choose to install Visual Studio .NET, then there is no need to install the .NET Framework SDK, however you should still install MDAC 2.7, as it contains new and useful functionality for data access. In the following section we will cover the installation of the freely available .NET Framework SDK, which is all that is required to run the samples contained in this book.

Installing the .NET Framework SDK

After installing your selected operating system, Web browser, and database system, go to the MSDN download section at http://www.asp.net to get the setup files you will need

to get started. Alternatively you can visit http://www.microsoft.com/net, http://msdn. microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp, or http://www.gotdotnet.com.

When selecting which files to download, you should be aware that ASP.NET comes in two versions:

Standard, which is what is installed when you install the standard .NET Framework SDK

Premium, which provides advanced features specific to ASP.NET development such as Output Caching, Web Farm Session State, Code Access Hosting, and support for 4 CPU’s and above

For the purposes of running all of the examples in this book, we recommend that you download and install the Premium version.

Installation is fairly easy and consists of a single executable file. There are typically two key issues that arise during the installation process.

You may be asked to update the Microsoft Windows Installer Components, if this occurs be sure to allow this update to occur to prevent installation issues.

You may receive a warning message indicating that Microsoft Data Access Components 2.7 is not installed on your system. If you have followed our recommend installation scenarios illustrated earlier you should not receive this alert. If you have not installed MDAC 2.7, all is not lost you can select the ignore button and continue with the installation. However we recommend that you install MDAC 2.7 prior to beginning development.

All of the ADO.NET components and ASP.NET components are installed automatically when you run the setup routines for the .NET Framework SDK. Once the setup routines have completed, you should plan on activating the samples that are included with the .NET Framework. The setup page can be located on your PC typically at C:\Program Files\ Microsoft.Net\FrameworkSDK\Samples\startsamples.htm.

To activate the samples, you will need to follow the steps as outlined on the SDK Samples page. Here are the steps and common issues related to setting up the samples:

1.Select the Install the .NET Framework Samples Database hyperlink and when prompted choose Run this program from its current location. If you receive any security warnings, select Yes to allow the installation to continue. This setup will check to see if you have MSDE installed, if not it will install it, and then it will proceed to install the sample databases.

2.Select the Complete the Installation hyperlink and when prompted choose Run this program from its current location. Again, if you receive any security warnings, select Yes to allow the installation to continue. This will complete the installation of the setup files.

3.To begin reviewing the samples, navigate to the Start Programs Microsoft .NET Framework SDK Menu and select the Samples and QuickStart Tutorials item. Then select the hyperlink labeled, Start the ASP.NET QuickStart Tutorial. This will present you with the screen shown in Figure 2-1.

4.Run the setup programs included on the CD with this book to install the sample databases and application files used throughout this book.