Setting Up Visual InterDev 6.0

Many developers are starting to use Microsoft Visual InterDev 6.0 to build applications, but a good bit of confusion surrounds using it, which has to do with configuring the Visual InterDev server. If you don't configure the server correctly, the developer and possibly application users will experience a variety of problems.

In "Setting Up and Configuring IIS," August 1998, I explain how to install and configure Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). When I wrote the article, Visual InterDev 6.0 was a beta and many features were unstable. Because Visual InterDev 6.0 has been available since mid-1998, I want to revisit installing and configuring IIS and Visual InterDev 6.0.

Developers frequently ask me two questions with regard to using and configuring IIS and Visual InterDev 6.0. What OS do I need for my server? Can I use Windows 9x, or must I use Windows NT? The answer is simple: Use NT Server or NT Workstation to get the most out of Visual InterDev because NT supports all the Visual InterDev server features. With Win9x as the server, most features will work fine, but you won't be able to use the Visual InterDev Active Server Pages (ASP) debugging features and you won't have access to the IIS Web server management features. Because NT provides the most functionality for Visual InterDev 6.0 developers, this article highlights configuring and using Visual InterDev 6.0 on NT.

In addition to choosing NT as the OS, you must also use the appropriate Web server to host Visual InterDev applications. Don't use the Web server that comes with FrontPage because this server won't work with Visual InterDev applications. With NT Server 4.0, you need to use IIS for the Web server. With either NT Workstation 4.0 or Win9x, you need to use the Personal Web Server (PWS) for the respective OS. The NT 4.0 Option Pack, which the Visual InterDev 6.0 CD-ROM set includes, provides the proper Web server for each OS.

Before you start the installation, find the README file (readmevi.htm) in the root directory of the first CD-ROM, open it, and read it. This file documents many problems and gotchas that you might discover when configuring the Web server and its components. Although you might be tempted to hit the keys and go, this README file is worth finding, reading, and saving.

Server Software Installation
A production or development server requires certain software to operate correctly. At the start, you need IIS 4.0 (or PWS 4.0 for NT Workstation) or later, Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), and Visual InterDev Server 6.0.

Servers that developers will access using Visual InterDev will also require FrontPage Server Extensions. All communication between the Web server and Visual InterDev occurs over HTTP using FrontPage Server Extensions. You might need to install the extensions on your production server if you use a tool that requires the extensions to copy files to and from the server or your developers use robots or other runtime features that require the extensions. If you can eliminate the need for FrontPage Server Extensions, you can also eliminate some security concerns. But developers and Web masters have limited access to servers without the extensions.

To begin software installation, choose the Visual InterDev Server setup option to install the proper versions of the scripting engines and the Data Environment runtime files. When you install the NT Workstation PWS, select the option to use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) tools. PWS installs the MMC and the IIS snap-in that provides the maximum management capabilities. Using the PWS interface alone will limit you to the Win9x management options.

Visual InterDev 6.0 also requires server components to operate correctly. The server components are either upgrades to existing components such as FrontPage Server Extensions or new components such as Remote Machine Debugging. The IIS or PWS installation will include FrontPage Server Extensions, the Visual InterDev remote rapid application development (RAD) Deployment Support component, and the Remote Machine Debugging component. You might also want to install the Visual Studio Posting Acceptor component to build applications that let users upload files to the server. You need to select these extension and component options during the Option Pack installation steps. Follow these steps to install the server components:

1. Insert the first Visual InterDev or Visual Studio (VS) CD-ROM. Setup.exe automatically runs the Installation Wizard, which will lead you through the installation process.
2. Select Server Applications and Tools, then click Next. (If you've installed IIS, you can select Server Applications and Tools—Add Only—to add any further options.)
3. Select Launch BackOffice Installation Wizard, then click Install. The BackOffice Installation Wizard will prompt you to select the installation method.
4. Select Custom, and click Next.
5. Verify that your disk contains enough space, then click Next.
6. Screen 1 shows the available BackOffice programs and components. At a minimum, select the Remote Machine Debugging and Visual InterDev Server options.
7. Complete the steps in the wizard.

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