Share via

ASP.NET Platform Requirements

  • Article

ASP.NET is supported on Windows 2000 (Professional, Server, and Advanced Server), Windows XP Professional, and the Windows Server 2003 family for both client and server applications. In addition, to develop ASP.NET server applications, the following software is also required:

  • Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server with Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional or 64-Bit Edition, or one of the Windows Server 2003 family products.

  • MDAC 2.7 for Data

  • Internet Information Services

    Note   XML Web services created using ASP.NET support the same platforms supported by ASP.NET. XML Web service clients, however, are supported by all platforms supported by the Microsoft .NET Framework.

For more information, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

On the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 family, ASP.NET is installed as a role on the operating system. To deploy ASP.NET Web applications to a production server, you must enable the ASP.NET and IIS roles on the production server before you distribute the application.

On Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000 Server, ASP.NET is installed with the .NET Framework, whether alone or as a part of Visual Studio .NET. To deploy ASP.NET Web applications to a production server, you must be sure that Internet Information Services (IIS) is installed and running on that server before you install the .NET Framework. For information on how to install IIS, see the documentation for your operating system.

Note   You can install the .NET Framework version 1.0 on a computer that has the .NET Framework version 1.1 installed on it. There are a number of specific issues that you need to know about if you want to do this. For more information, see Managing Multiple Versions of ASP.NET.

Note   If you have installed ASP.NET and the .NET Framework on a server and you then uninstall and reinstall IIS, the script maps will break and ASP.NET will not work. If this happens, you can repair the ASP.NET script maps with the ASP.NET IIS Registration tool (Aspnet_regiis.exe). For more information, see ASP.NET IIS Registration Tool (Aspnet_regiis.exe)

Note   If you install the .NET Framework version 1.1 on a domain controller, the installation does not create the local ASPNET account. Instead, ASP.NET applications run under other identities. On Windows 2000 domain controller servers, ASP.NET applications run under the IWAM_machinename identity. On Windows 2003 domain controller servers, ASP.NET applications run under the NETWORK SERVICE identity (regardless of the IIS isolation mode). Under some circumstances, running ASP.NET on a domain controller requires that you take extra steps to make the installation work properly. For more information about potential problems running version 1.1 on a domain controller, see article Q824308, "IWAM Account is Not Granted the Impersonate Privilege for ASP.NET 1.1 on Windows 2000 Domain Controller with SP4," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at https://support.microsoft.com. For more information about running version 1.0 of the .NET Framework on a domain controller, see article Q315158, "ASP.NET Does Not Work with the Default ASPNET Account on a Domain Controller," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at https://support.microsoft.com.

ASP.NET is installed along with the .NET Framework version 1.1 as a part of each of the Windows Server 2003 family of products. You simply need to add it as a new program from the Control Panel or use the Configure Your Server Wizard to enable it. In addition, you can download version 1.0 from the Web following the instructions from the To install ASP.NET on a computer with Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 Server procedure, later in this topic. Version 1.0 is also installed when you install Visual Studio .NET.

Note   On servers running Windows .NET, when you use the Configure Your Server Wizard or the Add or Remove Programs dialog box to install ASP.NET, ASP.NET is automatically enabled in the IIS Manager. However, if you install ASP.NET from a Web download or as part of an application download such as Visual Studio .NET, you must enable ASP.NET manually. For instructions, see the To enable ASP.NET in the IIS Manager on the Windows Server 2003 Family procedure later in this topic.

To install ASP.NET on a server running Windows .NET using the Configure Your Server Wizard

  1. On the taskbar, click the Start button and then click Manage Your Server, and in the Manage Your Server window, click Add or remove a role.
  2. In the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Next, and in the Server Role dialog box, check Web Application Server (IIS, ASP.NET) and then click Next.
  3. In the Web Application Server Options dialog box, click the Enable ASP.NET check box, click Next, and then click Next again.
  4. If necessary, insert your Windows Server 2003 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and then click Next.
  5. When the installation is complete, click Finish.

To install ASP.NET on a server running Windows .NET using the Add or Remove Programs dialog box

  1. On the taskbar, click the Start button, point to Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
  2. In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click Add/Remove Windows Components.
  3. In the Components box in the Windows Components Wizard, click the Web Application Server check box, and then click Next.
  4. When the Windows Components Wizard has finished configuring Windows Server 2003, click Finish.

To enable ASP.NET in the IIS Manager on the Windows Server 2003 Family

  1. On the taskbar, click the Start button and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box in the Run dialog box, type inetmgr, and then click OK.
  3. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer and then click Web Service Extensions.
  4. In the right pane, right-click ASP.NET and then click Allow. The status of ASP.NET changes to Allowed.

When you install Visual Studio .NET on a computer running Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 Server, the .NET Framework and ASP.NET are automatically installed as well. If you want to install ASP.NET and the .NET Framework by themselves, you can download them over the Web and install them on your server. The following procedure provides instructions on how to do this.

To download and install ASP.NET on a computer running Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 Server

  1. If necessary, install and start IIS. For installation instructions, see the documentation for your operating system.
  2. At https://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp, expand Software Development Kits, click on Microsoft .NET Framework SDK, and then read the page for requirements, instructions, and options for downloading the SDK.
  3. Click the download option that you want, read the end-user licensing agreement, and then click Yes.
  4. In the File Download dialog box, click Save, choose the folder where you want the setup program and Readme files to be downloaded, and then click Save.
  5. Review the Readme file for any last-minute instructions.
  6. In the folder where you downloaded it, double-click the .NET Framework setup program, Setup.exe.

If you have installed and enabled IIS, installed ASP.NET and the .NET Framework, deployed your application, and requested a page but receive one of the following error messages, the proper permissions have not been set for the Web site or virtual directory:

  • Access denied to 'C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot' directory. Failed to start monitoring directory changes.
  • Server cannot access application directory 'C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\ Virtual Directory Name \'. The directory does not exist or is not accessible because of security settings.

ASP.NET requires read, execute, and list access for the ASPNET account (the Aspnet_wp.exe process account) on the root Web site or on any virtual directory. These settings are necessary so that ASP.NET can access the content files and can monitor file changes. Use the following procedure to correct this problem.

To add read, execute, and list permissions for the ASPNET account on the root Web site or on a virtual directory

  1. In Windows Explorer, browse to the folder that contains the root Web site (which is C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot by default) or the virtual directory.

  2. Right-click the folder and then click Properties.

  3. On the Security tab, click Add.

  4. Type ComputerName \ASPNET (for example, on a computer named Webdev, type Webdev\ASPNET) and then click OK.

  5. Allow the following permissions for the ASPNET account: Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read.

  6. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box and to save the changes.

    Note   You do not need to perform these steps if the Everyone group or the Users group has read access to the root Web site or virtual directory.

See also

Creating ASP.NET Web Applications