So when is a server really a server? On ASP 2 set up you get a nice Steve Guthrie blog entry telling you how to init all the built in providers. Following the bouncing ball I went out to my SQL 2005 and set up an empty database. When running aspnet_regsql.exe, I didn’t see my new database. Inspiration suggested I hook up the new database to VS 2005, but then I got struck by the “dummo ray”. The Server stack is really for servers – machines or IP addresses – and will not connect to an instance of SQL Server no matter how many times you point, click and type. However, once I added the instance to the Data Connects stack, life was good. I’m not sure why a SQL Server instance (machine name\instance name) has to be in the Data Connections to get the new empty database to be recognized by aspnet_regsql.exe – but it worked for me. Now if I can just find the new MMC plug-in for ASP.NET configuration so I can reset the connection string default…
The ASP.NET Config tool is at the bottom of the Website menu. I used the tool to select the provider for storing the site management data but was never really sure what I was selecting since all the tool (web page) shows is “AspNetSqlProvider”. The web config didn’t show any connect string definitions until I defined a data source.
We don’t create new web projects anymore. Now we must open new “web sites”. Either the web site open didn’t give me an opportunity to create a new virtual or I missed it. At any rate, I used the old tried and true method of the IIS manager to get my test virtual directory established. After that, it was easy to create my new web site where I wanted.
When I tried to add the DNN 4 Starter Kit to my templates, I had to open the zip by selecting VsContentInstaller.exe with the “Open With” option. It works great when you find the right tool.
To finish up my first outing with the new installation of ASP.NET 2.0 by dropping a a data grid on the page and getting that going in short order. Next I dropped a Report Viewer control and got that going quickly also.
Knowing ASP.NET 2.0 “is gonna be great” and proving it to yourself with shipping product is outstanding. We need to start using this in our daily work just as soon as we can. It really is a big advancement in our primary tool set.