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    Devshed Beginner (1000 - 1499 posts)

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    Recommended setup/resources for fresh IIS/ASP.NET server?

    (Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, the IIS forum seemed more apt than the ASP.NET one.)

    I started working for my current small employer as a developer, but I am slowly consuming all computer-related tasks. Our current website is written in Coldfusion, and both it and the server it runs on is a large Charlie Foxtrot. One of my future tasks is to take it and re-write it entirely in ASP.NET (a task I'm somewhat looking forward to).

    Since I'll basically be starting from scratch (not reusing any code, just using the existing site as a basic template for structure and what it needs to be able to do), I'd like to also start the server from scratch, as it has likely built up a lot of cruft from not having a regular IT manager (their IT has basically been some contracted individuals who work from home or come in 4-8 hours a week, the owner is somewhat computer-savvy and has done a lot on her own).

    What is a good setup? We don't have a lot of spare cash (thanks, economy!) so we'll have to stick with our current hardware and available Windows Server licenses. Our primary server has the following setup, if it matters:
    -Intel Xeon E5620@2.39Ghz
    -6.00 GB RAM
    -Windows Server 2008 64-bit

    Our development server, unfortunately, is not nearly as up to spec:
    -Intel Xeon @2.39Ghz (Don't know model off the top of my head)
    -3.5 GB RAM
    -Windows Server 2003 32-bit

    The goal is to keep the primary server as-is until I've completed the new website on the development server, at which time the development server will temporarily replace the primary server while I reconfigure it.

    While I have over a decade of web development experience, I have almost no web server experience, and what experience I have is primarily LAMP environments. I'm very eager to learn, but there are so many different resources that I really don't know where to start.

    What do you recommend as a good web server setup using IIS/ASP.NET/MSSQL? Express vs. Professional? We only serve about 100 clients and don't expect a large boon anytime soon. What are good sites on web server administration/setup? Books? Other resources to learn? Components to install?

    I've also coded only in ASP, not ASP.NET, so any resources/input on that is highly appreciated.
    I'd rather teach you to fish than give you a fish. I reserve the right to also slap you with the fish.
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    Devshed Newbie (0 - 499 posts)

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    May 2009
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    The server hardware is enought to start with. Take in mind that you should also have a backup internet line and power supply. Also, you should manage the security yourself. If you have only 100 customers you can also consider getting a shared ASP.NET hosting (around $5 per month) or VPS server (around $50 per month).

    Good site that you can start learning IIS and ASP.NET are http://iis.net/ and http://asp.net/.

    http://www.windowshostingasp.net/ - Free ASP.NET Web hosting resources and information.

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