How use ASP.net question

[Woody Splawn]

I have been using VB.net for stand alone and client/server kinds of things
but am beginning to explore its use for web applications. I need to ask a
couple of real basic questions.

My understanding is that if you are going to write an application for the
web using VS.net you need to have a web server. I suppose what is meant by
this is that you need to have a seperate machine (PC) connected to the web
who's sole purpose is to get and send data relative to your applicaiton.
Sort of a referee. I suppose this is where your database would reside if,
for example, you have a web app that provides data to or retreives data from
a user.

I will start with a real basic question. If I wanted to create a web
application that did not involve the exchange of data to a database would I
still need a seperate machine? I ask this question because, for example, I
have a web site right now that was created with FrontPage 2000. It does not
get any information from the user. I mean it stores no data in a database.
It just provide information about certain services I offer. Just wondering
if I could recreate this rather simple application using VB.net without
having to buy a seperate machine to act as a web server. I am thinking
that if I can, perhaps this would allow me to at least get into the game and
allow me to have one tool for creating my simply web app instead of VS and
FrontPage.

Anyone?

P.S. My service provider provides what are called FrontPage extensions and
all I do is create the app in FrontPage and then transfer it to their
server. Is there something similar to this I can do with VS. Would I be
able to do this, for example, if the ISP had the network framework on their
machine?

 

[Alvin Bruney [MVP]]

yes that's basically correct. all you need is IIS installed and the
framework. you do not need a dedicated server.

I will start with a real basic question. If I wanted to create a web
application that did not involve the exchange of data to a database would I
still need a seperate machine?

even if you had an application involved the exchange of data, you could
still do everything on one computer as well. It is recommended, not needed.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Hi Woody,

My understanding is that if you are going to write an application for the
web using VS.net you need to have a web server. I suppose what is meant by

Your confusion is understandable, because the word "server" is interpreted
both as a machine and a piece of software, depending on the context in which
it is used, and often that context is ambiguous as well. Strictly speaking,
the term in this case refers to a piece of software. A web server is a
service that resides on a machine and listens on a network port for
requests. An ASP.Net web application is a special kind of web site which has
server-side code running on it, performing various tasks, and dynamically
generating HTML pages to the client browsers.

Your database, if you are using one, again, is a piece of software, and it
can reside anywhere, on the same machine, on a different machine, whatever.

I will start with a real basic question. If I wanted to create a web
application that did not involve the exchange of data to a database would I
still need a seperate machine? I ask this question because, for example,

I

Again, you could host both your web site and a database on the same machine.
So the answer is "no."

P.S. My service provider provides what are called FrontPage extensions and
all I do is create the app in FrontPage and then transfer it to their
server. Is there something similar to this I can do with VS. Would I be
able to do this, for example, if the ISP had the network framework on their
machine?

Visual Studio.Net is not publishing software like FrontPage. However, you
can work with an ASP.Net web application in both Visual Studio.Net and
FrontPage (I use FrontPage to do my HTML), and then use FrontPage to do your
publishing.

--
HTH,
Kevin Spencer
..Net Developer
Microsoft MVP
Big things are made up
of lots of little things.