MSDeploy Publish

One of the new features in deploying Web applications is the Microsoft Web Deployment Tool, also known as MSDeploy that is a command-line tool included in the .NET Framework 4 and which can build advanced deployment scripts. MSDeploy is an advanced tool in that it can

• Publish Web applications and their settings.

• Deploy SQL Server databases.

• Direct advanced deployment to Internet Information Services web servers.

• Publish GAC, COM, and Registry settings.

MSDeploy is a complex tool, and writing the appropriate command lines can be annoying. Fortunately Visual Studio 2010 allows publishing Web applications via MSDeploy through the Publish Web dialog as demonstrated later. Before getting into that, you need to know how Web applications are packaged before deployment.