Understanding Packages

When you deploy a Web application via MSDeploy, the application is first packaged into one archive that makes deployment easier. The package contains all the required information about the host Web server and files and settings required by the application. You set package information in the Package/Publish Web tab of My Project, as shown in Figure 38.3.

Figure 38.3 Setting options for packaging Web applications for deployment.

Here you can find default settings for the local IIS, but you can place settings provided by the system administrator of the target machine. To build the package, simply right-click the project name in Solution Explorer and click Build Deployment Package. Basically the package contains the following elements:

• The package containing the application and settings

• The destination manifest, which contains information on how to reach the target server

• The command line script that will be passed to MSDeploy

When you have your package, you are ready to deploy it with MSDeploy.