1. DotNetNuke v4 Web Portals
Portal Installation, Deployment, and Upgrades
V2.1

2. Stan Schultes Enterprise Developer/Architect in Sarasota, FL
DotNetNuke User & Evangelist since 2/2003
MSDN Webcasts & articles
Former Columnist & Contributing Editor
Visual Studio Magazine/VB Programmers Journal
Microsoft MVP in Visual Basic
Contact:
Web:
Blog: stanschultes.spaces.live.com

3. WebCast Series on DotNetNuke
Jan 31: DNN v3 – Overview
Jan 31: DNN v3 – Installation and Configuration
Feb 4: DNN v3 – Portal Management
Feb 4: DNN v3 – Custom Module Development
May 16: DNN v3 – Building Custom Modules
May 16: DNN v3 – Advanced Module Development
2006 WebCasts:
Feb 13: DNN v4 – Overview
Feb 13: DNN v4 – Running on ASP.NET v2
(DotNetNuke  Downloads)
Overview – General survey of DNN v3 portal features with highlights of things that are new in v3.
Installation & Configuration – covers what you need to get the DNN v3 portal running.
Portal Management – covers how to make the DNN v3 portal work for you.
Custom Module Development – dives into the architecture for custom modules.
Building Custom Modules – walks through the custom module development process in VS.
Advanced Module Development – covers multi-view modules, interfaces, and an overview of core namespaces for developers.

4. Agenda – DNN v4 Introduction Technical Overview Installing
Configuring & Managing
Deploying
Upgrading
Other Discussion
Resources

5. Intro to DNN v4 What is DotNetNuke? Business Case Virtualization
Open source ASP.NET-based web portal
Business Case
Virtualization
Usage Scenarios
Web Hosters
Corporate Portal Developers
Individual Users

6. Technical Overview Framework application, modular construction
Core provides plumbing with pluggable services
Content is dynamically generated
Extend with custom modules
Portals / Pages / Modules
Portals = websites (unique URLs), sub-portals
Pages = portal organizational units
Modules = information containers
All are individually skinnable
Membership – Roles & Users
Online configuration & content management by role
Host & Portal Admins
Framework app –a dynamically generated application with a provider structure for plumbing (data access, membership, scheduler, logging, exceptions, etc.)
Modular construction – modules plug in easily through an install/uninstall interface. You can deploy your portals with whatever modular options you want.
Modules: user controls which are injected into the page at runtime.

7. Features in DNN v4 v4.0 – v4.2: v4.3: V4.4: v4.5: v4.6: v4.7: V4.8:
ASP.NET v2.0, Core Modularization, Client API/AJAX, Windows Auth, WebFarm Support
v4.3:
Data Access, Event Queue, Folder Security, Membership, Nav Provider, Page Templates, Profile, Role Groups, Roles, Usability
V4.4:
Performance & Scalability
v4.5:
Installation Wizard, SSL Support, Page & User Quotas, Profile, more AJAX support
v4.6:
Authentication Providers, Components Installer, Skin Token Repl.
v4.7:
Import/Export Page, Newsletter Enhancements
V4.8:
Support for VS 2008 & IIS 7, SQL 2008, Server 2008
DNN v4.3 and v3.3 were functionally equivalent, divergence has occurred since then
History:
3.3 – Data Access, Event Queue, Folder Security, Membership, Nav Provider, Page Templates, Profile, Role Groups, Roles, Usability
3.2 – Client API / AJAX, Windows Authentication
3.1 – Core Modularization, Web Farm Support
3.0 – Client API, Core Modularization, Data Model, File Manager, Friendly URLs, Import/Export, Installation/Provisioning, Static Localization, Portal Module Defn’s, Portal Search, URL Abstraction
2.1 – Event Logging, Rich Text Editor, Scheduler, SolPartMenu Skin Object, System Messages, URL Abstraction
2.0 – Skinning & DAL

8. Installing Install vs. Source Packages Dev Machine vs. Server
Virtual Machine Staging
Options: Modules, Authorization, Languages
Initial Configuration:
Directory permissions
SQL database
Virtual web directory, ASP.NET v2
Edit new web.config (DB conn, MachineKeys, custom)

9. Demo - Installation
Installation Walkthrough
V4 Features - briefly

10. Configuring & Managing
Host vs. Portal Admin Roles
Portal Templates, Site Wizard
Install Modules & Skins, custom modules
Skin portals, pages, modules
Providers for plug-in flexibility
Data access, membership/roles/profile, authentication, html edit, search, scheduling, logging, friendly urls, navigation, caching
Custom Module / Resources Installer
Install page or scheduled event
Scheduled Tasks
Virtualization – many portals/subs in 1 install
Backup & Disaster Planning
Host – controls overall installation & configuration
Parent & Child Portals, Aliases
Create locales, change resource files
Payment processing, demos, premium services
Friendly URLs
Set site log storage to database or file
Caching & Performance settings
Portal Admin – manages single site configuration
Site Wizard
Vendors & Banner Ads
Newsletters (Bulk in v2)
Apply skins & containers
Choose locale (applies resource files)

11. Deploying Your Portal Local vs. hosted install Portal Aliases
Ideally: your web host supports DNN auto install
Reality: build a local staging site first
Object: install only runtime files on hosted site
Upgrades: rehearse on your staging site first!
Portal Aliases
Shared hosting / databases
use objectQualifier (any unique string) in web.config for shared DBs
Running in Medium Trust environments
add requirePermissions=“False” to all config sections
see Code Access Security (CAS) doc
Use portal templates & module/page exports to deploy content
Think through (& test!) your backup / restore process
Host access: Dedicated, FTP, Zipfile, auto install DNN
Medium Trust: add requirePermissions=“False” to all config sections (see Install Guide p.18)
Trigger an install with AutoUpgrade=False by browsing to: Install/Install.aspx?mode=Install

12. Upgrading DotNetNuke Third Party Modules? Stage Intermediate Versions:
V  v2.1.2  v3.3.7  v4.8.2
Process:
Rehearse the upgrade on your staging site!
Back up current files, configuration, database, web.config
Use app_offline.htm to display upgrading message (ASP.NET v2)
Unzip the Upgrade/Install package into portal directory
Source package: no auto upgrade from DNN v3 to v4
Configure new web.config
DB connection strings, MachineKeys, custom settings
Set AutoUpgrade setting in web.config to False while configuring site
Browse to: <url>/install/install.aspx?mode=install
Obsolete files are automatically deleted
(\portals\_default\<ver>.txt)
Option: after upgrade, export/import to a clean install to get fresh DB

13. Upgrade Rules Migrate only between same DB versions
Upgrade at most one major version at a time
Always use clean web.config
Carefully match machine keys
Change only one thing at a time
Test & backup!
Shoot for a clean DB and directories
Tips & Tricks:
Simplify the site
Use standard modules
Check for 3rd party module upgrades
Upgrade custom modules separately
Copy/paste obsolete content into HTML modules
Keep your old site online for comparison
DNN forums & Gemini bug tracker are excellent resources for problem solving
Rehearse your upgrade

14. Other Discussion Staging Strategies Migration is difficult
Portal Export doesn’t include users
No tools for separating portals
Migration Case Studies
Intranet: v1.0  v4.5
Hosted: v  v4.8.0
Collaborative vs. Single Admin Sites
Module Development
Running Multiple Portals

15. Resources DotNetNuke.com Resource Sites:
Blogs & Forums
Bug Tracker (Gemini)
Projects
DNN Marketplace
Resource Sites:
DNN WebControls Project
- DNN community Encyclopedia
- DNN skinning resources
- Magazine
SnowCovered.com – commercial modules
User Groups
Presentations & Webcasts

16. Migration Case Study v1.0  v4.5
Corporate Intranet
V1 was working fine, new face & features desired
Core code was modified, one custom module
Hardcoded skin, bug fixes
Few 3rd party modules used (blog, gallery)
V1.0.10e  v4.5.3
Summer Intern project
Staged & tested to minimize data loss
Elapsed time: 6 weeks
Objectives:
Improved stability
New capabilities:
Modules
Skinning
AD integration
ASP.NET v2 module dev
document directories w/ role security
Going “all the way” didn’t work v1.0  v4.5, had to break it down into stages

17. Migration v1  v4.5 - Stage 1 v1.0.10e  v2.1.2 Backup
Unzip v2.1.2 to new directory (source only)
Point virtual directory to new install
New web.config points to prior DB
Copy \Portals contents to new directory
Visit site, upgrades smoothly
Delete obsolete modules (gallery, blog, custom)
Console app automates the process

18. Migration v1  v4.5 - Stage 2 v2.1.2  v3.2.2 Backup
Unzip v3.2.2 Install package to new directory
Point virtual directory to new install
New web.config points to prior DB
Copy \Portals contents to new directory
Issues during upgrade:
Main Links module no longer on all pages
IFrame, Text/HTML ugprade bugs
Legacy ContainerSrc setting hiding some containers
Click tracking and link logging history lost
This step was necessary because too much content was lost going directly to v3.3.7
Created a script to assist in fixing the upgrade issues.

19. Migration v1  v4.5 – Stage 3 v3.2.2  v3.3.7 Backup
Unzip v3.3.7 Install package to new directory
Point virtual directory to new install
New web.config points to prior DB
Ensure MachineValidation/DecryptionKeys match
Copy \Portals contents to new directory
Upgrades smoothly

20. Migration v1  v4.5 – Stage 4 v3.3.7  v4.5.3 Backup
Unzip v4.5.3 Install package to new directory
Point virtual directory to new install
Set to ASP.NET v2, set Request Execution Timout=600
New web.config points to prior DB
Ensure MachineValidation/DecryptionKeys match
Add <httpRuntime executionTimeout=“600”>
Copy \Portals contents to new directory
Obtain latest Contacts module
Rename \Install\*.resource to *.zip for all modules
After upgrade, export portal template
This step was necessary because the v4.5.5 portal wouldn’t export/import a portal template to itself, but v4.5.5 would import v4.5.3 template

21. Migration v1  v4.5 – Stage 5 v4.5.3  v4.5.5 Backup
Unzip v4.5.5 Install package to new directory
Point virtual directory to new install
Set to ASP.NET v2, set Request Execution Timout=600
New web.config points to empty DB
Ensure MachineValidation/DecryptionKeys match
Add <httpRuntime executionTimeout=“600”>
Custom install, include all modules
Site Wizard: import v4.5.3 portal template
Copy \Portals\_default from v4.5.3 to v4.5.5
Fix up Documents & Links modules – pointers mixed up
Put documents into subdirectories with roles
The export/import step was to insure we were running from a clean DB (not upgraded v1  v4.5)

22. Migration v1  v4.5 – Finishing
Bringing the new portal into production
Backup
Set portal alias to Intranet URL
Create vdir to original portal for reference
Created and installed a new skin
Set up Active Directory authentication
Rebuilt Gallery module contents
Saved some original blog content into HTML
Tested & fixed up a few minor problems