How do you specify the deployIisAppPath to a site root that is not DefaultWebSite?

Question

I have a ASP.NET MVC web application project that I want to deploy to my IIS webserver. The site tree is set up thusly:

SERVERNAME(myDomain\Username)
   Application Pools
   Sites
      Default Web Site
      MyProjectSite
         bin
         Content
         ...
         Views

I am trying to deploy to the MyProject site. See below settings that I am using versus the errors I am returning. I am apparently not specifying my site path correctly, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what it should be.

The following settings stay the same between iterations:

/p:DeployOnBuild=True /p:DeployTarget=MsDeployPublish /p:CreatePackageOnPublish=False /p:MSDeployPublishMethod=WMSvc /p:AuthType=Basic /p:Username="myUserName" /p:Password="MyPassword" /p:AllowUntrustedCertificate=True

Specify SiteName/ as IISAppPath:

Parameters:

/p:MsDeployServiceUrl="https://serverName:8172/MsDeploy.axd?Site=MyProjectSite" /p:DeployIisAppPath="MyProjectSite/"

Error:

Could not complete an operation with the specified provider ("createApp") when connecting using the Web Management Service - I don't want to create a new site. I want to sync the content that is already there.

Specify IISAppPath as Root (supposing that the sitename in the URL is used)

Parameters:

/p:MsDeployServiceUrl="https://serverName:8172/MsDeploy.axd?Site=MyProjectSite" /p:DeployIisAppPath="/"

Error:

Could not complete an operation with the specified provider ("iisApp") when connecting using the Web Management Service - Looks like it is trying to access the Default WebSite or something (to which I have purposefully NOT given myself rights).

Specify IISAppPath as empty string(supposing that the sitename in the URL is used)

Parameters:

/p:MsDeployServiceUrl="https://serverName:8172/MsDeploy.axd?Site=MyProjectSite" /p:DeployIisAppPath=""

Error:

The "ConcatFullServiceUrlWithSiteName" task was not given a value for the required parameter "SiteAppName" - So it interprets "" as actually a null value thus breaking an attempt to concatenate it.

Specify no site attribute in the URL but SiteName/ as IISAppPath

Parameters:

/p:MsDeployServiceUrl="https://serverName:8172/MsDeploy.axd" /p:DeployIisAppPath="MyProjectSite/"

Error:

Could not complete an operation with the specified provider ("createApp") when connecting using the Web Management Service

Specify no site attribute in URL but SiteName as IISAppPath

Parameters:

/p:MsDeployServiceUrl="https://serverName:8172/MsDeploy.axd" /p:DeployIisAppPath="MyProjectSite"

Error:

Could not complete an operation with the specified provider ("createApp") when connecting using the Web Management Service

Now given that it is running a concatenate on the SiteAppName, it must be combining it with the Site name, yes? What are you supposed to put there to get the site to sync to the root of a site?

Update

In an attempt to figure out the proper path scheme, I have tried to publish using the Visual Studio 2012 Publish dialog. In this case, I am returned an error saying that The request timed out (testing the connection works almost instantly and previewing the changes works but takes a few seconds). I checked the event log, and the tracelog for wmsvc to no avail. Even with trace set to verbose, nothing shows up in the tracelog. I have tried disabling the firewalls on both computers, and nothing seems to work on that front either.

Solution

Figured this one out.

The problem stemmed from two settings in the Web Deploy page of the project properties. I had previously set this project up (in the Debug configuration) to copy only the files necessary to run the application, and NOT build a zip package. I neglected however to do anything to those settings for the release configuration.

The reason (confidence level 75%) it was trying to use createApp was because it was deploying from the Zip package it had created. So my IISAppPath settings in those cases were fine, I was just deploying the wrong thing.

I set the Create deployment package as a zip file setting to false, and the Items to deploy dropdown to Only files needed to run this application and everything went off without a hitch.

Incidentally I found out (as referred above) that you can use the Publish Profiles outputted by the Web Publish dialog in Visual Studio (2012 only unfortunately; 2010 you have to do some massaging that I am unsure of). I named mine with no spaces, and supplied the password as an argument as well as the Untrusted Certificate setting. Now MSBuild Arguments in the build definition for TFS look like this: /p:DeployOnBuild=True;PublishProfile=NameOfPublishProfile /p:AllowUntrustedCertificate=True /p:Password=PleaseVerifyMe

Comments

[Isantipov]

congratulations! Did you figure out why it worked OK for the other servers?

[CodeWarrior]

Yup. I was using the Debug configuration. That one was actually set up correctly to deploy (i.e. Only Files to Run the Application and NOT create a zip for publish). Thanks for your help!

[FlyingMaverick]

What about getting it to work with Visual Studio 2012, where they removed the ZIP option.

[CodeWarrior]

Hmm... I am almost positive that the Zip File setting was in the Package/Publish Web page of the Properties, but I don't see it there. Was it removed in one of the updates? All of the above was in VS 2012.

[JMD]

/P:CreatePackageOnPublish=True ... causes my script to create the .zip file. +1 for /p:PublishProfile={profileName} ... that's what I was missing with VS2012.

[JMD]

And so far, for my dev server build and deployment, I've got it down to: msbuild HelloWorld.csproj /P:Configuration=Debug /P:DeployOnBuild=True /P:PublishProfile=HelloWorldDebug /P:AllowUntrustedCertificate=True /P:UserName=buildserverusername /P:Password=buildserveruserpass

[CodeWarrior]

@JMD Yeah, I ended up removing CreatePackageOnPublish as that was not what I wanted. I think this whole thing would be better if Microsoft put out better documentation or a cookbook or something. Maybe one day I will write something up based on my experiences.

[JMD]

I've found this 5-part walk-through to be invaluable. It's written for VS2010 so it doesn't take /p:PublishProfile=x into account, but it's very good otherwise: troyhunt.com/2010/11/you-deploying-it-wrong-teamcity.html

[MADCookie]

@CodeWarrior, I'm having a similar issue, but my error is "ERROR_SITE_DOES_NOT_EXIST". I'm very concerned that I am not supplying the correct DeployIisAppPath value. Can you confirm for me, that you used the IIS Site name? So you expanded "Sites" and the name you saw there is the value DeployIisAppPath wants?? I'm about to make an official question on SO.

[MADCookie]

I wrote my question up in SO if you want to help answer it. stackoverflow.com/questions/22233496/…