It appears that the DNN Web Platfrom Installer has some issues that need to be looked at.
Background - i configured a new clear win 8.1 system as a virtualbox - so basically a fresh install on windows 8.1 as it would appear straight out of the box. I went to the dnn website and selected the standard dnn install link.
This linked me to download a exe that contained the latest ms web platform installer, which i ran and was eventually presented with a pre-requisites page.
This page was somewhat confusing - it seemed to want me to select a sql server - but there is not server installed at this stage. The page needs to explain in better detail that what needs to happen is that you should create a base password for a new sql server - that this pre-requisite will apparently configure - this is NOT clear at all.
Moving on from there - after working out what the page seems to want you to do. Created a password -and click OK.
After a couple more OK clicks everything seems to process ok - iis is installer, asp.net 4.x is installed, ms sql is installed ---- eventually the dialog shows FINISHED DOWNLOADING ---- but the installer then seems to go into a hang ---- it just sits there forever installing --- left it for a number of hours --- nothing further happen. Did this a couple of times for fresh version of windows.
After going back a forward - with things always hanging - I had a look at the default options that are beiing set for the installer itself.
IT APPEARS that one of the default settings is not correct - the setting in question is - which web server to use - the default that was set when I opened OPTIONS - is to use webmartix --- but I was running the standard installer - not the webmatrix installer - to get the install to actually complete - well almost more on that later - you need to change this option to IIS.
This it would appear needs to be fixed - no one trying to run the default installer - would know that this possibly needs to be changed ...
I dont have a spare clean computer to test this out on as well - only the virtualbox platform - but this happens every time a do a flush and reset of the system back to the clear default.
OK - moving on - AFTER changing this option - the installation actually seems to complete - well almost - the system tries to fire up the website in IE - and an error is displayed
IIS 8.5 Detailed Error - 404.17 - Not Found
The requested content appears to be script and will not be served by the static file handler.
AND - if you try to directly go to the hosted webpage itself you get:
IIS 8.5 Detailed Error - 500.21 - Internal Server Error
Handler "ExtensionlessUrl-Integrated-4.0" has a bad module "ManagedPipelineHandler" in its module list
To fix the first error - for some reason according to a browser of the web - ASP.NET 4.0 needed to uninstalled and then reinstalled.
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After doing this and a reboot or two a new set of errors start to appear.
IIS 8.5 Detailed Error - 500.19 - Internal Server Error
IIS 8.5 Detailed Error - 500.19 - Internal Server Error
| This configuration section cannot be used at this path. This happens when the section is locked at a parent level. Locking is either by default (overrideModeDefault="Deny"), or set explicitly by a location tag with overrideMode="Deny" or the legacy allowOverride="false". |
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TO fix this I then went BACK into the windows setup area - and discovered that the application development options for asp.net were also turned off - at which stage i turned them back on - and after another reboot - I WAS FINALLY able to access the site and get the DNN Installer to fire up.
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I dont have time right now to dig further on this to workout which parts are ultimately to blame for the issues
- BUT FRANKLY - I would think this is all a bit embarrassing.
IF this is the installer process that is being recommended by DNN - and it fails to work on a clear current version on windows 8.1 - then something needs to be done about it.
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Has anyone at DNN actually tested this out on a clean machine. I only have a virtual to test it on - so its possible there maybe be some complicating issues there too - BUT in this day and age its actually as likely as anything that this is how a new use might want to try out dnn anyway.
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This installer should install - ALL the pre-reqisites - ANY patches or Services packs that might be needed - and CONFIGURE the system so that it WORKS - this is NOT some rare or unique system configuration or setup.
I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of anyone else on this ...
Westa