I decided to begin my
Single Sign-On Quest with
Custom Cookie Authentication, which meant that since I already created the parent ASP.NET Cookie app my next step was to install Community Server in an application subdirectory.
Authentication Enlightenment will have to wait, however, because I wanted to first list the steps I took to install my http://cscookies/cs Community. My philosophy is that there can never be too many step-by-step CS installation posts in the world! (Kind of like a guy can never have too many pairs of white socks or underwear.) The setup process took all of about 10 minutes, and yes, my coffee was still nice and hot afterwards. Those insulated travel mugs are great!
I installed the Web Installer version of Community Server, not the SDK, and will be installing a license, a required pre-requisite before using any of the Security Add-Ons. I'm mentioning that here because any version of Community Server, once the appropriate license is installed, is rockin' ready for any and all add-ons and gateway packages you may want to add later. I also like the fact that there are only four versions of Community Server 2.0 to chose from, each with their obvious uses: an SDK with full source, an MSI installer version, and two Web Installer versions for ASP.NET 1.1 and ASP.NET 2.0. That's it, and in the end, all the exact same package.
Here were the steps I took to get a new CS Community Site up and running.
- Grabbed the CS 2.0 (Web Install) - ASP.NET 2.0 from the Releases area of CS.ORG Downloads. Screenshot. Link to the Releases downloads.
- Extracted the ZIP. The contents of the Web Installer version looks like this.
- Created a database in SQL Enterprise Manager and a dbo user for the CS app
- Copied the install \web directory to my cscookies \cs directory, like so.
- Made cscookies\cs folder an application in IIS
- Updated the CS web.config SiteSQLServer connection string for my dbo user
- Ran the CS Web Installer at http://cscookies/cs/installer.
- Grooved on my new CS Site while drinking my coffee