Walkthrough: Validating an Application System for Deployment

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This scenario builds on that developed in Walkthrough: Applying Constraints to a Logical Datacenter. In this scenario, you will bind applications within your system to the logical datacenter and then validate to see whether this system could successfully deploy in that datacenter.

Before you start this walkthrough, it is important to have some basic knowledge of the Logical Datacenter Designer. Also, it is important to know how the Logical Datacenter Designer works in association with the other Distributed System Designers. For more information, see Overview of Logical Datacenter Designer and Workflow Across Distributed System Designers.

To create a deployment diagram

  1. Open the Catalog.sln solution file you finished creating in Walkthrough: Applying Constraints to a Logical Datacenter.

    A sample that demonstrates the outcome of this walkthrough is available on the Microsoft Download Center at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=40867.

  2. Right-click the WebClientSystem.sd file in Solution Explorer and click Open.

    The system diagram opens in System Designer.

  3. Right-click the WebClientSystem system and click Define Deployment.

    The Define Deployment dialog box appears. This dialog box allows you to choose the logical datacenter diagram that you want to use for creating a deployment definition. The eCommerceDatacenter.ldd file appears selected automatically because it is the only logical datacenter diagram in your solution.

  4. Click OK.

    Visual Studio creates a new deployment diagram in your solution and opens it in Deployment Designer.

  5. From the System View window, drag SalesWebClient to the HardenedIIS Web server.

  6. From the System View window, drag Catalog to ApplicationServer.

    The Binding Details dialog box appears.

  7. Bind CatalogWebService to SecureApplicationsWebSite.

    This binds CatalogWebService to the appropriate Web site host. You must bind Web services that exist on the same Web application to the same Web site.

  8. Click OK

  9. From the System View window, drag CatalogDB to Catalogs.

    Note

    The solution that you loaded from the sample does not contain an external database connection for CatalogDB.

You have now bound all your applications to the appropriate logical server hosts. You will now validate your deployment definition to determine whether any conflicts exist between application settings and logical server constraints.

To validate a deployment definition

  • Right-click the deployment diagram, and click Validate Diagram.

    Deployment Designer validates the settings and constraints in the System Definition Model (.sdm) file for the system against those in the .sdm file for the target logical datacenter modeled in eCommerceDatacenter.ldd. The Error List window displays any validation warnings that occur. For more information about .sdm files, see Overview of the System Definition Model (SDM).

    In this scenario, the following validation warnings appear in the Error List window:

    • "The constraint parameter 'Allowed Security Modes' requires that the setting 'Mode' be set to 'Forms', but it is currently set to 'Windows'."

    • "The constraint parameter 'Requires Impersonation' requires that the setting 'Impersonate' be set to 'True', but it is currently set to 'False'."

You will now fix these warnings.

To fix validation warnings

  1. In the Error List window, right-click the first warning (Allowed Security Modes), point to Go To, and click Mode Setting on Catalog (CatalogServiceSystem).

    The CatalogSystem system diagram appears. The Settings and Constraints Editor displays the appropriate and conflicting application setting on Catalog in CatalogServiceSystem. An error symbol appears on Catalog, indicating that an error exists.

  2. In the Settings and Constraints Editor, change the authentication value in the Mode setting from Windows to Forms.

  3. Return to the deployment diagram, and double-click the second warning in the Error List window.

    The setting that you need to fix on Catalog in CatalogServiceSystem appears.

  4. In the Settings and Constraints Editor, change Impersonate value from False to True.

  5. Return to the deployment diagram, right-click the diagram, and click Clear Validation Messages.

    You do not need to perform this step before re-validating. You can clear validation errors and warnings from the Error List window, as needed.

  6. Right-click the deployment diagram and click Validate Diagram.

    The following validation warning appears in the Error List window:

    "The Application Catalog asp.net configuration settings and the IIS Web Application settings are incompatible. The asp.net configuration is currently set to Forms and the WebApplication authflags are not configured to support Anonymous."

    This warning occurs because ApplicationServer requires specific settings from the applications that it hosts. These required settings conflict with the actual settings of the hosted application, Catalog.

  7. Fix the remaining warning as follows:

    1. View ApplicationServer on the logical datacenter diagram.

    2. In the Settings and Constraints Editor under Logical Server Settings, click the WebSites node, expand the Authentication node in the settings pane, and select the Anonymous box in the AuthFlags setting.

See Also

Other Resources

Constraining Application and Application Hosting Relationships