File manipulation via Control Panel

Hi,

I'm currently using a different web host and am evaluating DiscountASP to see if will meet our needs. The primary reason we are evaluating DiscountASP is to get SSRS. However, I've run into a few potential problems and am hoping someone can help with some work-arounds:

1. Our current web host allows mutliple sites in one account. I see that discussion in another thread and it's not really a deal breaker for us, but does this mean that I have to purchase a whole new account in order to have a "testing" area for my web site? How do I guarantee that my "test" account will be on the same server as my production account?

2.As a result of#1 above,our current web hostputs each web site into a seperate sub-folder, which means that we have a root folder that is inaccessable via any web site. We can also create non-web sub-folders. We store DB backups, source code, and other things in these sub-folders that we don't want inside our web site folder structure. When I log into our FTP site it puts me in the root of our web site. Is there any way to store data in our account - but outside of our web site?

3. Most importantly, our current web host gives us file manipulation capabilities from within the control panel. We can copy, delete, move, and - most importantly - unzip files using the control panel. This is nice because I like to upload our web site as a zip file then unzip it on the server. How can I accomplish this using DiscountASP?

Suggestions are appreciated.

Scott

 

Eric [DASP] said...
1. You can create a test area in a subfolder of your hosting account. If you must order two accounts, then if you order them back to back, they will most likely be on the same server.


2. We do notset up accountswith access above the document root. You can store sensitive files in subfolders and we can put special permissions on those folders if you want.

3. We do not provide a file manager in our control panel. We do not allow zip/unzip on the webserver. You can transfer files via FTP.

Eric
http://www.DiscountASP.NET - Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
- asp.netPRO Magazine 2007 Readers' Choice Award for Best ASP.NET Hosting Service
- Visual Studio Magazine 2007 Readers' Choice Award for Best .NET Hosting Service

 

Sorry, but a simple redirect from the default page in the root folder is not sufficient. As you may or may not know, when you code a path like "~/Merchants/index.aspx" in an asp.net page, the url emitted to the browser is http://www.mydomain.com/Merchants/index.aspx. In this case, the default page in the root folder is not executed so no redirect will occur. The "test" subfolder will effectively link to the "live" web site. This, of course, is not desireable.

URL re-writing *may* work, I'll have to look into it (I've never used it before). But it looks like the only way to really get a solid test environment with DASPis to purchase another account.

 

You can set the subfolder to be an ASP.NET application, so then anything running in it would process "~" correctly. Then you'd essentially have two applications running. A simple onein your root that just does your redirects and your real app in the subfolder. Your new directory structure would look like this:

- root <-- ASP.NET application doing redirects. "~" wouldget mapped by ASP.NET to "/"
- bin <-- bin directory for your root app
- App1 <-- A separate ASP.NET application. "~" wouldgetmapped by ASP.NETto "/App1"
- bin <-- bin directory for App1
- App2<-- Another separate ASP.NET application. "~" gets mapped to "/App2"
- bin <-- bin directory for App2

As you can see, you can have as many apps as you want - including test apps and whatever.



Post Edited (Jamie) : 2/12/2008 3:30:26 PM GMT

 

But then how will DASP monitor the number of sites on a server in order to prevent performance problems related toover-population? (I'm kidding ... kinda)

Thanks for the work-around Jamie, it's what I asked for. However, I can't help feeling that it isjust that- a work-around to a limitation of this hosting service. I just don't like the look of the url. I'd rather pay for another account for testing.

Thanks again.