How to install WebDev.WebServer.exe as a Standalone application?

Question

How can I install Visual Studio's Web Development Server (WebDev.WebServer.exe) as a Standlone application?

So that our web designers can get the latest code from SVN, then run the MSBuild batch file to build the code, and then run a batch file to start the code using a local copy of the Web Development Server (WebDev.WebServer.exe).

Note: I do not want to have to install Visual Studio on all their machines.

EDIT: I have done as suggested below and I get this error:

Faulting application WebDev.WebServer.EXE, version 9.0.30729.1, time stamp 0x488f1aa2, faulting module KERNEL32.dll, version 6.0.6001.18215, time stamp 0x49953395, exception code 0xe0434f4d, fault offset 0x000442eb, process id 0x%9, application start time 0x%10.

Presbyterate

Licensing?! Why not use the free web server built into WebMatrix? It's more like IIS than webdev.webserver.exe – Bicknell

Answer 1

These files are required:

• WebDev.WebHost.dll
• WebDev.WebServer.EXE
• WebDev.WebServer.exe.manifest

And you may need to Install WebDev.WebHost.dll in GAC.

Copy and paste this code into a .BAT file:

@SET GACUTIL="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.1\bin\gacutil.exe"

Echo Installing WebDev.WebHost.dll in GAC

%GACUTIL% -if WebDev.WebHost.dll

Hope this helps someone.

Thanks

Presbyterate

may I know where is the .BAT file is located? – Towboat

@Towboat you need to create a bat file on your own to install dll in GAC. – Alexandria

Answer 2

For VS2010, you will need to copy the WebDev.WebServer20.exe and WebDev.WebServer40.exe files to a location of your choice. When they launch, they set the app domain base directory to the path you specify on the command line, so you will also need to put the WebDev.WebHost.dll and WebDev.WebHost20.dll assemblies in the GAC so they can be found.

Villous

Hi, As mentioned VS should not be installed in any of the machines; – Alexandria

Answer 3

1. Control panel
2. Add/remove programs
3. Right-click Microsoft Visual Studio
4. Click 'Change'
5. Go to the maintenance mode
6. Click on the add/remove feature
7. Click the download button in the new window to get multiple features
8. Tick the "Web Development Server" and start update.

Attribute

If you break this down into numbered steps or bullet points, your answer will be much clearer. – Pallium

Following the steps up to step 4 and updating Visual Studio from there worked for me. Seems like my project was created in a newer version (both VS2017) – Favourable