DotNetNuke

by Simon Tan

Introduction

DotNetNuke (DNN) is an open source content management system (CMS) and application development framework for Microsoft .NET. For more information about DotNetNuke, refer to the DNN Community Web site. For step-by-step instructions on installing this application in an IIS environment, see the Procedure section of this document.

Note: The steps listed below will not install a current version of DNN Platform. After following the steps below it is strongly suggested to upgrade to the current version of DNN Platform following the Upgrade Process.

Requirements

For information about technical requirements for your IIS environment, refer to Install Server Components.

Procedure

Step 1. Install the application in an IIS test environment.

To install the application, you can use Web Platform Installer or WebMatrix. These procedures are described in this step.

Web Platform Installer

The Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 (Web PI) is a free tool that allows you to easily install and run the most popular free web applications for blogging, content management and more with the built-in Windows Web Application Gallery. For more information about Web PI, refer to the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 Web site.

To use Web PI to install this application, complete these steps:

  1. From the Windows Start menu, click Programs, and then click Web Platform Installer.

    The Web Platform Installation window appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Web Platform Installer, with the Web Applications tab open and the Dot Net Nuke Community Edition checkbox selected.

  2. Click the Web Applications tab, select the DotNetNuke Community Edition check box, and click Install.
    Screenshot that shows the Web Platform Installation window, with the Dot Net Nuke Community Edition checkbox selected.

  3. Select the DotNetNuke Community Edition check box, and click I Accept.
    Screenshot that shows Web Platform Installation window, with Mixed Mode Authentication selected and a password entered.

  4. Select Mixed Mode Authentication, enter a password, and click Continue.

    Once the preinstallation steps complete, the site information window appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Web Platform Installation window, with field entries for Web Site, application name, Web Site Name, Physical path, and more.

  5. In the Web Site list, click New Web Site.

  6. Enter an application name in the application name field.

  7. Enter a web site name in the Web Site Name field.

  8. Enter a physical path in the Physical path field.

  9. In the IP address list, click All Unassigned, and enter 80 in the Port field.

  10. Enter a host name in the Host Name field, and click Continue.

    Once the installation process completes, the final installation window appears.
    Screenshot of the Web Platform Installation window that says Congratulations, you have successfully installed the following products.

  11. Click Finish.

    The DotNetNuke Installation Wizard web page appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Dot Net Nuke Installation web page.

  12. On the DotNetNuke Installation Wizard web page, select an installation method, choose your language, and click Next.

    The Checking File Permissions web page appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Checking File Permissions web page.

  13. Once your site passes the permissions check, click Next.

    The Configure Database Connection web page appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Configure Database Connection web page.

  14. Select the type of database.

  15. Enter the name or IP address of the computer where the database is located.

  16. Enter the name of the database file.

  17. Click the Integrated Security check box.

  18. Click Next to complete the installation.

WebMatrix

WebMatrix is a free, easy way to customize and build Web sites from popular open-source applications, such as WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. In addition, you can build sites from the ground up using ASP.NET, PHP, HTML and a number of other leading technologies. For more information about WebMatrix, refer to the WebMatrix Web site.

To use WebMatrix to install this application, complete these steps:

  1. Launch WebMatrix.

    The WebMatrix home page appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Web Matrix home page.

  2. Click Site From Web Gallery.

    The Site From Web Gallery page appears. Screenshot that shows the Site from Web Gallery page.

  3. Click DotNetNuke, and then click Next.

    The Accept EULA page appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Accept EULA page.

  4. Click I Accept to agree to the end-user license agreement.

    WebMatrix installs the DotNetNuke software on your local computer. This page appears once installation is complete.
    Screenshot of the Site from Web Gallery page that says Congratulations, you have successfully installed the following products.

  5. Click OK

    The DotNetNuke application starts as indicated in bottom-left corner of the page.
    Screenshot that shows the Dot Net Nuke application, with Dot Net Nuke Community Edition selected in the left pane.

  6. Click Settings in the left navigation area.

    Screenshot that shows the Dot Net Nuke application, with Settings selected in the left pane.

  7. Select .Net 4 (Integrated) from the Select .NET Framework Version drop-down list.

  8. Select Publish > Configuration.

    The Publishing Settings dialog box appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Publishing Settings dialog box.

  9. Add your hosting provide and domain-specific information, and click Validate Connection.

  10. If the connection was successful, click Apply, and then click Publish.

    WebMatrix determines changes to be made.
    Screenshot that shows the Publish Preview dialog box.

  11. Once changes have been determined, check the Publish to SQL Server check box, and click Continue.

    Once the process completes, the Publish Preview dialog box appears.
    Screenshot that shows the Publish Preview dialog box with a list of Changed Files and Databases.

  12. Click Continue.

    The status of the publishing process is indicated in the bottom-left corner of the page.
    Screenshot that shows the Dot Net Nuke application, that says Publish Starting, on the bottom left corner of the application.

  13. Once publishing is complete, go to your domain, and verify DotNetNuke is running.
    Screenshot that shows a published Dot Net Nuke web page.

Step 2. Build the application package from the IIS site.

To build the application package from the IIS site, complete the steps described in Export a Package through IIS Manager.

Step 3. Install the application on the target server.

To install the application on the target server, complete the steps described in Import a Package through IIS Manager.