How to use Web Site Administration Tool without installing VS 2005

Hello everyone!! This one is a tweak to ensure that you are able to Administer your ASP.NET 2.0 web-site *without* installing Visual Studio 2005 on your IIS Server.

For that, you would need Framework 2.0 installed on your Server. If you don't have it, please install it from https://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/downloads/updates/default.aspx.

Now, follow the instructions below...

1) In the box where you have VS 2005 installed, open an application which you want to Administer.
2) I am using File System to open the website and have called it WebSiteAdminister
3) Click on the ASP.NET Configuration button in your Solution Explorer's toolbox
4) Copy the URL (in my case, it is... https://localhost:2002/asp.netwebadminfiles/default.aspx?applicationPhysicalPath=C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\WebSiteAdminister\&applicationUrl=/WebSiteAdminister)
5) Now, go to the IIS Box where you don't have VS 2005 installed
6) Open IIS console (Click on Start -> Run, type Inetmgr and click OK)
7) Right-Click on your Default Web Site and say New -> Virtual Directory
8) Click on Next, give an Alias (WebSiteAdmin) and click Next
9) In the Directory text box browse to... "C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\ASP.NETWebAdminFiles" and click Next, Next and Finish
10) Right-click on WebSiteAdmin and hit properties
11) Click on the ASP.NET Tab and select 2.0.50727 as ASP.NET Version and click Ok
12) Copy the content of the website from the Development box to the IIS Server (I did it at "c:\inetpub\wwwroot\WebSiteAdminister" )
13) Open an instance of Internet Explorer and in the Address Bar type... https://localhost/WebSiteAdmin/default.aspx?applicationPhysicalPath=C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\WebSiteAdminister\&applicationUrl=/WebSiteAdminister
14) You should be able to see ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool (You can bookmark this so that you don't have to remember that string)
15) As you can see, we have removed the port number (2002) and changed asp.netwebadminfiles to our application WebSiteAdmin.

By the way, just to bring it to your notice, Administering you web site using the above technique is NOT supported at Microsoft. For support options at Microsoft, please visit... https://www.microsoft.com/services/microsoftservices/srv_support.mspx

Hope that helps!!