AxUpdatePortal utility

The AxUpdatePortal utility, installed with Service Pack 1 of Microsoft Dynamics AX, is often needed when deploying changes, such as modifications, or additions from AOT to Enterprise Portal Server and to the Sites. It will help you deploy Web-related changes to all Enterprise Portal sites on an IIS server in just one step. Withot this tool, to deploy files either you need to rerun Ax Setup on EP server or use Manage Deployment UI from the Ax Client on the web server.To deploy selected pages, you need to go to AOT and deploy from the page definitin node. This little tool which is a command line tool automates all this in one single step.

For more info refer to https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd261467.aspx

Some general Q&A about this tool

[Q]If you have AX 2009 SP1 installed and you have an Ax 2009 RTM EP site you have to run AXUpdatePortal – is this correct?

[A] Correct. Refer to https://blogs.msdn.com/solutions/archive/2009/02/04/deploying-ax-2009-sp1-ep.aspx for the various upgrade scenarios.

[Q]So going forward,  if you create another website or site collection for EP, do you have to run AXUpdatePortal ?

[A]No.I fyou are just creating a site or site collection, you don’t need to run AxUpdatePortal.  AxUpdatePortal is required only if you have made changed in AOT and you want to push these changes to the web server you would use this utility. Earlier you would push the changes from AOT to web server , by rerunning AxSetup or by using the Update button in Manage Deployments. You can still do the same way or use the AxUpdatePortal Utility.
Other Advantage of AxUpdatePortal utility is if you have number of page definitions changed in AOT and you want to deploy these changed pages to the existing EP sites, earlier you need to right click each one of the changed page definition node in AOT and deploy. The AxUpdatePortal utility simplifies this.So, if you are going to just create a new site or site collection, you don’t need to run AxUpdatePortal. Only if something is changed in AOT after the site is created and you need to push these changes, then you would use this utility

[Q]When do you have to run Initialize Role Center – do you only do this for an existing EP website, after you run AXUpdatePortal? So if you create another EP website or site collection you do not need to run Initialize Role Center again?

[A] Initialize RoleCenter is done as part of the install checklist one time per Ax Installation. This is mainly to bring the out-of-the box profile, cues, quicklinks data from resources node into Ax tables. This is not related to EP site creation or AxUpdatePortal.

[Q]What does the AXUpdatePortal do?  And when do you have to run it and when do you not need to run it? 
[A] Refer to https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd261467.aspx

[Q]‘Manage deployment’ does not work on 64 bit machines – is that correct?
[A] Yes on 64 bit machine, it does not work. It does work in  32 bit machines.That is one of the reasons why AxUpdatePortal utility was released in SP1 which provides the same functionality and works in both 32 and 64 bit env.