Ignore application pool when migrating from IIS 6 to IIS 7.5 with MSDeploy

Question

I am currently migrating my websites from a Windows Server 2003 (SourceServer) with IIS 6 to a Windows Server 2008 R2 (DestServer)with IIS 7.5.

I use the MSDeploy tool to perform the operation. After checking the dependencies (just Windows Authentication, already installed in DestServer), I create the package in the SourceServer:

msdeploy -verb:sync -source:metakey=lm/w3svc/5 -dest:package=c:\Site5.zip > WebDeployPackage.log

And I copy it in the DestServer. From the DestServer I test the deployment by using:

msdeploy -verb:sync -source:package=c:\Site5.zip -dest:metakey=lm/w3svc/5 -whatif > WebDeploySync.log

But it gives me an error related to the missing application pool. Indeed one of my goals was to tide up the websites, since in the SourceServer the person who was responsible for the deployment made quite a mess with naming conventions (both for pools and sites), assigned too many applications (even 10) in a single application pool and so on.

Therefore my goal was to run the site in a dedicated brand new application pool in the DestServer. But if MSDeploy does not find in the DestServer the application pool with the same very name of the SourceServer it does not deploy the package on the DestServer.

I also tried to use the command -enableLink: AppPoolExtension in MSDeploy in both creation and deployment of the package to get also the Application Pool. The package then installs correctly but, I do not know why, it gives errors in the config file. For instance I cannot enable any kind of Authentication module.

Is there any way to let the MSDeploy ignore the application pool when deploying?

What errors do you receive if you keep the apppool? And have you read the IIS.net guide on migrating sites from IIS 6 to 7? — Richard Szalay
Thanks. The error is: "Error: The AppPoolNotFound dependency check found the AppPool 'myPool' to be in use by the source data but not defined in source data or on the destination machine. Applications referencing this app pool will have configuration issues." I followed that guide to migrate the websites — CiccioMiami
What about when you include enableLink:AppPoolExtension? What's there error you receive then? — Richard Szalay
I have some errors in the web.config because of the different versions of the framework in source and destination server. — CiccioMiami

Koorosh Koorosh · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-29T13:26:16

msdeploy -verb:sync 
         -source:metakey=lm/w3svc/1,computerName=original,encryptPassword="pwd",includeAcls=true 
         -disableLink:ContentExtension 
         -dest:package=original.zip,encryptPassword="pwd" 
         -enableLink:AppPool 
         -skip:WebApplication="^.*$"  >original.log

Ignore application pool when migrating from IIS 6 to IIS 7.5 with MSDeploy

1 Answers