How to add AppPool to IIS on WiX Major Upgrade?

Question

I am trying to write a WiX upgrade for our Web Application at work. The Installer will create a site and app pool in IIS which works fine. On upgrade it removes both the site and app pool during the un-installation of the RTM (which is correct), but only re-creates the site during install of the upgrade because the app pool creation fails. Here is what the log says:

MSI (s) (08:AC) [20:45:23:527]: Invoking remote custom action. DLL: C:\Windows\Installer\MSI52F5.tmp, Entrypoint: WriteIIS7ConfigChanges WriteIIS7ConfigChanges: Error 0x80070002: Failed get httpErrors section WriteIIS7ConfigChanges: Error 0x80070002: Failed to configure IIS Asp property. WriteIIS7ConfigChanges: Error 0x80070002: WriteIIS7ConfigChanges Failed.

The crazy thing is... It will work if I have IIS open and watching the app pools. I'm assuming it is having trouble getting this IIS Asp property, but I don't know how to provide it. I have a custom action that sets up IIS if it isn't set up by running this command:

dism.exe /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:IIS-ASPNET45 /FeatureName:IIS-HttpCompressionDynamic /All /NoRestart

And then here is what I'm attempting to do in IIS:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi"
 xmlns:iis="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/IIsExtension"
 xmlns:fire="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/FirewallExtension">
<Fragment>
<Property Id="APP_POOL_NAME" Value="BlahAppPool" Secure="yes"></Property>

<DirectoryRef Id="INSTALLFOLDER">
  <Component Id="BlahAppPool" Guid="{46BEB5E3-BD0C-4161-B8A4-10A1E106E0C7}" KeyPath="yes">
    <iis:WebAppPool Id="BlahAppPool"
                    Name="[APP_POOL_NAME]" 
                    Identity="applicationPoolIdentity"
                    ManagedPipelineMode="Integrated" 
                    ManagedRuntimeVersion="v4.0" />
  </Component>      
      <Component Id="InstallWebsite" Guid="{3423D559-A1C8-4764-BE0C-524AFB47508C}" KeyPath="yes">       
        <iis:WebVirtualDir Id="BlahWebsite"
                       Directory="INSTALLFOLDER"
                       Alias="[WEBAPPNAME]"
                       WebSite="DefaultWebSite">
      <!-- Turn the virtual directory into a web application -->
      <iis:WebApplication Id="BlahWebApplication" Name="Blah Web App" WebAppPool="BlahAppPool" />
    </iis:WebVirtualDir>
    <!-- This is pretty important. If the CreateFolder isn’t there the 
             WebVirtualDir won’t get created as there’s no files in this 
             component. 
             http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg03483.html -->
    <CreateFolder/>
  </Component>

</DirectoryRef>

<!-- Reference the default web site. Outside a component means the website element is a locator/search. Inside 
     a component means it’s a creator.-->
<iis:WebSite Id="DefaultWebSite"
             Description="Default Web Site"
             Directory="INSTALLFOLDER">
  <iis:WebAddress Id="AllUnassigned" Port="80" />
</iis:WebSite>
<ComponentGroup Id="BlahSiteIisConfiguration">
  <ComponentRef Id="BlahAppPool" />
  <ComponentRef Id="InstallWebsite" />
</ComponentGroup>
</Fragment>
</Wix>

I've never used WiX before and inherited this from someone who left the company. I've figured out just about everything I need to do for the upgrade except for this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Also, if I need to post more information I'll gladly provide it.

I've noticed that if I let the installer remove the previous web app and app pool then it can't add it back, but if I remove them manually from IIS before running the upgrade then it creates the new one again correctly. I'd really like to not make our users have to do this manually before running our installer. — dghalbr

dghalbr dghalbr · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-25T13:41:03

Well, after much research, I believe this is currently just a bug with WiX 3.10, see here

I am going to continue trying to find a work around, but of course that isn't ideal.

How to add AppPool to IIS on WiX Major Upgrade?

1 Answers