Kiliman's Korner

# re: CassiniEx status 3/23/2004 6:34 PM Stephen

Will this fix a problem I have with having to restart the web service everytime I recompile my dll's?

# re: CassiniEx status 3/23/2004 9:51 PM Kiliman

Do you have the latest version of CassiniEx (0.94.321)? The first version I posted had a problem if Web.config or the .DLL was changed and the AppDomain was unloaded.

So the current version should work for you.

The next version will allow you to add new web apps without having to restart CassiniEx.

Kiliman

# re: CassiniEx status 3/24/2004 8:36 AM Helmut

hi,

great work so far.
did you have a look at:

http://www12.brinkster.com/brianr/ideas/appserver.aspx

development seems to be stopped, but the
code (open licensed) is still there.

cu,
helmut

# re: CassiniEx status 3/24/2004 8:46 AM Kilman

Helmut, thanks for the compliment. I haven't seen that project but thanks for the link. It sounds like they've already started implementing some of the functionality I was thinking of, so maybe I'll get some ideas from it.

# re: CassiniEx status 3/24/2004 10:34 AM Adam

Heh, I know it's a bit of an over-the-top suggestion, but I think you should implement SSL and/or windows authentication.

# re: CassiniEx status 3/24/2004 11:06 AM Kilman

Adam, you're right. That's a pretty big request. Right now CassiniEx doesn't support any authentication (other than ASP.NET Forms Authentication which is handled by the runtime). However, Basic Authentication would be relatively easy to implement.

My concern with adding SSL is that there would now be an implied guarantee that CassiniEx is secure and worthy of handling secure transactions. I don't think I'm ready to give that stamp of approval quite yet.

My main goal with CassiniEx is to enable developers to develop multiple web apps on their local machine without requiring Windows Server. I know some people want an alternative to IIS, so I'm adding functionality to enable that. But if you truly need that level of security, than I would definitely recommend using IIS or even front-end CassiniEx with Apache+SSL.

Thanks for your feedback Adam.

# re: CassiniEx status 3/27/2004 8:37 PM Bart De Smet

Great job! I've developed on Cassini a lot my own:

1. Run as Windows Service
2. Make it run from a cd-rom (http://www.bartdesmet.net/msdn/details.aspx?id=11)
3. Added support for download pausing/resuming (to download files via GetRight etc)
4. Advanced authentication mechanism using WSE for some other company (however, this addition is closed source)

Feel free to contact me via my website if you want more info on these extensions.

# re: CassiniEx status 3/30/2004 3:18 AM pachinco

I'm gonna try it...see you

# List of limitations on CassiniEx home page 3/30/2004 6:31 AM Vlad Romanenko

It would be great to summarize not only CassiniEx unique features on it homepage, but also its limitations comparing to IIS.

It will help to avoid common question to be asked again and again.

For example, CassiniEx:
1) Doesn't support HTTPS
2) Doesn't support authentication (NTLM, digest)
3) Doesn't support HTTP debug (you should debug by attaching to Cassini process).

and so on...

# re: CassiniEx status 3/30/2004 6:52 AM Kiliman

Vlad, thanks for the comments. The next version will be more like IIS. However you are correct that it will not support the 3 items you mention: HTTPS, Authentication, and DEBUG.

I don't care so much about the first two, but if anyone knows how to programatically attach a debugger (like VS.NET) to the debugee (CassiniEx), please let me know.

# RE: CassiniEx status 3/30/2004 12:51 PM nospamplease75@yahoo.com (Haacked)

Hello. I'm currently using the Cassini.dll for unit testing in another project (RssBandit). Basically, my unit test will create an instance of a web server pointing to a directory in my unit test folder, then I make requests of different files and make sure the outcome is correct.

One problem I have with using Cassini.dll is that it requires registration in the GAC. The problem is that it's a non-obvious step to build my unit tests. "Oh, ALL the tests failed! Damn! Oh yeah, register this little doohickey in the GAC. No, not GAK, GAC."

Does the CassiniEx.dll require registration in the GAC? Is there any way around that if it does?

# re: CassiniEx status 3/30/2004 1:22 PM Kilman

Haacked, the reason Cassini.dll (and CassiniEx.dll) needs to be in the GAC, is so that the Host class is available to the HttpRuntime.

If you don't want to register the dll in the GAC, simply copy Cassini(Ex).dll to the bin folder of your web application.

# re: GAC or GAK? 3/30/2004 1:24 PM you've been HAACKED

# RE: CassiniEx status 3/30/2004 2:34 PM nospamplease75@yahoo.com (Haacked)

Thanks! Forgive me for being dense, but if I don't register it in the GAC and the host class isn't available to the HttpRuntime, won't Cassini be relatively useless? I'm not completely familiar with the HttpRuntime. I need to read up on it omer.

I do understand that the HttpRuntime can only be used in a new AppDomain. Couldn't my unit test create a new AppDomain, load CassiniEx.dll into it, and start the web server, All without the GAC?

Thanks!

# re: CassiniEx status 4/1/2004 10:47 PM Sean

please don't listen to most of these requests.

Seems like some people want all the features of IIS... Isn't there a product that already exists with all the features of IIS?

Keep it lean and mean.

About the only feature you need to implement is the .WAR like functionality ;)

# re: CassiniEx status 6/21/2004 2:30 AM David

So I checked in on this project some time back and never downloaded cuz I not need more than one site at the time, but now I do.

Great work from what I can see so far, but it seems that you have stopped working on it, or maybe stopped posting about it judging by the lack of blogging.

You still around on this Kilman?