Dear developer don’t trust VWD Web Server (of VS.Net 2005)

As we know ASP.NET applications runs under (using) ASPNET special user account, which has restricted privileges for security reasons.

 

But when you are making/developing ASP.NET applications using VS.Net 2005, it’s going to use built-in VWD Web server while testing the pages. This VWD Web server is going to run under NETWORK SERVICE user account while running/testing the pages. Interestingly this is going to use logged in user account privileges. In other words if you logged in as an Administrator, then VWD Web server is going to use administrative privileges for NETWORK SERVICE user account to run the pages.

 

So if you are making any application which needs special privileges, while testing using VWD Web server, it works fine (as it runs using administrative privileges in this case), but when you move your application to IIS, then the pages which needs special privileges many **not work** as the pages running under IIS runs using ASPNET account with restricted privileges!

Moral of the story: When moving application from VWD Web server environment (VS2005) to IIS, please make sure and give necessary permissions to the application it needs.

 

Quote: My dear developer don’t trust VWD Web server  :-)


[Just to feed permissions issue to your permanent part of the brain, I have stated as don't trust VWD Web server, but really VWD Web server is very flexible and useful local server for developers]

 

Published Sunday, August 15, 2004 10:27 PM by SreedharK

Comments

# Permissions for the VWD Web Server Service

Sunday, August 15, 2004 11:56 PM by TrackBack

# re: Dear developer don’t trust VWD Web Server (of VS.Net 2005)

Monday, August 16, 2004 1:49 PM by Derick Bailey
are you absolutely sure about the permissions bit? can you point me to some official Microsoft documentation stating this?

Any machine running Windows 2003 will run ASP.NET apps under Network Service account, because that's what Win2K3 does.

What version of Windows are you running this on?

# re: Dear developer don’t trust VWD Web Server (of VS.Net 2005)

Monday, August 16, 2004 7:25 PM by Sreedhar Koganti
Good question Derick,

Yes, as you said Win2K3 runs under Netwrok SERVICE, but it's not going to use login user account privilages, it's going to use minimal privilages. Where as VWD Web Server will use login user account privilages(security context).

How I find it:
I have made web app using VS2005 Beta 1 and it worked fine when I run through VWD Web Server(Don't ask me about that app :) I am doing my own R&D for Unisys[the company which I work])

But When I move to other box under IIS, it started behaving odd, then I relized this is of security problem. Ofcourse after checking in my MSDN Beta docs, I came to that conclusion. By the way both are Win2k3 boxes.

I know you are queries to see on it in some Microsoft document:
If you have MSDN VS2004 beta docs, you can see that at

ms-help://MS.VSCC.v80/MS.MSDNQTR.v80.en/MS.MSDN.v80/MS.VisualStudio.v80.en/dv_vwdcon/html/31d4f588-df59-4b7e-b9ea-e1f2dd204328.htm

Or on msdn at beta site you can see it @
http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dv_vwdcon/html/31d4f588-df59-4b7e-b9ea-e1f2dd204328.asp

[I put some of my time to find the link on msdn, you owe me for that :)]

In that link @ Security Context for the Visual Studio Web Server secion, you can get related info!

Good day (Hope it helps you)!

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