Microsoft net core windows server hosting download

Release 2.1.602

• Released on 2019-04-02
• Runtime 2.1.9
• SDK 2.1.602
• ASP.NET Runtime 2.1.9

sudo [package manager] update or refresh
sudo [package manager] install dotnet-sdk-2.1

sudo [package manager] update or refresh
sudo [package manager] install aspnetcore-runtime-2.1

mkdir -p $HOME/dotnet && tar zxf dotnet.tar.gz -C $HOME/dotnet
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/dotnet

The September 2021 .NET updates have been released by Microsoft. The new updates released are .NET 5.0.10 and .NET core 3.1.19. Each version includes non-security updates that improve the performance and reliability of the product.  

According to Microsoft, .NET core 3.1.19 is currently being deployed to Azure App Services and will be completed by the end of this month (September 2021). Aside from that, both updates include similar updates to their packages. 

Check out the difference between .NET and .NET Core.

  Now let us take a closer look at what these updates bring to the table.  

Improvements in .NET 5.0.10 and .NET Core 3.1.19

Both the .NET updates do not bring any new features for their users. However, it does bring more reliability and performance upgrades from which you may benefit.

Updated Docker Images

Microsoft is continually working to improve its Docker experience with each new release. With the following command, you can now run the latest release of .NET 5.0 within a container:  

docker run --rm mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/samples

To check out more examples of recent updates made to Docker images, click here. Furthermore, the following repositories have also been updated:

• dotnet/sdk: .NET SDK
• dotnet/aspnet: ASP.NET Core Runtime
• dotnet/runtime: .NET Runtime
• dotnet/runtime-deps: .NET Runtime Dependencies
• dotnet/samples: .NET Samples (Only in .NET 5.0.10)

Other improvements

Some further minor improvements have also been made. Here are the details:

• Support for repo-defined runtime.json for shared framework build has been added.
• The memory setting backport has been conserved to 5.0.
• Windows with TLS 1.3 enabled will now have a fixed validation callback.
• .NET Runtime is now included in the Windows Desktop Runtime installer for ARM64 devices.

Known issues

Known issues with .NET 5.0.10

As with most software these days, .NET also comes with predetermined problems of its own.

• When reading from a NegotiateStream at EOF, the stream will throw rather than return 0 or -1.
• New Angular templates created via dotnet new CLI or new project UI in VS may fail to build due to an issue with the node-gyp install. Microsoft suggests upgrading the version of the node-sass dependency in ClientApp/package.json to 5.0.0 in order to mitigate the issue.
• While reating a new C# desktop app in Visual Studio 2019 version 16.8, the project may default to targeting the latest LTS SDK that is installed, while ignoring the previous versions.
• Users may experience design time build failures and dependency node warning icons when targeting netcoreapp2.1 and specifying a RuntimeIdentifier in the project file.
• The PropertyGrid values may be rendered at incorrect locations.
• Users may no longer be able to specify an image for a ListViewGroup in the Designer using either TitleImageIndex or TitleImageKey properties.

For detailed workarounds for these issues, read Microsoft’s post on known issues for .NET 5.0.10.

Known issues with .NET Core 3.1.19

There are a number of known issues with 3.1.19 that have been going on since the release of previous versions. However, the main ones are highlighted below:

• An issue with running.NET Core 3.1 applications on Ubuntu 20.10 or 20.04.
• Install Visual Studio 16.4 Preview 2 may uninstall.NET Core 3.0 when installed with the .NET Core 3.1 SDK, which may need to be reinstalled.

Other issues are mostly targeted to previous versions, but users may experience them with this release as well. To learn more, read Microsoft’s post about known issues for .NET Core 3.1.19.

Supported Operating Systems/Requirements

.NET 5 can be installed on Windows 10 v1703 or higher. This is because it is only compatible with Visual Studio 2019 16.8 and above. Since the mentioned Visual Studio 2019 is only compatible with the following Operating Systems, the .NET 5.0.10 also only supports the following variants of Windows and Server:

• Windows 10 version 1703 or higher. Editions: Home, Professional, Education, and Enterprise (LTSC and S are not supported)
• Windows Server 2019. Editions: Standard and Datacenter
• Windows Server 2016. Editions: Standard and Datacenter
• Windows 8.1 (with Update KB2919355). Editions: Core, Professional, and Enterprise
• Windows Server 2012 R2 (with Update KB2919355). Editions: Essentials, Standard, Datacenter
• Windows 7 SP1 (with latest Windows Updates) Editions: Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate

Moreover, binaries are also available for x86, x64, ARM64, macOS, and Linux systems.

In the case of .NET Core 3.1.19, Visual Studio 2019 16.4 or above is required to be able to use all functions to the fullest. However, the operating systems will be the same as for .NET 5.0.10.

Use the direct download links below to download the .NET 5.0.10 Runtime and SDKs, according to your operating system and bit architecture:

Runtime:

Download .NET 5.0.10 Desktop Runtime for Windows x64

Download .NET 5.0.10 Desktop Runtime for Windows x86

Download .NET 5.0.10 Desktop Runtime for Windows ARM64

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime for macOS x64

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64

Download .NET 5.0.10 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine

SDKs

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 for Windows x64

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 for Windows x86

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 for Windows ARM64

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 for macOS x64

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 Binaries for Linux Arm32

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 Binaries for Linux Arm64

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 Binaries for Linux x64

Download .NET SDK 5.0.401 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine

More download and install options here.

ASP.NET Core

If you want to download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10, use the links below:

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Hosting Bundle for Windows

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 for Windows x64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 for Windows x86

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Windows ARM64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for macOS x64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Linux Arm32

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Linux Arm64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Linux x64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 5.0.10 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine

Download .NET Core 3.1.19

Runtime:

Download .NET 3.1.19 Desktop Runtime for Windows x64

Download .NET 3.1.19 Desktop Runtime for Windows x86

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime Binaries for Windows ARM32

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime for macOS x64

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64

Download .NET 3.1.19 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine

SDKs

Download .NET 3.1.413 SDK for Windows x64

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 for Windows x86

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 Binaries for Windows ARM32

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 for macOS x64

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 Binaries for Linux Arm32

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 Binaries for Linux Arm64

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 Binaries for Linux x64

Download .NET SDK 3.1.413 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine

More download and install options here.

ASP.NET Core

If you want to download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19, use the links below:

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Hosting Bundle for Windows

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 for Windows x64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 for Windows x86

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for Windows ARM32

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for macOS x64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for Linux Arm32

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for Linux Arm64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for Linux x64

Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.19 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine

Install .NET 5.0.10 & .NET Core 3.1.19

Now that you have downloaded the respective installation package, you can begin to install it. The installation of the .NET is an easy process. Download the file from the links provided above and execute it for installation.

Once you have installed it, all your applications will run using the new build as the previous version will be replaced.

1. Run the installation package by double-clicking it (in the case of macOS and Windows), and then clicking Install on the installation wizard.
   
2. The installation will now begin. It does not take much time nor does it require a restart. Click Close once it has been installed successfully.
   

You have now installed the .NET. You may check which .NET version is running by typing in the following command in Command Prompt:

wmic product get description | findstr /C:.NET

Closing words

In general, it is recommended that you update your applications to the latest version of the .NET. If you were previously using it to develop your applications Upgrade Assistant. Microsoft Upgrade Assistant is a program designed to assist developers in upgrading their existing applications to support newer versions of .NET and its features.  

Furthermore, installing the latest versions of .NET and .NET Core will improve the performance and reliability of your programs. Thus, we suggest upgrading your .NET version using the provided guide.  

Also see:

Azure DevOps pipeline task that downloads and installs the latest .NET Core runtime and hosting bundle.

.NET Core coming to Microsoft Update

Starting in December 2020 .NET Core has been added to Microsoft Update. Before you proceed and use this custom extension, have a look at .NET Core coming to Microsoft Update.

Supported .NET Core versions

• 2.1
• 2.2
• 3.0
• 3.1
• 5.0
• 6.0

YAML snippet

# Install the .NET Core runtime and hosting bundle
- task: InstallNetCoreRuntimeAndHosting@1
  inputs:
    #version: '3.0' # Options: 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.1, 5.0, 6.0
    #useProxy: false
    #proxyServerAddress: # Required when useProxy == true
    #norestart: false
    #iisReset: true
    #installArguments: # Optional

Arguments

Examples

YAML pipeline

1. Install the Install .NET Core Runtime & Hosting Bundle extension from the Marketplace in your Azure DevOps organization.
2. Create a new Environment with the name ‘net-core-test’. Select ‘Virtual machines’ as the resource type.
3. Register a machine in the new Environment and give it the tag ‘net-core’.
4. Create a new YAML pipeline with the following content.

trigger: none

stages:
- stage: 'InstallNetCore'
  jobs:
  - deployment: 'InstallNetCore'
    environment:
      name: 'net-core-test'
      resourceType: 'VirtualMachine'
      tags: 'net-core'
    strategy:
      runOnce:
        deploy:
          steps:
          - task: InstallNetCoreRuntimeAndHosting@1
            inputs:
              version: '3.1'
              useProxy: false
              norestart: false
              iisReset: true

1. Save and run the pipeline.

Release pipeline with a Deployment group job

1. Install the Install .NET Core Runtime & Hosting Bundle extension from the Marketplace in your Azure DevOps organization.

2. Create a Deployment group.

3. Register a machine in the new Deployment group.

4. Create a new Release pipeline.

5. Add a Deployment group job for the new Deployment group.

6. Add the Install .NET Core Runtime & Hosting Bundle task to the Deployment group job.

7. Configure the version you want to install.

   

8. Save and run the pipeline.

Q & A

How does it work?

The task wraps a PowerShell script that:

1. Retrieves the latest available .NET Core version from the appropriate releases.json, like https://dotnetcli.blob.core.windows.net/dotnet/release-metadata/3.0/releases.json.
2. Looks in the releases.json for the download URL of the .NET Core Runtime & Hosting bundle installer (dotnet-hosting-win.exe).
3. Downloads the installer.
4. Executes the installer.
5. Uploads any logs created by the installer.
6. Performs an IIS reset if specified.

The task does not use PowerShell remoting so it will download and install .NET Core on the server where the task is run.

Does it uninstall older versions of .NET Core?

No.

What OS is supported?

The .NET Core runtime and hosting bundle is only available for Windows.

What to do when I get an error downloading the installer?

In some cases you might get an error like the one below because the task is unable to download the installer.

Load release data from: https://dotnetcli.blob.core.windows.net/dotnet/release-metadata/3.0/releases.json
Exception calling "DownloadString" with "1" argument(s): "The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a receive."
At C:azagentA1_work_temp39753a3f-3f3e-4351-b612-3d286ccd9f29.ps1:20 char:5
+     $releases = $webClient.DownloadString($releasesJSONURL) | Convert ...

There are several reasons that might cause an error like this to occur:

• The site https://dotnetcli.blob.core.windows.net, with the releases.json that has the download URL for the installer, is not a trusted site.
• The site https://download.visualstudio.microsoft.com/, where the installer is hosted, is not a trusted site.
• The server does not have outgoing internet access.

Depending on the reason adding a site to the trusted sites might do the trick.

Open source

This task is open source on GitHub.

Recently, I’ve found myself in the position of having to host an application on Windows Server. Having never managed a Windows Server before, I struggled to find relevant information, especially since most of it is written for a Windows Server with installed UI, and the default image on Azure is a Core image, without UI. This is mostly documentation for myself, but maybe you find it helpful too.

This is a cross-post from my personal blog.

Introduction

This is a step by step introduction of how to host an Asp.Net Core application on Windows Server Core with IIS (Internet Information Server).

We will cover how to set up IIS, how to configure it, how to deploy to it with Web Deploy in Visual Studio and securing connections to that application with https.

I’m using a virtual machine from Azure, which provides a nice UI for managing firewall rules. That is probably very different for you, so I’ll just say which ports have to be open, and not cover how to do that.

Setting up the Server

Now IIS has to be installed. This is done with this command:

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server

While installing, PowerShell shows a nice little progress bar:

Enabling Remote Management

Per default, the server does not allow remote management. It has to be enabled by installing the Web-Mgmt-Service and setting the registry entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWebManagementServerEnableRemoteManagement to 1.

Keep in mind that the registry key is only available after Web-Mgmt-Service is installed.

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Mgmt-Service

Set-ItemProperty -Path Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWebManagementServer -Name EnableRemoteManagement -Value 1

After executing those commands restart the web server so that the changes take effect:

net stop was /y
net start w3svc

Also start the Web Management Service, otherwise you won’t be able to connect to it.

Note: IIS Manager connects via port 8172, so make sure it is open on your server.

Enabling Management on your Windows 10 Device

To remotly manage an IIS server, the IIS Manager has to be installed on your device. This can be done in Control Panel -> Programs -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off. Activating IIS Management Console is sufficient, IIS itself does not have to be installed.

Now the connection to the remote IIS can be added. Just go to File -> Connect to a Server and fill out the required information.

Note: If you can’t connect, most likely the Port 8172 is not open, or the Web Management Service is not started. Do that with

Configuring IIS to host Asp.Net Core Applications

By default IIS cannot host Asp.Net Core applications. The Asp.Net Core Module is needed for that, which is installed with the .NET Core Windows Server Hosting bundle.

1) Go to the .Net all downloads page
2) Select the .Net Core runtime you need
3) Download Server Hosting Installer (this is just to copy the download url, we need it on the server, not locally)
4) Copy the download url
5) Download the installer on the server with the command

Invoke-WebRequest https://download.microsoft.com/download/8/D/A/8DA04DA7-565B-4372-BBCE-D44C7809A467/DotNetCore.2.0.6-1-WindowsHosting.exe -OutFile C:UsersYourUsernameDownloadsDotNetCore.2.0.6-1-WindowsHosting.exe
#This is the download url for the latest non-preview runtime at the time of writing (2.0.6).

6) Execute the installer

C:UsersYourUsernameDownloadsDotNetCore.2.0.6-1-WindowsHosting.exe

Restart the web server so that the changes take effect:

net stop was /y
net start w3svc

Preparing IIS for Web Deploy

Invoke-WebRequest https://download.microsoft.com/download/0/1/D/01DC28EA-638C-4A22-A57B-4CEF97755C6C/WebDeploy_amd64_en-US.msi -OutFile C:UsersdominikDownloadsWebDeploy_amd64_en-US.msi
#This is the download url for the latest Web Deploy at the time of writing (3.6).

Also execute that installer

C:UsersdominikDownloadsWebDeploy_amd64_en-US.msi

Note: I’ve read somewhere that all features have to be installed, and that the installer’s Complete option does not actually install everything. So just select Custom and make sure to that all features are enabled.

Deploying an Asp.Net Core Application

Now we are finally ready to publish the application. Well, almost. A publish profile has to be created first.

1) Right-click on the Asp.Net Core application in the Solution Explorer
2) Select Publish
3) Click on Create new Profile
4) Select IIS, FPT, etc.
5) Select Create Profile where by default Publish is entered

6) Enter the required information
— Site name is either Default Web Site, or, if you created a different one in IIS, the name of that one.
7) Click Validate Connection to check if everything was entered correctly
If it was, click Save
9) Select the created profile
10) Click Publish and watch the magic happen

Configuring SSL

1) Download the latest release (you can get the download link from the release page of the Github project)

Invoke-WebRequest https://github.com/PKISharp/win-acme/releases/download/v1.9.10.1/win-acme.v1.9.10.1.zip -OutFile C:UsersdominikDownloadswin-acme.v1.9.10.1.zip
#This is the download url for the latest version at the time of writing (1.9.10.1).

2) If this fails with the message The request was aborted: Could not create SSL/TLS secure channel., try execute [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12 beforehand (from StackOverflow).

3) Extract the zip file

Expand-Archive C:UsersdominikDownloadswin-acme.v1.9.10.1.zip -DestinationPath C:UsersdominikDownloadswin-acme.v1.9.10.1

4) Execute letsencrypt.exe

C:UsersdominikDownloadswin-acme.v1.9.10.1letsencrypt.exe

5) Select N to create a new certificate in simple mode
6) Select 1 to create a single binding of an IIS site
7) Now you should see a selection of sites you have configured. Select the site you want to secure
After you’ve added an email address and agreed to the subscriber agreement, it does its magic
9) If all goes well, your site is now encrypted and you can quit Windows ACME Simple (Q)

Closing

That’s it. The application is now fully set up. I hope this walkthrough helped you as much as it undoubtedly will help me in the future, the next time I have to set up a Windows Server.

Resources

• Introducing Windows Server, version 1709
• Manage a Server Core server
• Configure an IIS Server Core server for remote management
• Host ASP.NET Core on Windows with IIS

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