How to: Specify the Web Server for Web Sites
When you run a Web site in Visual Web Developer, project options determine which Web server Visual Web Developer uses to run (test) the site. By default, Visual Web Developer runs file system Web sites by using the ASP.NET Development Server. However, you might want to run the file system Web site by using an Internet Information Services (IIS) virtual directory that points to the folder where the site files are located.
For FTP Web sites, Visual Web Developer prompts you to specify a server URL the first time that you run the site. You can change the server URL at any time.
You cannot specify that the Web server run a local or remote IIS Web site or application because Visual Web Developer always uses the URL where the IIS Web site or application was created.
Note
The Web server option applies only when you are running (testing) the Web application in Visual Web Developer. Production Web applications always run under IIS.
To specify the Web server for a Web site
In Solution Explorer, right-click the name of the Web site for which you want to specify a Web server, and then click Property Pages.
In the Property Pages dialog box, click the Start Options tab.
Under Server, click Use custom server.
In the Base URL box, type the URL that Visual Web Developer should start when running the current Web site.
Note
If you specify the URL of a remote server (for example, an IIS Web application on another computer), be sure that the remote server is running at least the .NET Framework version 2.0.