IIS 8.5 Features

IIS 8.5 Features

Microsoft has released IIS 8.5 with Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1, This version includes lot of useful features like Idle worker-Process page-out, Dynamic Site Activation, Enhanced Logging, ETW logging, and Automatic Certificate Rebind.

Idle worker-Process page-out

In IIS 8.5, the administrator has the option of suspending an idle worker process rather than terminating it. To do this, need to select desired AppPool and click on "Advanced Settings" under Process Model, select Suspend for the value of "Idle Time-out Action" to suspend a worker process when the time-out value is reached, paging it out to disk. Select Terminate to shut down the worker process. Apart from this you can enter value in minutes for "Idle Time-out(minutes)", default value is 20 minutes.

Dynamic Site Activation

In IIS 8.5, when there are a large number of configured sites (100 or greater, by default), the service will not activate any of the sites when the service is started. IIS will activate each site only when it receives the first request for the site. We can do this mentioning value for "dynamicRegistrationThreshold" under "system.applicationHost/webLimits" in "Configuration Editor" for a server in IIS.

Enhanced Logging

Administrator has the option of logging additional custom fields from request or response headers, or from server variables. Need to follow below steps to do this:

1. Select the site or server in the Connections pane, and then double-click Logging. Note that enhanced logging is available only for site-level logging - if you select the server in the Connections pane, then the Custom Fields section of the W3C Logging Fields dialog is disabled.
2. In the Format field under Log File, select W3C and then click Select Fields....
3. In the W3C Logging Fields dialog, click Add Field.... Note that enhanced logging is available only for site-level logging - if you selected the server in the Connections pane, then Add Field... is disabled. 
4. In the Add Custom Field dialog, enter a Field Name to identify the custom field within the log file. Please note that the field name cannot contain spaces.
5. Select the Source Type. You can select Request Header, Response Header, or Server Variable (note that enhanced logging cannot log a server variable with a name that contains lower-case characters - to include a server variable in the event log just make sure that its name consists of all upper-case characters).
6. Select Source, which is the name of the HTTP header or server variable (depending on the Source Type you selected) that contains a value that you want to log. You also can enter your own custom source string. For example, to record the custom HTTP Header "X-FORWARDED-FOR", enter that string in Source.

Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) logging

Administrator has the option of sending logging information to Event Tracing for Windows (ETW). This option gives the administrator the ability to use standard query tools, or create custom tools, for viewing real-time logging information in ETW. This provides a significant advantage over parsing text-based log files that are not updated in real time.

Instructions to install IIS 8.5 can be found here.

ASP.Net MVC 5

ASP.Net MVC 5

ASP.NET MVC 5 is a framework for building scalable, standards-based web applications using well-established design patterns and the power of ASP.NET and the .NET Framework.

For detailed life cycle of ASP.Net MVC 5 click here.

Main Features:
ASP.NET Identity: The MVC project templates have been updated to use ASP.NET Identity for authentication and identity management. ASP.NET MVC 5 enables users to log in using OAuth 2.0  with credentials from an external authentication provider, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Microsoft, or Google.

Attribute Routing: ASP.NET MVC now supports attribute routing. Attribute routing uses attributes to define routes. Attribute routing gives you more control over the URIs in your web application.
For example:
{productId:int}/{productTitle} 
Mapped to ProductsController.Show(int id)
{username} 
Mapped to ProfilesController.Show(string username)

ASP.NET Scaffolding: ASP.NET Scaffolding is a code generation framework for ASP.NET Web applications. It makes it easy to add boilerplate code to your project that interacts with a data model. In previous versions of Visual Studio, scaffolding was limited to ASP.NET MVC projects. With Visual Studio 2013, you can now use scaffolding for any ASP.NET project, including Web Forms.

Filter Override: One can now override which filters apply to a given action method or controller, by specifying an override filter. Override filters specify a set of filter types that should not run for a given scope (action or controller). This allows you to add global filters, but then exclude some from specific actions or controllers.

Bootstrap: The MVC project template has been updated to use Bootstrap to provide a sleek and responsive look and feel that you can easily customize. Bootstrap makes front-end web development faster and easier. It's made for folks of all skill levels, devices of all shapes, and projects of all sizes.

For further details about ASP.Net MVC 5 click here.

Google Web Starter Kit

Google Web Starter Kit

Google recently announced Web Starter Kit in San Francisco.  
It's a  toolkit to develop multi-device responsive boilerplate with better performance. It uses HTML5 boilerplate.

Main Features:
Responsive Layout: Responsive layout is included with the kit that adapts to fit the device your user is viewing it on. This helps you hit the ground running with an experience that looks good everywhere.
Cross-device Synchronization: Synchronize clicks, scrolls, forms and live-reload across multiple devices as you edit your project. Powered by BrowserSync.
Live Browser Reloading: Reload the browser in real-time anytime an edit is made without the need for an extension.
Built in HTTP Server: A built in server for previewing your site means you can test your pages without messing with other tools.
PageSpeed Insights Reporting: Web performance metrics showing how well your site performs on mobile and desktop.

To understand about setting up environment and building your site, click on below URL:
https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/tools/