IIS returns 404 for ASP.NET MVC3 file (.cshtml)

Question

I have standard ASP.NET 4 application. Inside this application there are also few razor (e.g. test.cshtml) files. ASP.NET application works however if I point browser to /test file (without extension). IIS (static file handler) returns 404.

The same application and even the standalone .cshtml files are working on local machine (with IIS7.5/Win7) and a server with (IIS7.5/Win2008R2), however it does not work the server with IIS7.0/Win2008.

MVC3 is installed on both machines, app pools on both machines are .NET 4.0 integrated.

How the .cshtml handlers works? When the IIS decides to use static file handler and when the .cshtml handler? What else should I check?

EDIT:

Clarification - I am not actually using whole MVC framework, it is just like plain-old .ASPX or PHP file. No controllers, no routes, no 'views'. I am using it for a simple script in addition to old ASP.NET application.

I think it is not a programming issue, since it works on local computer, but rather a configuration issue - the IIS on the Win2008 server might not be configured properly.

EDIT2:

(Machines with IIS7.5 works, only machine with IIS7.0 does not work. But I am not sure whether it is a problem of IIS version.)

EDIT3:

On my local computer where it works, I have not set any routing. TheCodeKing and Keith suggested that I need to have a routing somewhere. Maybe yes, but it is not in my application. It might be set by default somewhere in IIS configuration.

Do you have any hints where this 'implicit' routing could be found?

EDIT4:

Note: On all computers there is HttpForbiddenHandler for *.cshtml, since you cannot download the cshtml file. And there is also the TransferRequestHandler for *.. (Both are enabled.)

EDIT5:

I have found that on the servers, where it is working, I need to have any .cshtml file in the web root. If I remove the .cshtml from the web root and try to invoke any from a subdirectory it will not work.

EDIT6:

I tried that on another two machines: one with IIS 7.5 and another with IIS 7.0. On IIS 7.5 it works (plain install no configuration), but on IIS 7.0 it does not work.

How to make it work on IIS 7.0?

Answer 1

Yay! After several days of struggling I've found it! :))

One way to make it work on IIS 7.0 is to enable runAllManagedModulesForAllRequests:

<modules runAllManagedModulesForAllRequests="true" />

(Although, on IIS 7.5 it works even with the default value runAllManagedModulesForAllRequests="false".)

Don't ask me why:) Maybe someone can explain that.

Answer 2

Not sure if this is your particular problem, but it sounds like ASP.NET Web Pages isn't running (MVC 3 and up depend on Web Pages for Razor and other things). Sometimes things can get installed in orders that mess up some configuration of ASP.NET and IIS, which in turn could make it so Web Pages isn't running and no cshtml file will get executed.

Try running aspnet_regiis /i to clean it all up.