.NET 3.5 missing from the ASP.NET drop down in IIS after new install

Question

I have just installed the .NET 3.5 Framework to my Windows 2003 server and when I try to create a new website I can't select 3.5 from the web site properties ASP.NET tab in IIS.

This works fine with 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0.

I know the framework install process was completely different with 3.5, but I assume it should be available in the drop down.

What can I do to solve this problem?

Answer 1

That's because ASP.NET 3.5 still uses the CLR from 2.0. The CLR hasn't changed in 3.5, it's more an extension to 2.0. (I hope I say this correct)

So while you cannot choose 3.5, you can run webapplications written in 3.5.

Answer 2

The .NET Framework v3.5 is essentially a "feature enhancement" on top of the 2.0 core. It has been this way since version 2.0 came out. You won't see a new version in IIS until they do a fundamental core shift, or something major along those lines to warrant having your ASP.NET sites to be configured as such.

But don't worry, your .NET 3.5 apps will run just fine under the 2.0 configuration listing. You'll notice that there will be redirects in your web.config file to point to the 3.5 files for some of the updated libraries.