Using DestinationVirtualDirectory in msdeploy to set Physical Path Location

Question

This seems like it should be very straight forward but it is not working for me and I am out of ideas.

All I want to do is set the physical path when I deploy a package using msdeploy so that it doesn't go to the default inetpub\wwwroot location.

msdeploy -verb:sync -source:package="D:\PATH\TO\PACKAGE.zip" -dest:iisapp="Default Web Site/SiteName" -setParam:kind=DestinationVirtualDirectory,scope="Default Web Site/SiteName",value="C:\Program Files\Physical\Location"

I feel like I must be missing something obvious.

Answer 1

I've done this by adding an additional command (appcmd) to the MSDeploy package manifest to change the physical path of the IIS site during the deployment:

<runcommand path="%windir%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set app /app.name:&quot;Default Web Site/app12&quot; /&#91;path='/'&#93;.physicalPath:C:\temp\app12" waitInterval="5000"/>

http://www.dotnetcatch.com/2016/06/28/webdeploymsdeploy-quick-tip-change-iis-siteapp-physical-path-with-msdeploy/

Answer 2

The following changes the physical directory of a virtual application on a remote machine

"C:\Program Files\IIS\Microsoft Web Deploy V3\msdeploy.exe" -verb:sync -source:apphostconfig="my-website-name\my-virtual-application-name",computername=my-computer-name,username=my-service-account-username,password=my-service-account-password -dest:package=template.zip -declareParam:name="destVirtualDir",kind=DestinationVirtualDirectory,scope="my-website-name",defaultValue="c:\my-default-folder-name"

"C:\Program Files\IIS\Microsoft Web Deploy V3\msdeploy.exe" -verb:sync -source:package=template.zip -dest:apphostconfig="my-website-name/my-virtual-application-name",computername=my-computer-name,username=my-service-account-username,password=my-service-account-password -setParam:name="destVirtualDir",value="c:\my-new-folder-name" 

To make sure no copying of source and target occurs you can add

-enableRule:Donotdeleterule -skip:objectName=filepath,absolutePath=.*

The above was 'inspired' by https://forums.iis.net/t/1169416.aspx which also shows how to make other website and virtual app changes