To compile and run the more than 75 sample programs included in this book, you must have the .NET Framework Software Development Kit (SDK) installed on your machine. The SDK runs on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and presumably on later versions of Windows as well. The CD that comes with this book includes version 1.0 of the .NET Framework SDK as well as Service Pack 1. When newer versions become available, you can download them by pointing your browser to http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?url=/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/000/976/msdncompositedoc.xml. We all know that URLs change. If you go to this one and find that it鈥檚 no longer valid, visit the Microsoft .NET home page at http://www.microsoft.com/net for the latest information on where to find the SDK.
Chapters 5 through 11 of this book, which cover ASP.NET, impose another requirement on your system. In addition to being outfitted with the .NET Framework SDK, your PC needs to have Microsoft鈥檚 Web server, Internet Information Services (IIS), installed. Because ASP.NET requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you need one of those operating systems, too. On the Professional editions of these operating systems, IIS isn鈥檛 part of the default installation. To install IIS, open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel and select Add/Remove Windows Components. You鈥檒l find a check box for IIS. Be sure to install IIS before installing the SDK to make sure ASP.NET gets installed, too.
Some of the chapters in this book include sample programs built with Visual Studio .NET and provide Visual Studio .NET鈥搒pecific instructions. You don鈥檛 have to have Visual Studio .NET to build code that targets the .NET Framework; the SDK comes with command-line compilers. However, Visual Studio .NET offers a highly integrated development environment that makes writing, testing, and debugging code easier. If you don鈥檛 already own a copy of Visual Studio .NET, you can purchase one from Microsoft. For more information, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/howtobuy.