Target multiple ASP.NET versions with AppCmd.exe

When administering an IIS web server you frequently have to use AppCmd.exe to make configuration changes. Whether it is for a specific web site or server wide. Some think AppCmd is very limited: if you donโ€™t know the options to use, you may think you can only address the x64 .NET Framework version, or only x86, or you can only target the current active .NET Framework version. Fortunately this is not true, you can address both x86 and x64 versions of .NET with AppCmd. Read howโ€ฆ

How to target multiple ASP.NET versions with AppCmd?

Most of us already know there are two versions of AppCmd available, one is located in c:\windows\syswow64\inetsrv\appcmd.exe and the other in c:\windows\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe

These address either 64-bit and 32-bit.

But what for different Framework versions? There is a parameter available! Yes, you can target multiple ASP.NET versions with AppCmd!

AppCmd .NET Framework version parameter

AppCmd.exe recognizes the parameter /clr. CLR stands for Common Language Runtime. By adding /clr to your command, you can address different Framework versions. For example, /clr:4 addresses the ASP.NET 4.0 and 4.5 configuration runtime, and /clr:2 addresses ASP.NET 2.0 (3.5).

Jan Reilink

Hi, my name is Jan. I am not a hacker, coder, developer or guru. I am merely an application manager / systems administrator, doing my daily thing at Embrace - The Human Cloud. In the past I worked for clidn and Vevida. With over 20 years of experience, my specialties include Windows Server, IIS, Linux (CentOS, Debian), security, PHP, websites & optimization. I blog at https://www.saotn.org.