Creating Test and Production Sites with Only One IIS Server - Step 4: Code Control
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Something that is absolutely non-critical for this project, but yet highly recommended, is code version control. In large scale projects, version control enables each developer in a team to check-out the latest version of desired code, do their work, and check it back in. This is not as necessary when you're all on your lonesome, however the benefit for you is the ability to retain version history of your code, check-in your revised code, and update your live code in an automated way. I personally like CVS (www.cvshome.org) for this, but use the product of your choice.
Conclusion
I highly doubt that I need to convince you now of the need to have both a test and production environment. However, you may be wondering if this is the best way to accomplish that. Well, honestly, there are drawbacks, but probably only two.
This first is the additional resources needed to also house the test code and database. But just remember, you'll probably be the only one - or at least one of very few – people that will be working in the second site. You won't require the same memory and CPU load of the production application, you will just need the same amount of storage space for the code. That's usually not a serious issue. And chances are, that if have a second server for you test code is out of the question, than the company size isn't large enough (not enough people hitting it simultaneously) to worry about the server resources.
The second drawback would be that if you seriously screw something up, and lock up the server, then you've locked up the live application as well. So just be careful.
Aside from that, there are only benefits. So please, once more I entreat you: practice safe coding!
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