A couple that seemed like good potentials: aquesthosting.com negox.com

While trying to implement Membership & Roles, I encountered problems. I couldn't get the web administration console to work.

To use SQL Server 2005 instead of SQL Express, create the SQL database, and then change the machine.config and/or web.config file connection strings.

To create the database, use the aspnet_regsql.exe (in the framework 2.0 directory). It has a GUI wizard if you run it without arguments.

Then, adjust the connection strings in the .config file. If you have trouble remembering connection strings, you're not alone; I use http://www.connectionstrings.com whenever I'm unsure about connection strings.

I changed the "localsqlserver" entry to:

Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=aspnetdb;Integrated Security=SSPI;

I went to http://www.learn2asp.net/Compaign.aspx and watched 3 webcasts.

I did the 3 part series for Cold Fusion developers. It was worthwhile and there are quite a few to choose from.

Just for watching 3 webcasts, I received a copy of Visual Studio 2005 Standard and a book called "Moving to Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0." I don't know if the standard version has anything more than the new free versions of studio "express," but it's nice to have anyway.

I felt it was in my best interest to see what DotNetNuke is all about. I had some trouble installing it at first. Here are a couple things the installation docs expect you to know.

First, and I guess you pretty much need this for all ASP.NET apps, you need to grant certain permissions to the folder your website is stored in. I gather the accounts necessary are ASPNET and/or NETWORK SERVICE account depending on the IIS server type.

Second, and this is probably just for me, because I'm always using 127.0.0.1 to refer to my local server. Well, DO NOT run the default installation web page with a 127.0.0.1 URL address. This stores 127.0.0.1 as your default portal address and will make the portal redirect to a user's local webserver (yeah, they probably won't have a local web server and a copy of dotnetnuke running).

This blog has been very helpful. Scott Gu is like my new virtual mentor and he doesn't even know it.

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/

To use the SQL Server option for sessions in ASP.NET 2. You have to create the database, and update your web.config file.

Creating the Database: You need to run aspnet_regsql.exe -ssadd. This file is usually in the C:WINDOWSMicrosoft.NETFrameworkv2.0.50727 directory. Run it in a command console with a /? argument to see all the options. You can change it's behavior a bit. This creates and "ASPState" database on your local SQL server. I don't think you can specify a different server so you probably have to run this on the SQL server.

Configuration: Add a setting in web.config with mode="SQLServer" and sqlConnectionString pointing to the database created above. Use www.connectionstrings.com if you can't remember how to make a connection string.

Web developer toolbars for IE and FireFox are helpful. They really let you see what's going on in websites (especially good for AJAX, Web 2.0 type sites)

IE Developer Toolbar is at http://tinyurl.com/8lac3

FireFox Web Developer Toolbar is at https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=60

JHawk's sample was a nice example.

One, he used all CSS for design. I've been looking to move off tables myself.

Two, not only did he use Virtual Earth through one of Atlas pre-included scripts, he wrote up another web service for an auto-complete box. Inside the web service, he used a basic class and handled searching though it with collections / lists.

Third, he added the web-service to the atlas scripts, and then referenced it with client side javascript.

There's a lot of good best-practice stuff in there.