Web Application scoped features not visible in Central Admin after installing solution with WebApplication scoped resources

Question

In an effort to use WebConfigModifications less, I am trying to move some binding redirects and safe control entries into the solution manifest. The DeploymentTarget of the assembies is GlobalAssemblyCache.

The solution is being installed using both the -GACDeployment and -AllWebApplications flags.

After making this change (and commenting out the WebConfigModifications code), the solution is in Central Admin (showing as activated on the web application), but the Web App features are not showing up in Central Admin. The web config changes are occurring as expected, and ULS confirms that I'm not starting up any of the web config timer jobs (it's a farm test)

I can access the features via Get-SPFeature, and I can confirm that they are not hidden.

Answer 1

Are you sure those features are not set to hidden? Can you perform a new deploy after explicitly specifying Hidden = "FALSE" (hidden attribute equals FALSE by default) in feature manifest?

Script usage: Specify the path of your WSPs in the script like C:\wsp_files_location and script will upgrade/install them.

$webapplurl = "http://youwebapplication.url.local/"

function WaitForInsallation([string] $Name)
{
        Write-Host -NoNewline "Waiting for deployment job to complete" $Name "."
        $wspSol = get-SpSolution $Name
        while($wspSol.JobExists)
        {
            sleep 2
            Write-Host -NoNewline "."
            $wspSol = get-SpSolution $Name
        }
        Write-Host "job ended" -ForegroundColor green
}

Function Deploy-SPSolution ($WspFolderPath)
{
    $wspFiles = get-childitem $WspFolderPath | where {$_.Name -like "*.wsp"}

    ForEach($file in $wspFiles)
    {
        $wsp = Get-SPSolution | Where{$_.Name -eq $file.Name}
        if($wsp -eq $null)
        {
            write-host "Adding solution"
            Add-SPSolution -LiteralPath ($WspFolderPath + "\" + $file.Name)
        }
        else
        {
            write-host "Solution already exists"

            if($wsp.Deployed -eq $true)
            {
                write-host "solution is deployed already, updating the solution"
                Update-SPSolution -identity $wsp.SolutionId -LiteralPath ($WspFolderPath + "\" + $file.Name) -GACDeployment
            }
             else
            {
               write-host "Removing solution"
               Remove-SPSolution -identity $wsp.SolutionId -confirm:$false

                write-host "Adding solution"
               Add-SPSolution -LiteralPath ($WspFolderPath + "\" + $file.Name)
            }
            WaitForInsallation -Name $wsp.Name
        }

        $wsp = Get-SPSolution | Where {$_.Name -eq $file.Name}
        if($wsp -ne $null)
        {
            write-host "Installing solution"

            if ($wsp.ContainsWebApplicationResource)
            {

                if($webapplurl)
                {
                    write-host "Installing solution web application" $webapplurl
                    Install-SPSolution –Identity $wsp -GACDeployment -force -WebApplication $webapplurl

                }
                elseif (!$webapplurl)
                {
                    write-host "Installing solution to all the web applications"
                    $wsp | Install-SPSolution -AllWebApplications -Confirm:$false -GACDeployment -force

                }



            }
            else
            {   
                write-host "Installing solution Globally"
                Install-SPSolution -identity $wsp.SolutionId -GACDeployment -force -Confirm:$false
            }
        }
        WaitForInsallation -Name $wsp.Name

    }
    write-host "Done"
    IISRESET /NOFORCE
}
try
{
        Deploy-SPSolution "C:\wsp_files_location"
}
catch
{
    write-host $_.exception

}

Answer 2

While answering Web App Level Feature not showing in SharePoint 2013 I realized the same question had poped-up recently. I searched and found it (this one); I had read it quickly two weeks ago, and that did not ring a bell at that time. It did ring a bell with the other question raised one hour ago.
So the new one is actually a dup of this one, but here's the answer I've just made. I copy it here for easy reference:

Depending on where the Central Administration is hosted (Web Front End or App server, and depending on the target of WSP package (not talking of the scope of the feature; I'm talking about the "Deployment Server Type" setting of the solution), this may happen.

For example, the features contained in the package are only installed on the Web Front End if the "Deployment Server Type" is set to WebFrontEnd. If you browse the CA hosted on the App Server, it thus does not list features that are not physically installed on that server.

Options to solve this include:

1. Host the CA on the Web Front End as well, and browse it there to activate the feature.
2. Switch the WSP mode to ApplicationServer (can be done only if it contains only the Web app feature you're mentioning).
3. Activate the Web app feature from PowerhShell, while logged on the Web Front End (and hope the feature event receiver is well-coded, i.e. does not assume the ER is loaded in a Web context!).
4. Turn the application server to a WFE (by activating the "SharePoint Foundation Web Application" service on it), even if it's not participating in the load-balancing.

Answer 3

Did you happen to check the Feature.xml file ? The Feature.xml file must contain, the Receiver class and receiver assembly properties.Also make sure that feature (FeatureActivated and FeatureDeactivating)receivers are in place!!

Answer 4

Faced simile issue and below is my situation. Your might be the same.

I had 3 box in my farm one CA, and two WFE. When we browse CA we could not see one of our Web Application level feature but we see other Web Application feature.

In our case WSP which was deploying invisible feature was not deployed globally. You will only see feature which is part of Globally Deployed WSP.

Feature is there but its just not visible from CA. If you try to use below power shell command on one of the WFE you will see it.

Get-SPFeature | Where { $_.Scope -eq "WebApplication" }

Hope this will help