Does Content Deployment need to be enabled before execution? Install dll to GAC?

Install feature, but do not enable it.

Modify the web. config file.

Dll to be installed in gac.

 

Specific steps for preparing the Content Deployment target site set:

1. Create an empty site set. You need to use the stsadm-o createsite command to create an empty site set. Note that the empty site set is different from the blank site set.

2. add and deploy all sharepoint solution package (wsp) files to the target server farm. in general, the feature will be installed to the target server farm when the wsp file is deployed. if you are not using wsp, make sure that all feature files are installed on the server, but not enabled.

3. Make necessary modifications to the file system. For example, modify the web. config file, install or deploy. net assembly not included in wsp deployment to GAC.

 

The original article is as follows:

==================

To prepare the destination site collection

1. Create an empty site collection in the production farm. this is where the content will be deployed. an empty site template differs from a blank site template in that it contains no content, libraries, or activated features. A blank site contains some content and has some features that are activated. the only way to create an empty site collection is with the following STSADM command:

   STSADM. EXE-o createsite-url <url-to-site-collection>-ownerlogin domain \ user-owneremail <email-address>

2. Add and deploy all the SharePoint Solution Packages (WSP) to the production farm. typically, deploying the WSP shocould install all features to the production farm. however, if you are not using WSPs or if you have an exceptional case, ensure that all features are installed but not activated.
3. Make any necessary file system changes. For example, modify the Web. config files and install or place in the global assembly cache any. NET Framework assemblies that were not supported ded in the WSP deployment.

Do not activate any of the features in the empty site collection. The content deployment process handles feature activation.

 

Source:

Understanding Publishing and Content Deployment

Http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee413986.aspx