mod_aspdotnet and the GAC

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Perhaps someone will be interested in a few notes that I have made in the last couple of days while trying to locate the source of a problem a user was having with loading mod_aspdotnet under a Server Suite that I provide...
(do note that I know nothing about .NET and am of the c/asm camp -- if I have anything wrong, please correct me)

While gacutil.exe is considered to be a .NET Framework SDK 'developer' tool, Microsoft has mistakenly included it into...
.NET Framework (runtime) v1.0 SP2, SP3
.NET Framework (runtime) v1.1 SP1
(and in a few other packages)

I do not believe MS will be able to remove gacutil.exe from any further .NET v1.0 or v1.1 releases; and _might_ have to include gacutil.exe in all the other branches of the .NET Framework as I'm sure some end-users are now dependent on this 'feature'.

regasm.exe is also now (or has it always been?) part of .NET Framework (runtime). Perhaps it was only not present under the beta or pre-release versions? (I'm very sure regasm.exe is in v1.1 (no SP1) while gacutil.exe is not -- so they could not have made it in at the same time)

Here are some of the options that I have used to deploy Apache.Web.dll into the GAC (without using MSI Installer or depending on the SDK)...

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Method 1 (regasm.exe and gacutil.exe):

SET PATH=%PATH%;%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322
SET PATH=%PATH%;%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.0.3705

_register_
regasm /verbose /nologo "C:\www\Apache22\bin\Apache.Web.dll"
gacutil /nologo /ir "Apache.Web.dll" FILEPATH "C:\www\Apache22\bin\Apache.Web.dll" "mod_aspdotnet Apache.Web.dll"

_unregister_
gacutil /nologo /ur "Apache.Web" FILEPATH "C:\www\Apache22\bin\Apache.Web.dll" "mod_aspdotnet Apache.Web.dll"
regasm /verbose /nologo /unregister "C:\www\Apache22\bin\Apache.Web.dll"
------

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Method 2 (idiot proof):
(does not provide reference counting)

Open two folder views (Windows Explorer)...
1) C:\www\Apache22\bin\
2) %systemroot%\assembly\

Drag-and-drop file 'Apache.Web.dll' from 1st window into the second.
------

'How to determine which versions of the .NET Framework are installed and whether service packs have been applied'
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318785/

To determine if .NET Framework (runtime) v1.0 with SP2/3 or v1.1 with SP1 is installed...
Open folder '%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.0.3705'.
Open folder '%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322'.
Right-click file 'mscorlib.dll', Select 'Properties', Select menu 'Version'...
'File Version : .NET Runtime Version'
'1.1.4322.2032 : .NET v1.1 SP1'
'1.0.3705.6018 : .NET v1.0 SP3'
'1.0.3705.288 : .NET v1.0 SP2'

The only clear reason that I have been able to find against using gacutil.exe is this...

'.NET Framework Developer's Guide -- Global Assembly Cache'
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/yf1d93sz.aspx
"In deployment scenarios, use Windows Installer 2.0 to install assemblies into the global assembly cache. Use Windows Explorer or the Global Assembly Cache tool only in development scenarios, because they do not provide assembly reference counting and other features provided when using the Windows Installer."

However, this is probably in reference to an older version of gacutil.exe, as current versions of gacutil.exe do provide traced reference counting with the '/r' option...

'.NET Development -- Global Assembly Cache Tool (Gacutil.exe)'
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ex0ss12c.aspx
"Gacutil.exe provides options that support reference counting similar to the reference counting scheme supported by Windows Installer. You can use Gacutil.exe to install two applications that install the same assembly; the tool keeps track of the number of references to the assembly."


http://blogs.msdn.com/psfd/archive/2005/05/05/414918.aspx
http://hoser.lander.ca/GACUtil+V20++Where+To+Get+It.aspx
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=209954