Skip to main content

Understanding the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) and Managing , Copying Dlls from Global Assembly Cache

Most of you may confuse why there are two GACs available in the machine.

  • C:\WINDOWS\assembly
  • C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\assembly

What is GAC

GAC is a shared location in your machine that keeps assemblies, Dlls for common sharing purpose. Assume that you are using system.data.dll in your project. so one option is you can place the dll with your project. but assume you are creating another project which is also using the same .net assembly system.data.dll. so it is better to have it in a common place which that can be referred.

since it is a common framework dll and used separately from your application logic it is good to place in a shared place for easy of maintenance and update process.

What is  C:\WINDOWS\assemblyimage

Previous CLRs uses this place as its common location for Dlls. previous CRLs includes versions 1.0,1.1,2.0. these CRLs versions are used by before .NET framework 4.

.NET Framework 1.0  - CLR v1.0
.NET Framework 1.1  - CLR v1.1
.NET Framework 2.0  - CLR v2.0
.NET Framework 3.0  - CLR v2.0
.NET Framework 3.5  - CLR v2.0

so if you are working with application belongs to these versions; this is the place for your global assembly cache.

What is  C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\assembly

After CLR version 4.0 Microsoft change their location to this for maintaining and avoid loading wrong Dlls in applications for backward compatibility.

.NET Framework 4.0  - CLR v4.0
.NET Framework 4.5  - CLR v4.0
.NET Framework 4.5.1  CLR v4.0
.NET Framework 4.5.2  CLR v4.0

so if you are engaging with application after .NET Framework 4.0; this is the default location for it’s assemblies.

Managing and Copying Dlls from Global Assembly Cache

  • shfusion.dll
  • Gacutil.exe

shfusion.dll

this is a windows shell extension which shifts before framework 4.0 to manage Dlls in GAC.

if you navigate to  C:\WINDOWS\assembly from your file explorer you can see something like this that you can not manipulate.

image

so you can use following command to make it manipulate.

  • Goto command prompt (cmd) and open it as run as Administrator
  • then run the command
C:\Windows\system32>regsvr32 /u  C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\shfusion.dll

 


image


When you click enter it will prompt with a message like below which turn your GAC into manageable state.


image
if you navigate to C:\WINDOWS\assembly ; you can see it by your self.


image


You can revert it back to normal by registering the dll again

C:\Windows\system32>regsvr32 C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\shfusion.dll

shfusion.dll is only available till framework 4.0 and its versions. Now it is discontinued and not shipping with the framework. if you are having multiple versions installed use the latest framework folder.


EX:- Microsoft.NET\Framework\<.NET version> \shfusion.dll


Gacutil.exe


This the alternative if you are dealing with Dlls after  4.0 you need to use the gacutil.exe. you can type gacutil in visual studio command prompt and get list of command available for dll manipulating.


image

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Customize New Item Form to take parameters from Query String in the SharePoint 2010

In here I'm going to explain how to customize the SharePoint Item From to take parameters from Query String and set them as default values using SharePoint designer. Using this you can open a new Item From by providing parameters as query string. For an example you can customize one item Display form and taking query String Parameter from that and view New Item view for another list by providing default values using the Query String.     Steps Open the SharePoint designer and go to list and libraries and open the list that you want. Click the New and create a New Insert View by providing the name of the view.   Then created one will come to the list. then click and open the view. Then default New Item Screen will be loaded as follows. Then Delete the default list view and make that empty. You can delete the controls by selecting the area in the design view, If it fully cleared you can view the following message from the designer. Then go to SharePoint...
6 comments
Read more

How to Link Two List and Create a combine view in the SharePoint 2010

In this way you can join multiple list together and can create a combine view. for an example assume that you are managing a list for some events. And also you are having a participants in separate list. Thus you want to join the two list and create a composite view. SharePoint 2010 allows you to create this kind of view using  Linked Data Source. in this approach you can create your own custom list in the SharePoint. How to Create a Linked Data source Go to SharePoint designer and  go to the link called data sources. And Click the Linked Data Source button in the ribbon. Then SharePoint designer will prompt following kind of a dialog. In there add two list, that you wan to linked together. I'm adding airline schedule and booking list. those are the two list that i wan to merge. then click next. And it will guide you another screen. it will ask you to select either Merge Merge use to combine list which are having same columns definition. for and example we can s...
32 comments
Read more

Complete guide to Install SharePoint in a Three Server Farm using AutpSPInstaller

This article will be divided to three sections Setting up the Environment and Service Accounts Getting Ready with AutoSPInstaller Online Configuring the XML using Online Editor and Installation Setting up the Environment and Service Accounts AutoSPInstaller Online is one of a great project that facilitate Automated SharePoint installation including Sharepoint 2010, 2013 and 2016. Auto SP Installer provides a powerful way to deploy and configure a single-server development environment to multiple-server SharePoint farm. Reference: https://autospinstaller.com/ Before doing anything we will set up the environment for SharePoint three server Farm. Will name these servers as SPWFE - Share Point Front End Server SPAPP - Share Point App server SPDB - DB server Please find the reference for SharePoint minimum requirement and practices from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/install-sharepoint-server-2016-across-multiple-servers For the the medium segregation, we have to create...
Post a Comment
Read more