Are MS Assemblies in the GAC?

[Gery D. Dorazio]

I want to create strongly signed support assemblies so they can be shared by
different ASP.NET web apps. This requires that they be installed into the
Global Assembly Cache. To be installed in the GAC means the assemblies must
be signed with a strong name. But according to MS documention: "...Remember
that once you give an assembly a strong name, all assemblies that reference
that assembly also have to have a strong name."

When I develop an ASP.NET web app and the various references point to
System, System.Drawing, System.Web,...etc. I was under the impression that
the MS libraries were in the GAC. Is this true(which means they are signed)?
If so, this would appear to contradict the MS statement.

The goal is to deploy assemblies into the GAC so they can be shared by
different web apps which means they have to be signed with strong names. So
can I still build the different web sites and not sign them while still
referencing the strongly signed assemblies?

Can someone clear this up?

Thanks,
Gery


--
Gery D. Dorazio
Development Engineer

EnQue Corporation
1334 Queens Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
(704) 377-3327

[Nicole Calinoiu]

"Gery D. Dorazio" <gdorazio@enque.net> wrote in message
news:Ooz$Y8NDFHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

>I want to create strongly signed support assemblies so they can be shared
>by different ASP.NET web apps. This requires that they be installed into
>the Global Assembly Cache. To be installed in the GAC means the assemblies
>must be signed with a strong name. But according to MS documention:
>"...Remember that once you give an assembly a strong name, all assemblies
>that reference that assembly also have to have a strong name."

If that's straight out of the documentation, the docs have it wrong. A
strongly named assembly can only reference strongly named assemblies, but
assemblies that are not strongly named can reference both strongly named and
non-strongly named assemblies. If this weren't the case, no non-strongly
named apps would work since they all reference strongly named Microsoft
assemblies.

> When I develop an ASP.NET web app and the various references point to
> System, System.Drawing, System.Web,...etc. I was under the impression that
> the MS libraries were in the GAC. Is this true(which means they are
> signed)? If so, this would appear to contradict the MS statement.

You're right, and the statement is wrong.

>
> The goal is to deploy assemblies into the GAC so they can be shared by
> different web apps which means they have to be signed with strong names.
> So can I still build the different web sites and not sign them while still
> referencing the strongly signed assemblies?

Yes.

>
> Can someone clear this up?
>
> Thanks,
> Gery
>
>
> --
> Gery D. Dorazio
> Development Engineer
>
> EnQue Corporation
> 1334 Queens Road
> Charlotte, NC 28207
> (704) 377-3327
>

[Gery D. Dorazio]

Thanks Nicole,

Gery

--
Gery D. Dorazio
Development Engineer

EnQue Corporation
1334 Queens Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
(704) 377-3327
"Nicole Calinoiu" <calinoiu REMOVETHIS AT gmail DOT com> wrote in message
news:ufJHd6QDFHA.2600@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

> "Gery D. Dorazio" <gdorazio@enque.net> wrote in message
> news:Ooz$Y8NDFHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

>>I want to create strongly signed support assemblies so they can be shared
>>by different ASP.NET web apps. This requires that they be installed into
>>the Global Assembly Cache. To be installed in the GAC means the assemblies
>>must be signed with a strong name. But according to MS documention:
>>"...Remember that once you give an assembly a strong name, all assemblies
>>that reference that assembly also have to have a strong name."

>
> If that's straight out of the documentation, the docs have it wrong. A
> strongly named assembly can only reference strongly named assemblies, but
> assemblies that are not strongly named can reference both strongly named
> and non-strongly named assemblies. If this weren't the case, no
> non-strongly named apps would work since they all reference strongly named
> Microsoft assemblies.
>
>

>> When I develop an ASP.NET web app and the various references point to
>> System, System.Drawing, System.Web,...etc. I was under the impression
>> that the MS libraries were in the GAC. Is this true(which means they are
>> signed)? If so, this would appear to contradict the MS statement.

>
> You're right, and the statement is wrong.
>
>

>>
>> The goal is to deploy assemblies into the GAC so they can be shared by
>> different web apps which means they have to be signed with strong names.
>> So can I still build the different web sites and not sign them while
>> still referencing the strongly signed assemblies?

>
> Yes.
>

>>
>> Can someone clear this up?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Gery
>>
>>
>> --
>> Gery D. Dorazio
>> Development Engineer
>>
>> EnQue Corporation
>> 1334 Queens Road
>> Charlotte, NC 28207
>> (704) 377-3327
>>

>
>