How? Deploying WCF App on server without Framework 3.0 installed

Question

If I just want to run the new style web services on, say a Windows 2000, IIS 5 machine with .NET 2.0 installed, but .NET 3.0 not installed, can I do it by just adding the System.ServiceModel.dll to my bin?

Answer 1

This may work, but I would always advocate installing the appropriate framework version for your application. That way you will know that what you are doing* is supported/supportable

*At least on the deployment side - code is another matter.

Answer 2

I doubt this would work. System.ServiceModel resides in the GAC. It also has dependencies on a few other 3.0 assemblies such as Microsoft.Transactions.Bridge, System.IdentityModel and so on. Who knows what other non-obvious stuff it may also depend on in say the registry.

FW 3.0 is also not designed for use on Windows 2000, you could try and install but whether it would work correctly is another question (See the requirements section in: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480198.aspx). If you were successful but something broke further down the road then the install would be unsupported by MS.

Best bet would be to save yourself a world of pain and install FW 3.0 on a compatible environment (XP SP2/Windows 2003-SP1 or above) and target that.

HTH
Kev

Answer 3

Whether it will work or not is irrelevant. It is certainly not smart. Even if it works, there may be a scenario that is only hit one of x number of times that requires the 3.0 framework. It would be very hard to debug this, and completely irreproducible on your dev box.