Is it possible to get .NET 4.0 on the server without having to install it?

Question

Is it possible to get .NET 4.0 on the server without having to install it? Well! It may sound crazy by just reading the title without actually going into it.

My senior developers(who used to do VB6/ASP programming back then) doesnt want .NET 4.0 on the server for two reasons. 1) They fear that all their existing applications will break. 2) They will be forced to learn new technologies which they dont want.

But unfortunately they are the senior programmers(by age) and are the decision makers.So here is my crazy thought. Is it possible to get .NET framework running on the server without having to install it. What I mean by that is, If I deploy all the .NET 4.0 dlls in the GAC of the server and to add some values into registry. Will I be able to run .NET 4.0 apps on it?

or can we have only certain applications use .NET 4.0 run time and the old applications use .NET 2.0/or 1.1 run time?

The current .NET version on the server is .NET 3.5 SP1. Any suggestions & ideas are welcomed?

Please dont consider it as a duplicate question because I am not asking for .NET 2.0 framework as did by earlier posts. I am asking specifically for .NET 4.0 which has not been posted yet.

Answer 1

No. not in any dependable working order no. And it would be foolish to try.

This is one of the reasons you should give deference to you seniors whether you agree with them or not. For one, they have apparently been through enought microsoft betas to know that you don't install an ms beta (and sometimes pre sp1 ;-]) on a production server, whether they say it is go-live or not.

Just. Don't. Do. It.

The concern, whether you or I agree, is twofold: 1) will installing it break anything that isn't broken? impossible to know without taking the step and 2) what happens @ RTM? You generally have to uninstall the beta to install the gold. Will that break anything? impossible to know until it happens.

You summation of their reasons demonstrates a bit of immaturity and dare I say, impetuosity. This will serve you well neither short or long term in any scenario. I say so from experience.

So, ask if there is a box in the boneyard you can slap an OS and 4.0 on to use as a test machine. Get your current apps working with 3.5 and image it. then install 4.0 and develop and observe and check the state of the existing codebase that pays your salary.

When 4.0 goes gold, reimage the box with the working image you made previously and repeat.

THEN go to the higher ups with an informed request and supporting data/experience.

just my 2 pesos. take it or leave it.

Answer 2

I am failed to understand why "They fear that all their existing applications will break"?? I always thought that different versions of .NET framework can co-exist without any problem.

Answer 3

From my understanding .NET 4.0 is independent. For example to install .NET 3.5 you would need the 2.0 runtime already installed, but I'm under the impression that .Net 4.0 can be installed independently.

Another things is that application built for previous version will not be run in the .NET 4.0 runtime. You would need to recompile these applications to target .NET 4.0. This statement is confirmed in MSDN (.NET 4.0 Application Compatibility and Deployment).

So in you scenario after installing .NET 4.0, in you server, only applications built to specifically target it would be running in the 4.0 runtime.

Answer 4

The .NET framework was designed to be able to support side-by-side frameworks running independently of each other:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/serverroles/appserver/mngfrmwk.mspx

E.g. The .NET 1.0 framework has a completely different compiler, runtime, class libraries, GAC, etc to the .NET 2.0+ framework. Code that was built to use the .NET 1.0 framework will continue to do so. The .NET 2.0, .NET 3.0 and .NET 3.5 frameworks however both use the .NET 2.0 runtime with added libraries for each version.

.NET 4.0 is a completely new release so your previous .NET versions will remain unaffected. .NET 4.0 also include a new In-Process Side-by-side feature which lets the same .NET 4 process to use different installed versions of the .NET framework side-by-side:

http://blogs.msdn.com/clrteam/archive/2009/06/03/in-process-side-by-side-part1.aspx

Essentially, in theory it should be fine to install .NET 4.0 and it won't affect the any of the previous versions however I would hold off until the final release comes out to save you from re-installing it, etc.