A shared assembly is an assembly available for use by multiple applications on the computer. To make the assembly global, it has to be put into the Global Assembly Cache. Each computer where the common language runtime is installed has a machine-wide code cache called the global assembly cache. The global assembly cache stores assemblies specifically for sharing by several applications on the computer.
You should share assemblies by installing them into the global assembly cache only when you need to. As a general guideline, keep assembly dependencies private and locate assemblies in the application directory unless sharing an assembly is explicitly required.
This is achieved with the help of a global assembly cache tool (gacutil.exe) provided by the .NET Framework. One can also drag & drop the assemblies into the Global Assembly Cache directory.
However, when an assembly has to be put into the Global Assembly Cache it needs to be signed with a strong name. A strong name contains the assembly's identity i.e. it’s text name, version number, and culture information strengthened by a public key and a digital signature generated over the assembly. This is because the CLR verifies the strong name signature when the assembly is placed in the Global Assembly Cache.
You should share assemblies by installing them into the global assembly cache only when you need to. As a general guideline, keep assembly dependencies private and locate assemblies in the application directory unless sharing an assembly is explicitly required.
This is achieved with the help of a global assembly cache tool (gacutil.exe) provided by the .NET Framework. One can also drag & drop the assemblies into the Global Assembly Cache directory.
However, when an assembly has to be put into the Global Assembly Cache it needs to be signed with a strong name. A strong name contains the assembly's identity i.e. it’s text name, version number, and culture information strengthened by a public key and a digital signature generated over the assembly. This is because the CLR verifies the strong name signature when the assembly is placed in the Global Assembly Cache.