Define DLL Hell problem in C#

DLL Hell: In windows applications some dlls are shared ones. Suppose app1 is an application running perfectly. It is sharing a shared dll named shared1.dll. You are installing another application app2. Suppose app2 application is also having a shared dll named shared1.dll. At the time of app2 installation, installer will overwrite the shared1.dll which is already there on our system and being shared by app1. The new shared1.dll may be different than the previous dll which is overwritten. Now the application app1 which is depending on overwritten shared1.dll will become defunct. app1 will fail. that's all about dll hell.

.net shared assemblies are strongly named. Different assemblies with same name but with different version numbers may coexist in shared folders.This is the solution provided by .net.

You can use new version using bindingRedirect. More detail..

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7wd6ex19(v=VS.100).aspx

3 Replies

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Mahesh Chand14y ago
Yes that is correct. DLL hell problem is not a problem anymore. Each .NET framework has its down separate folder.
Satyapriya Nayak14y ago
Hi Satya,

The dll hell problem is solved in .NET by signing the shared assemblies with strong name.

Please refer the below link

http://venkataspinterview.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-is-dll-hell-problem-solved-in-net.html

Thanks
Sandeep Singh Shekhawat14y ago
DLL Hell: In windows applications some dlls are shared ones. Suppose app1 is an application running perfectly. It is sharing a shared dll named shared1.dll. You are installing another application app2. Suppose app2 application is also having a shared dll named shared1.dll. At the time of app2 installation, installer will overwrite the shared1.dll which is already there on our system and being shared by app1. The new shared1.dll may be different than the previous dll which is overwritten. Now the application app1 which is depending on overwritten shared1.dll will become defunct. app1 will fail. that's all about dll hell.

.net shared assemblies are strongly named. Different assemblies with same name but with different version numbers may coexist in shared folders.This is the solution provided by .net.
You can use new version using bindingRedirect. More detail..
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7wd6ex19(v=VS.100).aspx