Deployment and load DLLs with IIS server

Romain

5y3.4k.NET

Good morning,

I am working on a C# project. I have implemented an API in C# and uses also C++/CLI. I am developing on Visual Studio and my solution generates 5 DLLs. Those 5 DLLs are then integrated into a web application which uses ASP.net and deployed with IIS. In order to make the things working with IIS (load the DLLs at the execution), I need some DLLs into the folder of IIS server : C:\Program Files\IIS Express. It bothers me a bit to copy some DLLs into the IIS Server folder. I would like to put the DLLs into a specific folder and indicates to IIS to load the DLLs at this place. I was thinking to use the “assembly resolver” but I did not succeed to have a solution which works. I would like to know if someone has an idea or a solution to make it working.

Thanks in advance.

7 Replies

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Romain5y ago
I don't want the dll into the bin folder. Actually, my dll are located in a specific folder somewhere and I use assembly resolvers to load the different assemblies.
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Rijwan Ansari5y ago
You can achieve like this.

1. Add those dll into solution Assemble folder as shown

2. Add reference from same folder

3. Right click of reference dll >> Properties then set Copy Local to True as shown

Then every time, you release the solution, those dlls will come into bin folder.
+1

Romain5y ago

I took the problem differently. I am using a simple ASP.net program which uses my other DLLs. When I debug in Visual, I saw the different application domains. For what I understand, the first application domain is the default one :

'iisexpress.exe' (CLR v4.0.30319: DefaultDomain)

And after that I have another one :

'iisexpress.exe' (CLR v4.0.30319: /LM/W3SVC/2/ROOT-1-132768598652050662)

I have made some code with using assembly resolver system to load my own assemblies in the second application domain (/LM/W3SVC/2/ROOT-1-132768598652050662) and it works fine.

Now, I would like to load my own assemblies in the application domain called "DefaultDomain" but I did not succeed it. I have tried assembly resolver but it does not work.

For debugging, in order to have a list of which assemblies are load by "DefaultDomain", I have used this following method :

private static AppDomain GetAppDomain(string friendlyName)
{
IntPtr enumHandle = IntPtr.Zero;
ICorRuntimeHost host = new CorRuntimeHost();
try
{
host.EnumDomains(out enumHandle);
object domain = null;
while (true)
{
host.NextDomain(enumHandle, out domain);
if (domain == null)
{
break;
}
AppDomain appDomain = (AppDomain)domain;
if (appDomain.FriendlyName.Equals(friendlyName))
{
return appDomain;
}
}
}
finally
{
host.CloseEnum(enumHandle);
Marshal.ReleaseComObject(host);
host = null;
}
return null;
}

I get the list of assemblies with that :

AppDomain appDefaultDomain = GetAppDomain("DefaultDomain");
Assembly[] tabAssembliesAppDomain = appDefaultDomain.GetAssemblies();

With debugging, I have check the setup information of the "DefaultDomain" :

	Name	Value	Type
◢	appDefaultDomain.SetupInformation	{System.AppDomainSetup}	System.AppDomainSetup
	ActivationArguments	null	System.Runtime.Hosting.ActivationArguments
	AppDomainInitializer	null	System.AppDomainInitializer
	AppDomainInitializerArguments	null	string[]
	AppDomainManagerAssembly	null	string
	AppDomainManagerType	null	string
	ApplicationBase	"C:\\Program Files\\IIS Express\\"	string
	ApplicationName	"iisexpress.exe"	string
	ApplicationTrust	null	System.Security.Policy.ApplicationTrust
	CachePath	null	string
	ConfigurationFile	"C:\\Program Files\\IIS Express\\iisexpress.exe.config"	string
	DisallowApplicationBaseProbing	false	bool
	DisallowBindingRedirects	false	bool
	DisallowCodeDownload	false	bool
	DisallowPublisherPolicy	false	bool
	DynamicBase	null	string
	LicenseFile	null	string
	LoaderOptimization	NotSpecified	System.LoaderOptimization
	PartialTrustVisibleAssemblies	null	string[]
	PrivateBinPath	null	string
	PrivateBinPathProbe	null	string
	SandboxInterop	false	bool
	ShadowCopyDirectories	null	string
	ShadowCopyFiles	null	string
	TargetFrameworkName	null	string

I am wondering if I change the "ApplicationBase", "PrivateBinPath" or "PrivateBinPath" fields it could resolve the problem but I think it is a part from a configuration of IIS server. Also I see that there is a configuration file iisexpress.exe.config but it doesn't exist. Maybe I have to create one but I don't know how to do it.

Thank you in advance

Priyanka K S5y ago
Hye,

try this below Link. He is also facing a similar issue.

https://forums.asp.net/t/1303052.aspx?Tell+IIS+to+load+dll+from+another+directory+not+Bin+web+config+
+1
Dinesh D5y ago
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16867087/assembly-resolving-in-asp-net-project-outside-of-bin-folder
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.appdomain.assemblyresolve?view=net-5.0
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/assembly/resolve-loads
+1
Romain5y ago
Thank you the links but I am afraid that I did not find a solution with them.

With process monitor, I saw that IIS searches the DLLs to loads in different location which are related to the ASP application or the IIS server itself. I am thinking to use PATH variable which can contain the path off my Dlls but I am not sure that IIS will check it.
+1
Jay Krishna Reddy5y ago
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/web-forms/overview/deployment/visual-studio-web-deployment/deploying-to-iis

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/deployment/tutorial-import-publish-settings-iis?view=vs-2019

https://docs.telerik.com/data-access/deprecated/quick-start-scenarios/asp.net/web-application/getting-started-root-quickstart-aspnet-deploy

Hope the above links helps !
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