.NET Framework Client Profile [Justin Van Patten]
Last week Soma and Scott Guthrie announced the availability of Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Beta. As part of this release, we’re introducing the .NET Framework Client Profile, a smaller .NET Framework redist optimized for .NET client applications. The new redist weighs in at around 26.5 MB, enabling a smaller, faster, more reliable installation experience for .NET client applications on machines that do not already have the .NET Framework installed.
.NET Framework Client Profile Assemblies
Here's the list of assemblies that are included in the.NET Framework Client Profile. Please note that this is actually the list of assemblies that will be included in the RTM release of the Client Profile; the beta version released last week includes some assemblies that will not be included in the RTM release (more details below).
BCL, "Core FX," and LINQ
- CustomMarshalers
- ISymWrapper
- mscorlib
- sysglobl
- System
- System.AddIn
- System.AddIn.Contract
- System.Configuration
- System.Configuration.Install
- System.Core
- System.Security
Visual Basic and Visual C++ Language Support
- Microsoft.VisualBasic
- Microsoft.VisualC
XML
- System.Xml
- System.Xml.Linq
Windows Forms
- Accessibility
- System.Drawing
- System.Windows.Forms
WPF
- PresentationCore
- PresentationFramework
- PresentationFramework.Aero
- PresentationFramework.Classic
- PresentationFramework.Luna
- PresentationFramework.Royale
- PresentationUI
- ReachFramework
- System.Printing
- System.Windows.Presentation
- UIAutomationClient
- UIAutomationClientsideProviders
- UIAutomationProvider
- UIAutomationTypes
- WindowsBase
- WindowsFormsIntegration
ClickOnce
WCF, Web Services, Remoting, and Serialization
- System.IdentityModel
- System.Runtime.Remoting
- System.Runtime.Serialization
- System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Soap
- System.ServiceModel
- System.ServiceModel.Web
- System.ServiceModel.Install
- System.Transactions
- System.Web.Services
Data Access
- System.Data
- System.Data.SqlXml
- System.Data.DataSetExtensions
- System.Data.Services.Client
Peer to Peer
Active Directory and Enterprise Services
- System.DirectoryServices
- System.EnterpriseServices
The following assemblies are included in the beta release of the Client Profile but will be removed in the RTM release:
- jsc
- Microsoft.JScript
- Microsoft.Vsa
- System.DirectoryServices.Protocols
- System.Management
- System.Messaging
- System.ServiceProcess
- System.Web
- System.Web.Extensions
- System.Web.RegularExpressions
We'd love to hear your feedback on the list of assemblies in the Client Profile. If your client app depends on an assembly that isn't listed above, let us know. I can't guarantee that we'll add the assembly to the Client Profile for RTM, but we'll certainly consider it. Keep in mind that the more assemblies we add, the more dependencies we may need to pull in, and the larger the package becomes. This translates into longer download/install times and less reliable installs. We're aiming to keep the Client Profile as small as possible while still providing the right amount of functionality to satisfy the needs of most .NET client apps.
Targeting the .NET Framework Client Profile using Visual Studio 2008 SP1
Visual Studio 2008 SP1 adds a new feature in the project Properties for targeting the Client Profile.
After checking the "Client-only Framework subset" checkbox, Visual Studio will generate a warning if your project references an assembly that is not part of the Client Profile or an assembly that depends on an assembly that is not part of the Client Profile.
Things to be Aware of
Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta generates a warning when referencing assemblies that *are* in the Client Profile
Unfortunately the list of assemblies that Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta uses to generate warnings is out of sync with the actual assemblies that are included in the beta release of the Client Profile. So you may find that Visual Studio will generate warnings when referencing some of the Client Profile assemblies listed above, even though the assemblies are included in the Client Profile.
To work around this in Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta, you can simply ignore the warnings for any assembly in the list above (your application should still compile).
Or, you can manually replace the Client.xml files that Visual Studio uses to target the Client Profile (do this at your own risk). Here are some replacement Client.xml files that are based on the list of assemblies that will be in the RTM release of the Client Profile.
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\SubsetList\Client.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FileList Redist="20ClientSubsetList">
<File AssemblyName="Accessibility" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="caspol" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="CustomMarshalers" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="dfsvc" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="InstallUtil" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="ISymWrapper" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="Microsoft.VisualBasic" Version="8.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="Microsoft.VisualC" Version="8.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="mscorlib" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="RegAsm" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="sysglobl" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Configuration" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Configuration.Install" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Data" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Data.SqlXml" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Deployment" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.DirectoryServices" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Drawing" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.EnterpriseServices" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Runtime.Remoting" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Soap" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Security" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Transactions" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Web.Services" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Windows.Forms" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Xml" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
</FileList>
%programfiles%\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\v3.0\SubsetList\Client.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FileList Redist="30ClientSubsetList">
<File AssemblyName="PresentationCFFRasterizer" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationCore" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationFramework" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationFramework.Aero" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationFramework.Classic" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationFramework.Luna" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationFramework.Royale" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="PresentationUI" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="ReachFramework" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="ServiceModelReg" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.IdentityModel" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Printing" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Runtime.Serialization" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.ServiceModel" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.ServiceModel.Install" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="UIAutomationClient" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="UIAutomationClientsideProviders" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="UIAutomationProvider" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="UIAutomationTypes" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="WindowsBase" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="WindowsFormsIntegration" Version="3.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
</FileList>
%programfiles%\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\v3.5\SubsetList\Client.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FileList Redist="35ClientSubsetList">
<File AssemblyName="System.Net" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Net" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Core" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Core" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.AddIn" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.AddIn" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.AddIn.Contract" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.AddIn.Contract" Version="2.0.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="AddInUtil" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="AddInProcess" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="AddInProcess32" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="X86" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Xml.Linq" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Xml.Linq" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.ServiceModel.Web" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.ServiceModel.Web" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Windows.Presentation" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Windows.Presentation" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Data.Services.Client" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="true" />
<File AssemblyName="System.Data.Services.Client" Version="3.5.0.0" PublicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" Culture="neutral" ProcessorArchitecture="MSIL" InGAC="false" />
</FileList>
Regardless of the workaround you choose, you should still test your application on a machine that only has the Client Profile installed to ensure your client app works correctly on the Client Profile.
Some APIs that exist in Client Profile assemblies are not supported
Some APIs that exist in Client Profile assemblies are not supported because we have chosen not to include the dependencies required for them to function properly. For RTM, we're planning to release some tools (such as an FxCop rule) to help prevent taking a dependency on these APIs when targeting the Client Profile. And in future versions of the .NET Framework Client Profile, we may even remove these APIs altogether (possibly by moving them to other assemblies). But until then, you should be aware of these APIs and be sure not to call them from your client app.
The following list of APIs are not supported on the Client Profile (even though they exist and are public). Note: these may change slightly for RTM.
System.dll
- System.CodeDom.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.CodeDom.Compiler.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- Microsoft.VisualBasic.VBCodeProvider
- Microsoft.CSharp.CSharpCodeProvider
System.Runtime.Remoting.dll
- System.Runtime.Remoting.Channels.Http.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.Runtime.Remoting.Services.RemotingService
System.ServiceModel.dll
- System.ServiceModel.Activation.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.ServiceModel.ServiceHost
System.IdentityModel.dll
- System.IdentityModel.Selectors.* (all APIs in this namespace)
System.Web.Services.dll
- System.Web.Services.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.Web.Services.Configuration.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.Web.Services.Diagnostics.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.Web.Services.Discovery.* (all APIs in this namespace)
- System.Web.Services.Protocols.* (all APIs in this namespace)
Again, you should test any code that targets the Client Profile on a machine that only has the Client Profile installed to ensure it works correctly on the Client Profile.
Conclusion
The .NET Framework Client Profile should help significantly improve the experience of deploying .NET client applications on machines that do not already have the .NET Framework installed. It has been designed to make it as easy as possible to deploy the smallest set of files necessary to run a typical .NET client application today. Our hope is that your existing .NET client apps can be easily modified to target the Client Profile to take advantage of the improved deployment experience. If you're having any trouble targeting the Client Profile, or you feel it is missing a crucial assembly required for client scenarios, please let us know!
Update: Troy Martez, a Program Manager on the WPF team, has an excellent blog post Introducing the .NET Framework Client Profile with more info on the Client Profile.
