Side-By-Side Support for ASP.NET

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

Traditionally, when a component or application is updated on a computer, the older version is removed and replaced with the newer version. If the new version is not compatible with the previous version, this usually breaks other applications that use the component or application. The .NET Framework provides support for side-by-side execution, which allows multiple versions of an assembly or application to be installed on the same computer, at the same time. Since multiple versions can be installed simultaneously, managed applications can select which version to use without affecting other applications that use a different version.

In ASP.NET, applications are said to be running side by side when they are installed on the same computer but use different versions of the .NET Framework. The following topics describe side-by-side support in ASP.NET and how to configure ASP.NET applications for side-by-side execution.

In This Section

Overview of ASP.NET Side-By-Side Support

Describes side-by-side support in ASP.NET and how it relates to side-by-side support in the .NET Framework.

Managing Multiple ASP.NET Versions

Describes how to upgrade, uninstall, and redistribute multiple versions of ASP.NET.

Configuring an ASP.NET Application for an ASP.NET Version

Describes how to configure an ASP.NET application to use a specific version of ASP.NET when multiple versions of the .NET Framework are installed on a computer.

Assembly Unification in the .NET Framework

Describes how an ASP.NET application determines which version of the .NET Framework to use if the application and the components it uses were built on different versions of the runtime.

Overview of ASP.NET Deployment

Describes how to distribute ASP.NET applications and components from development and test servers to production servers.