Vista - Linking to a .NET dll from C#

04-23-2009

I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#:

1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded into memory
or not. If not, then load it.

2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that its
members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the dll already
knows all the methods.

3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm
wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll that is
already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that will be just as
fast as if each app had used static linking.

Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated.

04-24-2009

Bob,

Has this any goal, I did this when memory in Dos was limited to 640Kb (and
there was absolute nothing more for a program despite all kinds of extended
memory possibilities)

But now I don't see any reason anymore for that.

I am curious why you want this.

Cor

"Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7A86E279-6A12-4627-8EAA-B84124960B97@xxxxxx

Quote:

>I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#:
>
> 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded into
> memory or not. If not, then load it.
>
> 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that its
> members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the dll
> already knows all the methods.
>
> 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm
> wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll that is
> already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that will be just
> as fast as if each app had used static linking.
>
> Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated.

04-24-2009

Bob,

Why not simply an ASP.Net application?

Be aware that a simple Net exe does mostly not take much bytes because a lot
is in the Framework.

Cor

"Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news

48ECB4C-AB24-4988-AD9D-C56EA6916FA4@xxxxxx

Quote:

> Cor,
>
> The application is for a destination gateway that a client is using for
> obtaining price quotes and performance is absolutely critical. The users
> of this data will all be on the same computer per the client's request
> (trust me on this issue - I am aware that other price servers usually use
> a socket connection to communicate price updates to clients on other
> machines). I suppose another way to do it would be to use shared memory
> or memory mapped files.
>
> In the past when using VC++, I believe we used COM and called
> CreateInstance on the object which would return a pointer to the object
> and then method calls were very efficient - like makiing a virtual method
> call in C++. This was many years ago though so I'm a little rusty and
> don't remember if we used a different technique to actually link to an
> existing dll or not. The question is - can something like this be done in
> a managed .NET language like C#, and if so what is the best way? Should
> we consider using com interop for this? Thought com was dead...
>
> Bob
>
> "Cor Ligthert[MVP]" <Notmyfirstname@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:e7b69YJxJHA.1212@xxxxxx

Quote:

>> Bob,
>>
>> Has this any goal, I did this when memory in Dos was limited to 640Kb
>> (and there was absolute nothing more for a program despite all kinds of
>> extended memory possibilities)
>>
>> But now I don't see any reason anymore for that.
>>
>> I am curious why you want this.
>>
>> Cor
>>
>> "Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:7A86E279-6A12-4627-8EAA-B84124960B97@xxxxxx

Quote:

>>>I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#:
>>>
>>> 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded into
>>> memory or not. If not, then load it.
>>>
>>> 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that its
>>> members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the dll
>>> already knows all the methods.
>>>
>>> 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm
>>> wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll that
>>> is already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that will be
>>> just as fast as if each app had used static linking.
>>>
>>> Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated.

>>

>

04-24-2009

Hello Bob,

Quote:

> Cor,
>
> The application is for a destination gateway that a client is using
> for obtaining price quotes and performance is absolutely critical.
> The users of this data will all be on the same computer per the
> client's request (trust me on this issue - I am aware that other price
> servers usually use a socket connection to communicate price updates
> to clients on other machines). I suppose another way to do it would
> be to use shared memory or memory mapped files.
>
> In the past when using VC++, I believe we used COM and called
> CreateInstance on the object which would return a pointer to the
> object and then method calls were very efficient - like makiing a
> virtual method call in C++. This was many years ago though so I'm a
> little rusty and don't remember if we used a different technique to
> actually link to an existing dll or not. The question is - can
> something like this be done in a managed .NET language like C#, and if
> so what is the best way? Should we consider using com interop for
> this? Thought com was dead...

Though I believe you're looking for a little extra performance that has no
real merit here, there are a few things to consider.
1) Place the shared assembly in the GAC, so that all apps will share the
same binary
2) Use pre-compilation to create native images of these assemblies

If you want only one instance live at any time, you could host this 'layer'
so you want in a service and use WCF through a local transport (named pipes
or net.tcp) in combination with binary serialization. It would mimic the
COM solution, but at the same time would be an all .NET way to go.

If these machines you're working on are Vista or newer, you could use the
Host Activation Service to make the hosting of the WCF library a little simpler.

Lastly, there are tools out there (like XenoCode Postbuild) that allow you
to actually statically link any assemblies and merge them into the application.
These tools will sometimes even allow you to link the whole framework with
your application. Be aware that in these scenarios you're responsible for
patching and updates, as the application will no longer rely on the clients
machine to keep the framework up to date.

Hope this helps,

Jesse

Quote:

> "Cor Ligthert[MVP]" <Notmyfirstname@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:e7b69YJxJHA.1212@xxxxxx
>

Quote:

>> Bob,
>>
>> Has this any goal, I did this when memory in Dos was limited to 640Kb
>> (and there was absolute nothing more for a program despite all kinds
>> of extended memory possibilities)
>>
>> But now I don't see any reason anymore for that.
>>
>> I am curious why you want this.
>>
>> Cor
>>
>> "Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:7A86E279-6A12-4627-8EAA-B84124960B97@xxxxxx
>>

Quote:

>>> I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#:
>>>
>>> 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded
>>> into memory or not. If not, then load it.
>>>
>>> 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that
>>> its members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the
>>> dll already knows all the methods.
>>>
>>> 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm
>>> wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll
>>> that is already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that
>>> will be just as fast as if each app had used static linking.
>>>
>>> Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated.
>>>

--
Jesse Houwing
jesse.houwing at sogeti.nl

04-23-2009	#1 (permalink)
Bob Bryan n/a posts	Linking to a .NET dll from C# I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#: 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded into memory or not. If not, then load it. 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that its members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the dll already knows all the methods. 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll that is already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that will be just as fast as if each app had used static linking. Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated.
My System Specs

04-24-2009	#2 (permalink)
Cor Ligthert[MVP] n/a posts	Re: Linking to a .NET dll from C# Bob, Has this any goal, I did this when memory in Dos was limited to 640Kb (and there was absolute nothing more for a program despite all kinds of extended memory possibilities) But now I don't see any reason anymore for that. I am curious why you want this. Cor "Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:7A86E279-6A12-4627-8EAA-B84124960B97@xxxxxx Quote: >I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#: > > 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded into > memory or not. If not, then load it. > > 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that its > members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the dll > already knows all the methods. > > 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm > wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll that is > already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that will be just > as fast as if each app had used static linking. > > Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated.
My System Specs

04-24-2009	#3 (permalink)
Cor Ligthert[MVP] n/a posts	Re: Linking to a .NET dll from C# Bob, Why not simply an ASP.Net application? Be aware that a simple Net exe does mostly not take much bytes because a lot is in the Framework. Cor "Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message news48ECB4C-AB24-4988-AD9D-C56EA6916FA4@xxxxxx Quote: > Cor, > > The application is for a destination gateway that a client is using for > obtaining price quotes and performance is absolutely critical. The users > of this data will all be on the same computer per the client's request > (trust me on this issue - I am aware that other price servers usually use > a socket connection to communicate price updates to clients on other > machines). I suppose another way to do it would be to use shared memory > or memory mapped files. > > In the past when using VC++, I believe we used COM and called > CreateInstance on the object which would return a pointer to the object > and then method calls were very efficient - like makiing a virtual method > call in C++. This was many years ago though so I'm a little rusty and > don't remember if we used a different technique to actually link to an > existing dll or not. The question is - can something like this be done in > a managed .NET language like C#, and if so what is the best way? Should > we consider using com interop for this? Thought com was dead... > > Bob > > "Cor Ligthert[MVP]" <Notmyfirstname@xxxxxx> wrote in message > news:e7b69YJxJHA.1212@xxxxxx Quote: >> Bob, >> >> Has this any goal, I did this when memory in Dos was limited to 640Kb >> (and there was absolute nothing more for a program despite all kinds of >> extended memory possibilities) >> >> But now I don't see any reason anymore for that. >> >> I am curious why you want this. >> >> Cor >> >> "Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message >> news:7A86E279-6A12-4627-8EAA-B84124960B97@xxxxxx Quote: >>>I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#: >>> >>> 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded into >>> memory or not. If not, then load it. >>> >>> 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that its >>> members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the dll >>> already knows all the methods. >>> >>> 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm >>> wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll that >>> is already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that will be >>> just as fast as if each app had used static linking. >>> >>> Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated. >> >
My System Specs

04-24-2009	#4 (permalink)
Jesse Houwing n/a posts	Re: Linking to a .NET dll from C# Hello Bob, Quote: > Cor, > > The application is for a destination gateway that a client is using > for obtaining price quotes and performance is absolutely critical. > The users of this data will all be on the same computer per the > client's request (trust me on this issue - I am aware that other price > servers usually use a socket connection to communicate price updates > to clients on other machines). I suppose another way to do it would > be to use shared memory or memory mapped files. > > In the past when using VC++, I believe we used COM and called > CreateInstance on the object which would return a pointer to the > object and then method calls were very efficient - like makiing a > virtual method call in C++. This was many years ago though so I'm a > little rusty and don't remember if we used a different technique to > actually link to an existing dll or not. The question is - can > something like this be done in a managed .NET language like C#, and if > so what is the best way? Should we consider using com interop for > this? Thought com was dead... Though I believe you're looking for a little extra performance that has no real merit here, there are a few things to consider. 1) Place the shared assembly in the GAC, so that all apps will share the same binary 2) Use pre-compilation to create native images of these assemblies If you want only one instance live at any time, you could host this 'layer' so you want in a service and use WCF through a local transport (named pipes or net.tcp) in combination with binary serialization. It would mimic the COM solution, but at the same time would be an all .NET way to go. If these machines you're working on are Vista or newer, you could use the Host Activation Service to make the hosting of the WCF library a little simpler. Lastly, there are tools out there (like XenoCode Postbuild) that allow you to actually statically link any assemblies and merge them into the application. These tools will sometimes even allow you to link the whole framework with your application. Be aware that in these scenarios you're responsible for patching and updates, as the application will no longer rely on the clients machine to keep the framework up to date. Hope this helps, Jesse Quote: > "Cor Ligthert[MVP]" <Notmyfirstname@xxxxxx> wrote in message > news:e7b69YJxJHA.1212@xxxxxx > Quote: >> Bob, >> >> Has this any goal, I did this when memory in Dos was limited to 640Kb >> (and there was absolute nothing more for a program despite all kinds >> of extended memory possibilities) >> >> But now I don't see any reason anymore for that. >> >> I am curious why you want this. >> >> Cor >> >> "Bob Bryan" <RobertGBryanREMOVETHIS@xxxxxx> wrote in message >> news:7A86E279-6A12-4627-8EAA-B84124960B97@xxxxxx >> Quote: >>> I am trying to find out if its possible to do the following from C#: >>> >>> 1. Determine if a certain managed .NET dll or assembly is loaded >>> into memory or not. If not, then load it. >>> >>> 2. If the dll is already loaded, then get a reference to it so that >>> its members can be called directly. The apps that will be using the >>> dll already knows all the methods. >>> >>> 3. There are several apps (exes) that will be using the dll and I'm >>> wondering if there is a way to dynamically link to a specific dll >>> that is already in memory and get back a reference (or pointer) that >>> will be just as fast as if each app had used static linking. >>> >>> Can this be done, if so an example or link would be appreciated. >>> -- Jesse Houwing jesse.houwing at sogeti.nl
My System Specs

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