Summary

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This chapter has taken a detailed look at the execution environment implemented by .NET and the runtime. You've seen how programs are compiled into MSIL and then linked into assemblies. When an assembly is loaded and run, its contents are verified and the JIT compiler converts the assembly into machine code. Assemblies can be installed privately with an application's executable code, they can be shared in the GAC, or they can be downloaded from a remote URL. Application configuration files and publisher policy files allow the version and location of assemblies used by an application to vary as new releases occur. Assemblies are executed in the context of an application domain.

The .NET Framework also supplies a comprehensive class library containing the objects and methods needed to create applications. The .NET Remoting architecture and ASP.NET allow you to implement a range of distributed solutions spanning the LAN, intranet, or Internet.

The .NET security features are highly configurable using the .NET Framework Configuration tool. Role-based security allows you to restrict access to your assemblies to specified users and roles. Code access security enables you to determine the degree to which you trust assemblies that have been loaded from a variety of sources.

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