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.NET Framework Configuration Tool (Mscorcfg.msc)

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The .NET Framework Configuration tool is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that allows you to manage and configure assemblies in the Global Assembly Cache, adjust code access security policy, and adjust remoting services. Mscorcfg.msc is installed with the .NET Framework SDK.

Note

In the .NET Framework versions 1.0 and 1.1, Mscorcfg.msc is installed with the NET Framework redistributable package.

Starting the .NET Framework Configuration Tool

To run Mscorcfg.msc from the Start menu

  1. On a computer running Windows 2000 Professional, click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click Administrative Tools. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Microsoft .NET Framework Configuration.

  2. On a computer running Windows XP Professional, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and click Administrative Tools. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Microsoft .NET Framework Configuration.

  3. On a computer running Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 family, click Start, point to Programs, and point to Administrative Tools. Click Microsoft .NET Framework Configuration.

    Note

    The command to start Mscorcfg.msc appears in the Start menu only if MMC version 1.2 or later is installed on the computer. A compatible version of MMC is included with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. If Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows NT 4 is running on the computer, you must download and install MMC 1.2 from Microsoft.com.

To run Mscorcfg.msc from the command line

  • In the .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1, type the following at the command line: %Systemroot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\versionNumber\Mscorcfg.msc. In the .NET Framework 2.0, start the SDK Command Prompt and type mscorcfg.msc.

    The user interface for the tool is displayed.

To run Mscorcfg.msc from the Microsoft Management Console

  1. Start the Microsoft Management Console by typing the following at a command prompt: mmc.

  2. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in (or press CTRL+M) to display the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box.

  3. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add to display the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box.

  4. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, select a version of the .NET Framework Configuration tool, and then click Add.

Using the .NET Framework Configuration Tool

You can do the following with the .NET Framework Configuration tool:

Assemblies

  • Manage assemblies in the global assembly cache

  • Configure assemblies in the global assembly cache

Remoting

  • Adjust remoting services

Security

  • View the current .NET Framework security configuration

  • Increase assembly trust

  • Adjust zone security

  • Evaluate an assembly

  • Create a deployment package

  • Reset all policy levels

Individual Applications

  • View applications previously configured with this tool

  • Add an application to configure with this tool

  • View an application's properties

  • View an application's assembly dependencies

  • Configure an assembly for an application

  • Adjust remoting services for an application

Assemblies

To manage assemblies in the global assembly cache

  1. Click the Assembly Cache node of the console tree. Alternately, you can click the Manage the Assembly Cache link in the pane on the right.

  2. Click the View List of Assemblies in the Assembly Cache link in the pane on the right.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Assembly Cache node, point to View on the shortcut menu, and select Assemblies.

    The tool displays all assemblies in the Global Assembly Cache in the pane on the right. The tool also displays all native image versions of assemblies in the cache. Native images are versions of assemblies that have been pre-compiled to native code using the Native Image Generator (Ngen.exe).

  3. To delete an assembly from the cache, right-click the assembly name in the pane on the right and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.

  4. To add an assembly to the cache, right-click the Assembly Cache node and choose Add from the shortcut menu. The tool displays the Add an Assembly dialog box. Navigate to the assembly to add.

To configure assemblies in the global assembly cache

  1. Click the Configured Assemblies node of the console tree.

  2. Click the View List of Configured Assemblies link in the pane on the right to display a list of configured assemblies.

  3. To add an assembly to configure, click the Action menu and select Add.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Configured Assemblies node and select the Add command on the shortcut menu, or you can click the Configure an Assembly link in the pane on the right. The tool displays the Configure an Assembly wizard.

  4. Choose an assembly from the list of assemblies in the cache, or manually enter the information for an assembly.

    The tool displays a Properties window for the assembly to configure.

  5. Choose the Binding Policy tab to specify binding redirections from a requested version to a new version. For more information on binding redirections, see Redirecting Assembly Versions.

  6. Choose the Codebases tab to specify codebases for specific versions of the assembly. For more information on codebases, see Specifying an Assembly's Location.

Remoting

To adjust remoting services

  1. Click the Remoting Services node of the console tree.

  2. Click the Action menu and select Properties.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Remoting Services node and select Properties from the shortcut menu, or you can click the View Remoting Services Properties link in the pane on the right. The tool displays the Remoting Services Properties window.

  3. Choose a communication channel to configure, and edit its properties.

Security

To view the current .NET Framework security configuration

  1. Expand the Runtime Security Policy node in the console tree.

  2. Expand the User, Enterprise, or Machine policy nodes to view information about code groups, permission sets, and policy assemblies for the selected policy level.

  3. Expand the Code Groups node to view the code groups associated with the policy level. For more information on code groups, see Code Groups and Using the .NET Configuration Tool to Work with Code Groups.

  4. Expand the Permission Sets node to view the permissions associated with the policy level. Click the View Permissions link in the pane on the right.

    The tool displays the permissions in the selected permission set. For more information on permissions, see Named Permission Sets and Using the .NET Configuration Tool to Work with Permission Sets.

  5. Click the Policy Assemblies node. Then, click the View Policy Assemblies link in the pane on the right.

    The tool displays the list of assemblies that are used for evaluating policy for the selected level.

To increase assembly trust

  1. Click the Runtime Security Policy node of the console tree.

  2. Click the Action menu, and select from the available commands.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Runtime Security Policy node and select from the same list of commands on the shortcut menu, or click the Increase Assembly Trust link in the pane on the right. The tool displays a corresponding wizard.

  3. Follow the directions that appear in the wizard to increase the level of trust granted to an assembly that you specify.

    The wizard allows you to modify security policy based upon available information about the assembly's evidence. For a list and description of the common types of evidence, see the Evidence topic.

To adjust zone security

  1. Click the Runtime Security Policy node of the console tree.

  2. Click the Action menu, and select from the available commands.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Runtime Security Policy node and select from the same list of commands on the shortcut menu, or click the Adjust Zone Security link in the pane on the right. The tool displays a corresponding wizard.

  3. Follow the directions that appear in the wizard to modify the level of trust granted to all assemblies from a particular zone. For a list and description of valid zones, see the Security topic.

To evaluate an assembly

  1. Click the Runtime Security Policy node of the console tree.

  2. Click the Action menu, and select from the available commands.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Runtime Security Policy node and select from the same list of commands on the shortcut menu, or click the Evaluate Assembly link in the pane on the right. The tool displays a corresponding wizard.

  3. Follow the directions that appear in the wizard to evaluate the permissions that will be granted to an assembly or the code groups that give permissions to an assembly. You can use this information to determine the effect of current security policy on an assembly that you specify.

To create a deployment package

  1. Click the Runtime Security Policy node of the console tree.

  2. Click the Action menu, and select from the available commands.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Runtime Security Policy node and select from the same list of commands on the shortcut menu, or click the Create a Deployment Package link in the pane on the right. The tool displays a corresponding wizard. The wizard allows you to create a Windows Installer Package (.msi file) that you can use to deploy a policy using Group Policy or Systems Management Server.

  3. Follow the directions that appear in the wizard to create the deployment package.

To reset all policy levels

  1. Click the Runtime Security Policy node of the console tree.

  2. Click the Action menu, and select from the available commands.

    Alternately, you can right-click the Runtime Security Policy node and select from the same list of commands on the shortcut menu, or click the Reset All Policy Levels link in the pane on the right. This command resets security policy to the Default Security Policy settings.

Individual Applications

To view applications previously configured with this tool

  • Expand the Applications node of the console tree to view the list of applications configured with this tool.

To add an application to configure with this tool

  1. Click the Applications node of the console tree, and then click the Add an Application to Configure link in the pane on the right.

    The tool displays the Configure an Application dialog box, which contains a list of managed applications that have run at least once on the current computer.

  2. Choose an application from the list, or click the Other button to navigate to an application that does not appear in the list.

    Alternately, you can navigate to a configuration file to add.

  3. To configure the application, click the View the Application's Properties, View the Assembly Dependencies, Configure an Assembly, and Adjust Remoting Services links in the pane on the right. For more information on using these links, see the corresponding procedures later in this topic.

To view an application's properties

  1. Expand the Applications node of the console tree and click the name of the application for which to view properties. If the application is not in the list, follow the procedure "To add an application to configure with this tool."

  2. Click the View the Application's Properties link in the pane on the right.

    The tool displays the Properties window for the selected application.

To view an application's assembly dependencies

  1. Expand the Applications node of the console tree and click the name of the application for which to view assembly dependencies. If the application is not in the list, follow the procedure "To add an application to configure with this tool."

  2. Click the View the Assembly Dependencies link in the pane on the right.

To configure an assembly for an application

  1. Expand the Applications node of the console tree and click the name of the application for which to configure an assembly. If the application is not in the list, follow the procedure "To add an application to configure with this tool."

  2. Click the Configure an Assembly link in the pane on the right.

    The tool displays the View List of Configured Assemblies and Configure an Assembly links in the pane on the right.

  3. Click the Configure an Assembly link.

    The tool displays the Configure an Assembly wizard.

  4. Choose an assembly from the list of assemblies the application uses or the list of assemblies in the cache, or manually enter the information for an assembly.

    The tool displays a Properties window for the assembly to configure.

  5. Choose the Binding Policy tab to specify binding redirections from a requested version to a new version.

  6. Choose the Codebases tab to specify codebases for specific versions of the assembly.

To adjust remoting services for an application

  1. Expand the Applications node of the console tree and click the name of the application for which to adjust remoting channels and object endpoints. If the application is not in the list, follow the procedure "To add an application to configure with this tool."

  2. Click the Adjust Remoting Services link in the pane on the right. For more information on remoting services, see .NET Remoting Overview, and Channels.

  3. Click the View Remoting Services Properties link in the pane on the right.

    The tool displays the Remoting Services Properties dialog box.

  4. Select the Remote Applications, Exposed Types, or Channels tab to view and edit the corresponding properties.

Remarks

This tool is intended to help advanced administrators perform tasks related to configuring applications. It is not intended for use by application users. Administrators should direct users who want to perform limited configuration tasks to the Microsoft .NET Framework Wizards (Configwizards.exe). This executable provides three wizards in .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1: Adjust .NET Security, Trust an Assembly, and Fix an Application. It provides two wizards in the NET Framework 2.0: Adjust .NET Security and Trust an Assembly. Users can click the links to start the wizards. You can run Configwizards.exe from the Start menu. How you navigate to Configwizards.exe from the Start menu differs depending on the operating system running on your computer. Configwizards.exe and Mscorcfg.msc are in the same location on the Start menu. To run Configwizards.exe from the Start menu, use the procedures described earlier in this topic that correspond to your operating system for running mscorcfg.msc. You can also run Configwizards.exe from the command line by typing %Systemroot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\version Number\configwizards.exe.

See Also

Reference

.NET Framework Tools
Code Access Security Policy Tool (Caspol.exe)
SDK Command Prompt

Other Resources

Configuring Security Policy
Configuring Applications
Working with Assemblies and the Global Assembly Cache
.NET Framework Remoting Overview
Security in the .NET Framework