SN.EXE | Strong Names ?

SN.EXE | Strong Names ?

• Aleksandr Tokarev

  Yes, signing is either or: either you put your snk in the project properties or use the AssemblyKeyFile. Microsoft seems to be recommending the project properties method...
  
  There's lots of ways to verify your assembly is strong named. One is to add a reference to it to a project. You can look in the properties for the assembly to see the Strong Name flag. Another is to use "sn.exe -v filename". Or, if you want to do it in code see: http://blogs.msdn.com/shawnfa/archive/2004/06/07/150378.aspx
  
  Once strong-named, the assembly is completely self contained, and you *NEVER* want to distributed your snk file. You should keep that in a very safe place, it's the key to signing assemblies. If anyone else ever got a hold of that they could sign assemblies and claim they were yours, circumventing the whole point of strong-naming.
  
  If you don't plan on installing on the GAC, need FullTrust, or want to use it from another strong-named assembly that doesn't have the AllowPartiallyTrustedCallers attribute; strong naming really only protect injection.
  
  Once strong-named an assembly can no longer simply be loaded by filename, it has to include the version, culture, and publickey token. E.g:
  Assembly.Load("MyAssembly, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b20f88744da049e3");
  
  You can display the publickey token from an assembly with "sn.exe -Tp filename"
  
  The following page may be more helpful: http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx dg=microsoft.public.simulators&cat=en_US_f5c26c4c-9442-4038-ab1e-b3d34006e2de&lang=en&cr=US
  
  

• TomJ72

  thankyou
  
  after reading the articles you giving me, me still not very clear about this.
  

  1. i am using VCS Express and using the [Project Properties]>[Signing Pane]>[Sign the assembly] with my .snk file generated by sn.exe.
     is that still required adding any code to my project
  2. How to check whether my compiled assembly are "Strong Names"
  3. With "Strong Names" when publishing my application, is there required include any extra file(s) like the .snk
     

  after reading more articles, me feel more confused
  (sorry about that, me know it might stupid question, but me just have play around with VB6 before, .Net seem too huge for me)
  

  1. Is it a good idea to make all project assembly "Strong Names" no matter what kind of project.
  2. After making it "Strong Names", is there still possible to link between them
     like Main program using DLL, loadAssembly.
     If can, is it just doing as usual

  thankyou very much for spending time on my questions
  
  

• Timmy

  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6f05ezxy.aspx is a good reference for key files.
  
  By strong-naming an assembly you protect it against someone wedging their own assembly with the exact same interface over yours--reducing the security risk.
  
  If you have a need to put an assembly in the GAC or you need to deploy you assembly to computers where only strong-named assemblies can have Full trust, you may also need to strong-name your assembly.
  
  

• fcatacutan

  thanks for your answer and information.
  
  what the FullTrust and AllowPartiallyTrustedCallers mean
  
  thanks again
  
  
• SN.EXE | Strong Names ?