This print for content only-size & color not accurate 7" X 9-1/4" / casebound / malloy

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Figure 15-26.

The hidden GAC_MSIL subdirectory

Change to the GAC_MSIL directory and issue a dir command once more. You will now be pre-

sented with a list of a number of subdirectories that happen to have the same exact name as the

icons displayed by shfusion.dll. Change to the CarLibrary subdirectory and again issue a dir com-

mand (see Figure 15-27).

Figure 15-27.

Inside the hidden CarLibrary subdirectory

As you can see, the GAC maintains a subdirectory for each version of a shared assembly, which

follows the naming convention __PublicKeyToken. If you were again to change

the current directory to version 1.0.0.0 of CarLibrary, you would indeed find a copy of the code

library (see Figure 15-28).

C H A P T E R   1 5  

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Figure 15-28.

Behold! The GAC’s internal copy of CarLibrary.dll.

When you install a strongly named assembly into the GAC, the operating system responds by

extending the directory structure beneath the Assembly subdirectory. Using this approach, the CLR

is able to manipulate multiple versions of a specific assembly while avoiding the expected name

clashes resulting from identically named *.dlls.