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

The CLR File Header

The CLR header is a block of data that all .NET files must support (and do support, courtesy of the

C# compiler) in order to be hosted by the CLR. In a nutshell, this header defines numerous flags

that enable the runtime to understand the layout of the managed file. For example, flags exist that

identify the location of the metadata and resources within the file, the version of the runtime the

assembly was built against, the value of the (optional) public key, and so forth. If you supply the

/clrheader flag to dumpbin.exe, you are presented with the internal CLR header information for a

given .NET assembly, as shown in Figure 15-3.

Figure 15-3.

An assembly’s CLR file header information

C H A P T E R   1 5  

■

I N T R O D U C I N G   . N E T  A S S E M B L I E S

483

8849CH15.qxd  10/22/07  1:46 PM  Page 483

---

Again, as a .NET developer you will not need to concern yourself with the gory details of Win32

or CLR header information (unless perhaps you are building a compiler for a new managed lan-

guage!). Just understand that every .NET assembly contains this data, which is used behind the

scenes by the .NET runtime and Win32 operating system.