Side-by-Side Support in ASP.NET

Traditionally, when a component or application is updated on a computer, the older version is removed and replaced with the newer version. If the new version is not compatible with the previous version, this usually breaks other applications that use the component or application. The .NET Framework provides support for side-by-side execution, which allows multiple versions of an assembly or application to be installed on the same computer, at the same time. Since multiple versions can be installed simultaneously, managed applications can select which version to use without affecting other applications that use a different version.

In ASP.NET, applications are said to be running side-by-side when they are installed on the same computer, but use different versions of the .NET Framework. The following topics describe side-by-side support in ASP.NET and how to configure ASP.NET applications for side-by-side execution.

In This Section

• ASP.NET Side-by-Side Overview
  Describes side-by-side support in ASP.NET and how it relates to side-by-side support in the .NET Framework.
• Managing Multiple Versions of ASP.NET
  Describes how to upgrade, uninstall, and redistribute multiple versions of ASP.NET.
• Configuring an ASP.NET Application for an ASP.NET Version
  Describes how to configure an ASP.NET application to use a specific version of ASP.NET when multiple versions of the .NET Framework are installed on a computer.
• .NET Framework Assembly Unification
  Describes how an ASP.NET application determines which .NET Framework version to use when the application is built on a different version of the runtime than the components used by the application.

Related Sections

• Using Side-by-Side Execution
  Describes side-by-side execution in the .NET Framework.