How to Configure a Strong Name Assembly Key File

In the process of deploying a BizTalk solution, Visual Studio first builds the assemblies. The deployment process requires that each assembly is strongly signed. You can strongly sign your assemblies by associating the project with a strong name assembly key file. If you haven't already done so, before deploying a solution from Visual Studio, use the following procedure to generate a strong name assembly key file and assign it to each project in the solution.

Prerequisites

To perform the procedure in this topic, you must be logged on with an account that is a member of the BizTalk Server Administrator's group. In addition, your account must have Write permissions on the global assembly cache (GAC). The Administrators account on the local computer has this permission.

To configure a strong name assembly key file

1. Start Visual Studio Command Prompt.

2. At the command prompt, from the folder where you want to store the key file, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

   sn /k file_name .snk

   Example: sn /k ErrorHandling.snk

   A confirmation message, Key pair written to <file_name>.snk, displays on the command line.

3. In Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click the project and then click Properties.

4. Click the Signing tab and choose Browse in the Choose a strong name key file drop down box.

5. Browse to the key file and click it. Click Open, and then close the project properties.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for each project in the solution that you want to deploy using this strong name assembly key file.

See Also

Deploying BizTalk Assemblies from Visual Studio into a BizTalk Application