Base Address Proprty

[Guest]

We are writing a set of Windows Services using C#.NET that will run on the
same server. One of the developers here said that we should assign each
service its own Base Address using the Properties page, so that the services
won't conflict with each other. I cannot seem to find any information about
when to set the Base Address or what its practical effect would be. My
impression is that the BaseAddress is just a "suggested" base address, and
that Windows / .NET will check it but load the .dll where it thinks is best
if there is a conflict.

Is setting the Base Address something that we should do? What is the
practical effect of changing that parameter?

Steve Guidos

 

[Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]]

Steve,

The Base Address that is suggested by VS.NET is random (from what I can
tell). VB6 defaulted to a fixed address, which required the DLL to be
remapped by the OS for the process when it was used.

However, if they are the same, the loader will take care of the mapping
for you, there will be no conflict. Having different base addresses just
makes it faster (by how much depends on the size of the assembly).

Also, since these are separate services, the point is moot, since they
each have their own address space.

Hope this helps.