Difference between all donet.exe under SDK/Runtime binary

[TingluoHuang]

I noticed there are few dotnet.exe under the SDK/Runtime binary.

Ex: I download the netcore 1.1 SDK binary, the layout looks like this

..\host
  \sdk
  \shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App\1.1.1\dotnet.exe
  \dotnet.exe

Ex: I download the netcore 1.1 runtime binary, the layout looks like this

..\host
  \shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App\1.1.1\dotnet.exe
  \dotnet.exe

I am curious about what's the different between them.

[wli3]

Hi TingluoHuang,
The difference is... well... whether SDK is concluded.

Runtime is for your app to be run on, and SDK is to help you develop as a developer.

In a sense, as a developer you use the SDK to develop an app using commands like dotnet new, restore, build, publish. After you publish your app, if the app is not self contained, runtime is required for your customer/hosting environment to run the app

[TingluoHuang]

@wli3 I understand that, but even the Runtime binary has 2 dotnet.exe, what's the different between them?

[livarcocc]

In 2.0, we have removed the duplicated dotnet.exe and now there is only one. At the root of the install dir.

[oliverjanik]

How is side by side handled? I have Core 1.1 deployed on the server and I'm deploying Core 2 and it seems 1.1 is being picked up all the time

[livarcocc]

@oliverjanik is this the runtime or the SDK that is being picked up?

[oliverjanik]

Runtime. Should I be installing SDK on the server?

[oliverjanik]

I found my actual issue. I installed Core 2 runtime. But my project nuget packages were newer than the ones in the dotnet store (the new GAC ?). I had to hunt down what to download and where to update the store packages.

Seems that framework libs are not part of my site deployment anymore.

[oliverjanik]

You might want to mention somewhere that Runtime will not automatically deploy new AspNetCore dlls.

Also your link on this page (https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/windows) for x64 ASP.NET Core Runtime (.zip) downloads 2.0.3 not 2.0.5

[livarcocc]

If you are on windows, I think you just need the hosting bundle and you get both the runtime and the store. Also, the links are showing as 2.0.5 for me. I wonder if there is something cached in your case.

Anyways, @joeloff to confirm that the hosting bundle is enough and @leecow is case there is something wrong with the links in the site.

[oliverjanik]

Pls hit this url: https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/thank-you/dotnet-runtime-2.0.5-windows-x64-asp.net-core-runtime-binaries

it downloads 2.0.3, does not matter what the url says ;-)

[oliverjanik]

I missed the hosting bundle download. Can we have a little description against all downloads to tell us what's needed in what scenarios?

[joeloff]

Hosting bundle should be enough I think

@leecow can we update the page with short description around the content, or perhaps a that shows what components ship where split between runtime, SDK, store and ANCM

[livarcocc]

@leecow can you check why the URL is still pointing to 2.0.3

[leecow]

@livarcocc , @oliverjanik - ASP.NET version referenced updated to 2.0.5. Should be live in a few minutes.