Microsoft® .NET Compact Framework (Core Reference)

Installing Assemblies into the Global Assembly Cache

The GAC is a store for assemblies that are shared among several applications that are installed on the device. You use the GAC to install a custom control library or common class library that you have written that will be used by several applications. The .NET Compact Framework base class library assemblies are in the GAC. The GAC is a memory-resident cache of shared assemblies.

Files that install in the GAC go in the \Windows directory. If you examine the \Windows directory on a device where the .NET Compact Framework has been installed, you will see a number of files with names beginning with GAC, such as GAC_mscorlib_v1_0_5000_0_cneutral_1.dll. At run time, the common language runtime uses ...