1. An Introduction to the Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure (SSCLI)
Damien Watkins
Copyright Watkins 2002

2. Introduction Damien Watkins damien@project42.net damien@dstc.edu.au
MSR invited Monash University to joined Project 7 in 1998
Co-author of “Programming in the .NET Environment”, Addison Wesley
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3. Agenda What is the SSCLI? Understanding the CLI Directory Structure
Development Tools
Summary
Questions
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4. SSCLI (a.k.a. Rotor) Shared Source: Is a license
You should read and agree with the license before using Rotor (I am not a lawyer!)
Common Language Infrastructure
Component-Based Software Architecture
Similar in parts to COM, CORBA, Java
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5. SSCLI (a.k.a. Rotor)
CLI
Implementation of the ECMA standards 334 and 335
335 Common Language Infrastructure
Component based Software Architecture
334 C# Language Specification
Component based Language
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6. SSCLI (a.k.a. Rotor)
Distributed as 2 tar files from msdn.microsoft.com/net/sscli
12 megabyte tar file of source code
4 megabyte tar file of documentation
Compile and run on FreeBSD and Windows XP
Start with the readfirst.html file
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7. SSCLI - Tar file 1 1.9 million lines of source code
1.1 million lines of C++
600k lines of C#
125k IL Assembler
Assembler
5,900 source files
9700 files in total
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8. SSCLI - Tar 2 Documentation
In the root directory there is ClassLibrary.html
There are a number of subdirectories, one for each namespace with an index page System
And then pages for each type, System.Object
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9. SSCLI – When built Tar 1: 550 Mb 11,000 files Tar 2: 40 Mb 1,100 files
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10. Understanding the CLI
The CLI provides a number of abstractions and facilities
In this section we look at the major architectural elements of the CLI, this is a top-down approach
In the Tools section we look from the tools that manipulate the CLI, a bottom-up approach
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11. Commercial Version System.Web System.Windows Languages System.Data
C#, VB, Managed C++, IL, JScript
System.Data
System.Xml
XSLT, XPath, Serialization
System
Collections, Configuration, Diagnostics, Globalization, IO, Net, Reflection, Resources, Security, Service Process, Text, Threading, Interop, Remoting, Serialization
Tools
cordbg, ilasm, ildasm, peverify, VS.NET
Common Language Runtime
Type, Metadata and Execution Systems
Windows
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12. EMCA System.Web System.Windows Languages System.Data System.Xml System
C#, VB, Managed C++, IL, JScript
System.Data
System.Xml
XSLT, XPath, Serialization
System
Collections, Configuration, Diagnostics, Globalization, IO, Net, Reflection, Resources, Security, Service Process, Text, Threading, Interop, Remoting, Serialization
Tools
cordbg, ilasm, ildasm, peverify, VS.NET
Common Language Runtime
Type, Metadata and Execution Systems
Operating System
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13. Rotor System.Web System.Windows Languages System.Data System.Xml
C#, VB, Managed C++, IL, JScript
System.Data
System.Xml
XSLT, XPath, Serialization
System
Collections, Configuration, Diagnostics, Globalization, IO, Net, Reflection, Resources, Security, Service Process, Text, Threading, Interop, Remoting, Serialization
Tools
cordbg, ilasm, ildasm, peverify, VS.NET
Common Language Runtime
Type, Metadata and Execution Systems
Platform Adaptation Layer
Copyright Watkins 2002

14. SSCLI - Execution Architecture
Development
Deployment
Source
Code
Compiler
Assembly
GAC
Execution
Security
Assembly
Assembly
Loader
GAC
Class
Loader
JIT &
Verifier
Execution
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15. SSCLI - Execution Architecture
Hosting Environment
Common Language Runtime
Assembly
Assembly
Security System
Policy Levels
Evidence
Permission Set
Enterprise
Machine
Security
Settings
User
Application Domain
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16. Common Language Infrastructure
Comprised of two major elements
Common Language Runtime
A shared execution architecture that multiple languages can target
Framework Class Libraries
Facilities and services need to create non-trivial applications
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17. Common Language Runtime
CLR includes
Type System
Metadata System
Execution System
Similar to the facilities/functionality provided by an IDL in COM or CORBA
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18. Type System Two basic types Value types Copy semantics
Stack allocated (normally)
Boxing
Reference types
Reference semantics
GC heap allocation
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19. Type System Built-in value types can be found in cortypeinfo.h *
Base Class System.Object
Found in object.h and in object.cpp
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20. Metadata Major structures found in corhdr.h Tokens Macros (IsTDClass)
and metadata.h
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21. JIT Compiler Converts Intermediate Language to native code
Verifies IL stream
Produces tables for garbage collector
Produces tables for exception handling
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22. JIT Compiler The major file for the JIT compiler is fjit.h
Interface between execution engine and JIT compiler in corjit.h
Jit compiler interface in jitinterface.h
GC and EH tables in eetwain.h
The compileMethod method is found in fjitcompiler.h and fjitcompiler.cpp
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23. JIT Compiler Verifier component is in fjitverfier.h fitverifier.cpp
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24. Framework Class Libraries
Base Class Library
System.Collections
System.IO
System.Security
Sytem.Text
System.Threading
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25. PAL Platform Adaptation Layer
Provides a standard interface the execution engine
Translates method calls to the operating system and vice versa
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26. Directories sscli, the root directory Has files such as Readfirst.html
License.txt
Env.bat
Buildall
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27. sscli\build
Many of the executables and DLLs are placed in this directory or its subdirectories
al.exe
clix.exe
csc.exe
gacutil.exe
mscorlib.dll
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28. sscli\build\v1…\assembly
GAC
System
System.Runtime.Remoting
System.Serialization.Formatters.Soap
System.Xml
Microsoft.JScript
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29. sscli\build\v1…\sdk\bin
cordbg.exe - debugger
ilasm.exe – IL Assembler
ildasm.exe – IL Disassembler
peverify.exe – PE Verifier
resgen.exe – Resource Generator
sn.exe – Strong Name
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30. sscli\pal Platform Adaptation Layer
The abstract interface is in rotor_pal.h
Two subdirectories
Unix
Win32
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31. Development Tools C# Compiler JScript compiler written in C#
Alink, Assembly linker
GacUtil, GAC Utility tool
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32. Development Tools ILASM – IL Assembler ILDASM – IL Disassembler
PEVerify – A File Format and Metadata Verifier
Cordbg – Debugger
CLIX – Program Loader
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33. Summary
Rotor is an interesting implementation of a component based software architecture
The source code allows you to dig in as deep as you want
Idea to use in research, you do not have to build the infrastructure
Useful in teaching: compilers, security, …
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34. Questions
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