Yet another System.Runtime.InteropServices error

Question

Every project we have with MongoDB will, at one point of another, have a problem with the System.Runtime.InteropServices library that doesn't load.

This time the error is interesting:

The outer exception can't find the version 4.3.0.0 of the lib. But the inner exception can't find version 4.0.0.0

Does anyone have an idea about that?

---

More information about the problem:

So, NuGet has 4.3.0.0 installed

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<packages>
  <package id="System.Runtime" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net462" />
  <package id="System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net462" />
</packages>

packages.config confirms that I have 4.3.0.0 installed,

however, app.config which always seem to be out of sync with reality:

  <dependentAssembly>
    <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
    <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.0.1.0" newVersion="4.0.1.0" />
  </dependentAssembly>

A line was added about version 4.0.1.0

In the same line.. the csproj is nonsense:

<Reference Include="System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation, Version=4.0.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
  <HintPath>x:\Packages\System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation.4.3.0\lib\net45\System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>

Since it claims to reference 4.0.1.0 with the path of 4.3.0.0

There is something broken and it is always happening with that exact same lib; not just this project: anywhere I include MongoDB, this lib comes as a dependency and, every time, there are some random problems with it.

When I try to load in manually:

        var Name = new AssemblyName("System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation, Version=4.3.0.0");
        var Asm = Assembly.Load(Name);

it fails as well.

I am finding that System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation.dll does NOT get copied to the build folder, even though it's included in the project.

---

I found a nasty workaround: if I include MongoDB in the main exe, even if I don't use it, it has a dependency on the Interop lib and this forced the lib to be copied to the build folder and then the subsequent calls work.

Answer 1

The System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation v4.3.0 NuGet does indeed install a DLL with the version 4.1.0.0; although confusing it doesn't seem to create any problems.

Try installing the following NuGets on each project that directly or indirectly uses MongoDB v2.4.4

• System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation v4.3.0
• System.Runtime.InteropServices v4.3.0

This worked for me.

The only case where this didn't work was an MSTest unit/integration test where MSTest appears to ignore binding redirects (seperate issue - seems to be quite common), as such I created my integration test using a regular console exe.

I'm probably way off, but my own experiences/observations suggested that MongoDB.Driver (v2.4.4) has a dependency on System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation, which is satisified by its NuGet dependency on NETStandardLibrary, but that System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation's dependency on System.Runtime.InteropServices isn't taken care of. That's why it's not enough to just upgrade RuntimeInformation. In my case I have many projects that already have a dependency on NETStandardLibrary (v1.6) and so I couldn't use System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation v4.0.0 if I wanted to as 4.3.0 is already installed and can't be removed. I saw both the exceptions that you saw, at different times, and installing both the NuGet packages as above resolved them.