Source: Microsoft Support

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This article discusses the distribution of two updates to the .NET Framework to those PCs with .NET Framework 2.0 and above via Windows Update.

Beginning in the first half of 2009, Microsoft will distribute two important updates to the .NET Framework through Windows Update to all computers that have .NET Framework 2.0 or above installed. Because .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 makes several substantial security and performance improvements to the 2.0 CLR – as well as to other parts of the framework – Microsoft has issued the updates as important updates, and recommends that its customers apply the updates to those PCs with .NET Framework 2.0, 2.0 SP1, 3.0, 3.0 SP1, or 3.5 installed.

The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 contains .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 so this service pack will provide the latest updates to earlier versions of the framework. These updates include changes to the following parts of the .NET Framework: Application startup times ClickOnce deployment Controls used in ASP.NET, Windows Forms, and WPF Database connections and transactions Embedded web browser controls HTTP connections Installation of applications Oracle database drivers Unicode text handling Web services Windows Service shutdown XML Serialization The update titled " List of changes and fixed issues in the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1" (KB951847) will upgrade x86 and x64 computers with .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5 to the latest version of the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, and will also update these computers with the latest application compatibility fixes. For more information about KB951847, see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

http://kbalertz.com/Feedback.aspx?kbNumber=951847 (http://kbalertz.com/Feedback.aspx?kbNumber=951847)

If a computer already has .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed, then it will only need to have the second update – "An update for the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 is available” (KB959209) – installed. For more information about KB959209, see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

http://kbalertz.com/Feedback.aspx?kbNumber=959209 (http://kbalertz.com/Feedback.aspx?kbNumber=959209)

Although the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 full redistributable for offline installation is 231 MB, the web installer is much smaller. The web installer itself is a 2.8 MB download that then downloads and installs only the additional parts of the .NET Framework that the PC requires based on OS, architecture and language. The following table illustrates the approximate size of the download (assuming no language pack), and the approximate time required to download the update(s) assuming a 512 kpbs Internet connection.



For computers with the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed the download for KB959209 is approximately 1.4 MB in size and requires 30 seconds to download using a 512 kbps Internet connection.

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