Before we start exploring the individual application blocks, let us download and install Enterprise Library first. We can download the latest release of the Enterprise Library available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/entlib/ from MSDN site; alternatively the download link is also available on the home page of the community site at http://entlib.codeplex.com. Click on the link Enterprise Library 5.0 - April 2010 from the list of active releases and download the Microsoft Installer (MSI) package file from the download section. Now follow the steps given below to install the library. It is recommended to install the features given below.
This section provides options to selectively install specific application blocks; it is recommended that you install all the application blocks to avoid running the installer multiple times to add other blocks.
Visual Studio integration of the configuration editor helps us in editing Enterprise Library configuration settings from within the development environment. This comes quite handy instead of switching between the standalone configuration editor and Visual studio IDE.
It is recommended to install the source code of Enterprise Library; the source code gives lot of insight in to the how each application is implemented and the best practices adopted by the Enterprise Library team.
- Double-click the installation file to run Microsoft Enterprise Library 5.0 Setup. The following screenshot with the welcome message will be loaded; click Next to move to the next step of the wizard.
- The End-User License Agreement screen is displayed as shown in the following screenshot. It is important and a good practice to read and fully understand the license agreement of any software we use to develop applications. Once we are satisfied with the license terms, we may click Next to move forward to the next installation step.
- The following step in the installation wizard displays the system requirements and comes in quite handy to verify whether the system satisfies the minimum requirements. Click Next to move to the next installation step.
- Once we click Next we are presented with a feature selection screen as shown in the following screenshot. The installer provides control over installation of the binaries of each individual application block; for the purposes of this demonstration we will install all the features.
- Once we click Next, we will be presented with the Ready to install Microsoft Enterprise Library 5.0 screen as shown in the following screenshot. Clicking on the Install button will initiate the installation process.
- After the installation is completed the following screen will be shown; we may install the source code of Enterprise Library by selecting the checkbox Launch Microsoft Enterprise Library 5.0 Source Installer and clicking on the Finish button. Provide the appropriate install location for the source code and the installer will copy the source code and additionally build the assemblies if we choose.
