Ngen confused app

[alex6dj]

I´m using the next ConfuserEx project in an .Net 4.6.1 app and I wan't to know wath changes are needed for ngen.exe compatibility.

I think that invalid metadata should be removed, but I don't know if anything else should too.

        <rule pattern="true" inherit="false">
            <protection id="watermark" action="remove" />
            <protection id="rename">
                <argument name="mode" value="reversible" />
                <argument name="password" value="*************" />
                <argument name="renameArgs" value="true" />
                <argument name="renEnum" value="true" />
                <argument name="flatten" value="true" />
                <argument name="forceRen" value="false" />
                <argument name="renPublic" value="true" />
                <argument name="renXaml" value="true" />
            </protection>
            <protection id="anti debug" />
            <protection id="anti dump" />
            <protection id="anti ildasm" />
            <protection id="anti tamper">
                <argument name="mode" value="normal" />
                <argument name="key" value="dynamic" />
            </protection>
            <protection id="constants">
                <argument name="mode" value="x86" />
                <argument name="decoderCount" value="10" />
                <argument name="elements" value="SNPI" />
                <argument name="cfg" value="true" />
            </protection>
            <protection id="ctrl flow">
                <argument name="type" value="switch" />
                <argument name="predicate" value="x86" />
                <argument name="intensity" value="70" />
                <argument name="depth" value="6" />
                <argument name="junk" value="true" />
            </protection>
            <protection id="harden" />
            <protection id="invalid metadata" />
            <protection id="ref proxy">
                <argument name="mode" value="strong" />
                <argument name="encoding" value="x86" />
                <argument name="internal" value="true" />
                <argument name="typeErasure" value="true" />
                <argument name="depth" value="4" />
                <argument name="initCount" value="32" />
            </protection>
            <protection id="resources" />
        </rule>

[mkaring]

So first thing is that your assembly requires a strong name. So you absolutely need to sign your assembly and you need to allow ConfuserEx to use the key in order to resign the assembly.

The other thing that jumps straight to mind, is the anti tamper. This one is very likely breaking ngen, because ngen needs to be able, to read the method body. anti tamper prevents this. Also everything that uses x86 predicates is likely incompatible, because ngen is only working for fully managed assenblies. Using the x86 encodings and predicates, will turn the assembly to a mixed assembly.

I'm not sure about invalid metadata. It shouldn't affect ngen, but I can't say for sure.

[alex6dj]

Thanks for the fast reply.

Still waiting impatiently for version 2 :)