Supported Platforms and System Requirements

[This documentation is for preview only, and is subject to change in later releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

Evaluate your platform, hardware, software, and developer knowledge to ensure they meet the requirements for .NET Micro Framework development.

Supported Platforms

You can install the .NET Micro Framework Platform SDK on the following operating systems:

  • Microsoft Windows Vista

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Hardware Requirements

To install and use the .NET Micro Framework Platform SDK, you need the following hardware components.

JJ646613.collapse_all(en-us,VS.102).gifProcessor

  • Minimum: 600-MHz or faster Pentium-class, Itanium-class, Athlon-class, or Opteron-class processor

  • Recommended: 1-GHz or faster Pentium-class, Itanium-class, Athlon-class, or Opteron-class processor

JJ646613.collapse_all(en-us,VS.102).gifComputer Memory

The RAM must accommodate both Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Micro Framework Platform SDK, because you will probably run these simultaneously.

  • Minimum: 320 MB of RAM

  • Recommended: 640 MB of RAM, or more

Note

The SDK performance has not been tuned for the minimum system configuration. If you increase your RAM to an amount greater than the minimum amount, you will improve the SDK performance, especially when you are running multiple applications concurrently, working with large projects, or doing enterprise-level development.

JJ646613.collapse_all(en-us,VS.102).gifHard Disk

When you install the .NET Micro Framework Platform SDK, the default installation location is your system drive, but you can install the application on any available drive. Regardless of where you install the SDK, the installer will always put some files on your system drive. Before you install the SDK, make sure that you have enough available hard disk space on your system drive and your installation drive:

  • 5.0 MB on the system drive

  • 5.0 MB on the installation drive

  • 10.0 MB on the system drive if it is also your installation drive

If you install the SDK on your system drive, the amount of space required on that drive will be the total of the space required on the system drive plus the space required on the installation drive. Also, please allow enough disk space for the applications that you may create. Each application that uses the .NET Micro Framework will require a minimum of 1 MB of hard disk space.

JJ646613.collapse_all(en-us,VS.102).gifDisplay Device (Monitor)

  • Minimum: Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colors

  • Recommended: Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher-resolution monitor with high (16-bit) or highest (32-bit) color quality

JJ646613.collapse_all(en-us,VS.102).gifMouse

You will need a Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device.

JJ646613.collapse_all(en-us,VS.102).gifOther Hardware

You will need a CD drive or a DVD-ROM drive.

Software Requirements

  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 SP1 (including C#) or Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition SP1

Developer's Knowledge Prerequisites

All development for applications that use the .NET Micro Framework is done in C#, using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. For fastest development, developers should be familiar with the following:

  1. The C# programming language

  2. Object-oriented programming concepts

  3. Visual Studio 2008

  4. Microsoft .NET Framework