C Runtime Library Version Compatibility: updates require rebuilds?

Question

How do you construct a library (static lib or a dll/so) so that it isn't sensitive to future updates to the system's C runtime librarires?

At the end of July, Microsoft updated a bunch of libraries, including the C runtime libraries. Our app is written with a mix of MFC/C++/VB and some third party libraries, including some that are closed source.

I've been busy recompiling all of the libraries we have source to, but I am wondering if it is really necessary? What will happen if we link in or load a library built against an earlier version of the C runtime?

When recompiling this stuff, what compiler and linker settings must be the same between the main application and the supporting libraries? I've discovered that the runtime library setting needs to be the same (we use the multi-threaded version /MD and /MDd) but I'm worried about other settings. I've actually pulled all the settings out into Visual Studio property sheets and I'm using the same sheets for all our different projects, but this doesn't work for 3rd party libraries and I'm thinking it is overkill.

I have noticed that the linker will spit out a warning about conflicting libraries, but it suggests to just ignore the default libraries. Is it safe to do so? It seems like a very ugly solution to the problem.

Answer 1

If you are loading the 3rd party libraries as DLLs, they may depend on different runtime versions than your executable as long as

• you are not handing over parameters of types, that depend on the runtime libs (like STL types)
• the 3rd party lib is able to load the version of the runtime, that it has been built with or is statically linked to the runtime

So, you don't have to recompile the DLLs.

If you are statically linking to the libs or if you are handing over types defined in the runtime DLLs, you may get some problems with symbols, that are already imported in your lib, so most likely you will have to recompile it.

Answer 2

If you or your third-party components are statically linking against out-of-date C libraries, you are fine; upgrades to those libraries will not affect your program. Of course, you won't benefit from any bug fixes or performance upgrades or what-have-you either. If you do recompile your code to take advantage of your new settings, all runtime switches must be the same. This is always the case, regardless of when or why your libraries are compiled. It is probably safe to ignore the default libraries (I've been doing so for years without difficulty).

Dynamically-linked libraries are another story. If you rely on the target system having a particular version of a given dll, and it has some other incompatible version instead, then you are screwed. The traditional solution to this problem is to bundle all the dlls you need with your executable. Microsoft's new side-by-side assembly thing might also be able to help, but it's always been a little too hard to set up for me to bother with it. You might have better luck.