Performance Benefits of Using the Latest Microsoft .NET Framework with Reflection

You can improve the performance and security of Reflection Desktop 16, Reflection 2014, or Reflection 2011 by installing the latest .NET Framework. This technical note describes the performance improvements, as well as how to obtain and install the latest .NET Framework.

Microsoft .NET Framework is a required and integral part of the Reflection software.  Reflection Desktop 16, Reflection 2014, and Reflection 2011 require a minimum .NET Framework version 4.0, but can benefit from the performance increases in .NET Framework version 4.5 or higher.

If you run Reflection on one of the following platforms,

you can experience significant performance improvements if you run the latest version of the Microsoft .NET Framework (version 4.5 or higher).

Gains of up to 25% faster execution are possible based on our testing, but individual results may vary depending on the hardware and software environments in use. Even more significant gains in performance are possible with running Windows 8 Pro and .NET Framework 4.5.1. (Windows 8.1 includes .NET Framework 4.5.1.)

.NET Upgrade Information

In late 2013, the Microsoft Windows Update application (Control Panel) started to show .NET version 4.5.1 as an “Important “ update, so many users may have already installed it. If you have not yet updated your .NET version, you can use the Windows Update service to get the latest release, or go to the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1 download site:

In late 2017, Microsoft released .NET version 4.71 and this can be used as a replacement for earlier versions of .NET to provide better security and faster performance with Reflection Desktop 16.  This update is available from the Microsoft download site:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56116

Note: You must have administrator privileges to install the stand-alone .NET Framework version 4.5 or later and its updates on a Windows system, and a restart of the system may be necessary after applying this upgrade.

For more information about performance and other features of the .NET Framework 4.5.1 see the following:

For other suggestions on how to improve performance, especially when running VBA and .NET Applications with Reflection, see Tech Note https://support.microfocus.com/kb/doc.php?id=7021454

Legacy KB ID

This document was originally published as Attachmate Technical Note 2703.