Introduction

From August 2019, the version of .NET Framework required by our Global Model Workstation software is changing from 4.5 to 4.6.

Current versions of our Global Model Workstation software require that a Microsoft component called .NET Framework 4.5 is installed on your computer. Our standard Workstation installer automatically installs this component.

Some users may find that further action is required in order to upgrade from their existing version of the Workstation.

Further action is required only if:

1. You wish to upgrade to new versions of the Workstation from August 2019 onwards, AND
2. You have Windows 7 or 8, AND
3. You do not use our standard .exe installer OR your organisation has restrictions on using installers which download content from the internet during installation

What is changing?
The version of .NET Framework required by our Global Model Workstation software is changing from 4.5 to 4.6. This doesn't change any functionality; the Workstation will look and work the same way as before.

What is .NET Framework?
.NET Framework is a standard Microsoft component used for developing Windows applications. A version of it is included by default in all modern versions of Windows.

When will this happen?
This will take effect from August 2019 onwards, starting with our Global Economic Model release in that month.

Will this affect me?
Firstly, please note that this change only takes effect when you upgrade your existing Workstation installation to a new version from August onwards. Your existing version of the Workstation is not affected.

When you do upgrade, the impact varies depending on your version of Windows:

Windows 10
No impact. .NET Framework 4.6 is already included by default. This Workstation upgrade will be no different from any other.

Windows 7 or 8
You may already have .NET Framework 4.6 installed, in which case there is no impact, as for Windows 10 users.

If it is not already installed, and you use the standard .exe installer for the Workstation, .NET Framework 4.6 will be installed automatically. You may notice that upgrading takes slightly longer than usual.

In some organisations, automatic installation of .NET Framework may fail because the installer is blocked from downloading content from the internet. If this happens, you or your IT team will need to download the offline runtime installer for .NET Framework 4.6 and install it separately, then upgrade the Workstation. It is likely that you had to follow similar steps when you first installed the Workstation.

If you use our "unbundled" .msi installer for the Workstation, then you or your IT team will also need to download and install the .NET Framework 4.6 runtime separately.

Do I need to do anything now?
If you use Windows 10, no further action is required.

If you use the standard .exe installer for the Workstation, no. We recommend you simply go ahead with the upgrade as normal, in most cases no additional action will be required.

If you use the unbundled .msi installer and/or your organisation has a process for centralised packaging of third-party software, we recommend that you contact your IT team in advance of your upgrade of the Workstation to ensure that .NET Framework 4.6 can be installed, if necessary.

What happens if I can't install .NET Framework 4.6?
You will be unable to upgrade your installation of the Workstation.

You can continue using your current version of the Workstation for as long as you need to. However, please bear in mind that we will only be adding new features and fixing bugs in the newer versions of the Workstation. Please contact us at gmw@oxfordeconomics.com if you need to upgrade your Workstation installation but cannot do so due to the .NET Framework dependency.

What is the reason for this change?
Upgrading to a newer version of .NET Framework generally makes it easier for us to introduce new features in the Workstation.

Specifically, this upgrade will allow us to:

• Provide better support for high-DPI screens
• In a subsequent release, take advantage of 64-bit architecture to provide better performance

How can I get more guidance regarding this change?
Please contact us at gmw@oxfordeconomics.com to raise a support ticket.