InvalidCastException with two difference versions of ODAC

Question

I have ODAC 12.1 installed on my machine. The source code is using version 12.2 (newer).

I am getting InvalidCastException during runtime:

System.InvalidCastException: [A]Oracle.DataAccess.Client.OracleCommand cannot be cast to [B]Oracle.DataAccess.Client.OracleCommand. Type A originates from 'Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342' in the context 'Default' at location 'C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.Net\assembly\GAC_64\Oracle.DataAccess\v4.0_4.121.2.0__89b483f429c47342\Oracle.DataAccess.dll'. Type B originates from 'Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.122.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342' in the context 'Default' at location 'C:\code\Windows Application\bin\Debug\Oracle.DataAccess.dll'.

How to specify, which Oracle version should be used by the application?

Wernfried Domscheit Wernfried Domscheit · Accepted Answer · 2018-09-24T09:12:35

Please have a look at this: [A]Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.Client.OracleParameter cannot be cast to [B]Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.Client.OracleParameter

However, I think the problem might be something else. Check your GAC, my one looks like this:

c:\Temp>gacutil /l | findstr /i Oracle.DataAccess, | findstr Version=4.12 | sort
  Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342, processorArchitecture=AMD64
  Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342, processorArchitecture=x86
  Policy.4.112.Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342, processorArchitecture=AMD64
  Policy.4.112.Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342, processorArchitecture=x86
  Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342, processorArchitecture=AMD64
  Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342, processorArchitecture=x86

The publisher policy file Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess.config is this

<configuration>
   <runtime>
      <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
        <dependentAssembly>
          <assemblyIdentity name="Oracle.DataAccess" publicKeyToken="89B483F429C47342"/>
            <bindingRedirect oldVersion="4.121.0.0-4.121.2.0" newVersion="4.121.2.0"/>
        </dependentAssembly>
      </assemblyBinding>
   </runtime>
</configuration>

If you have an application which asks for Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.122.1.0 then Windows does not know which version to load from GAC (as it covers only up to 4.121.2.0), so most likely it loads the DLL you copy to the application directory. Then you get the version conflict.

Solution 1:

Grab an "old" version of Oracle.DataAccess.dll (could be even older than 4.121.2.0, but must be 4.x.x.x) and copy it to your development machine - just the single DLL, don't install any additional Oracle Client.

Make your reference to this old DLL. The publisher policy will redirect automatically to the version which is installed on your machine - unless you force a specific version, see How to load specific version of assembly from GAC

Solution 2:

Above I wrote "The publisher policy will redirect automatically ...", however this implies that the publisher policies are installed properly!

When I installed Oracle 12.2 client the last time then Oracle.DataAccess was not put into GAC, also the publisher policies were not added. This seems to be a bug in the Oracle Universal Installer. You can add them manually with this script, pick the version and architecture you need:

SETLOCAL

set Oracle_x64=c:\oracle\product\12.1\Client_x64\ODP.NET
set Oracle_x86=c:\oracle\product\12.1\Client_x86\ODP.NET

set OraProvCfg_x64=%Oracle_x64%\bin\4\OraProvCfg.exe
set OraProvCfg_x86=%Oracle_x86%\bin\4\OraProvCfg.exe


IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\managed\common\Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\managed\common\Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\managed\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.121.Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\managed\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.121.Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\managed\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.122.Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\managed\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.122.Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll

IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\bin\2.x\Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\bin\2.x\Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.102.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.102.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.111.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.111.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll

IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\bin\4\Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\bin\4\Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x64%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x64%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll

IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\bin\2.x\Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\bin\2.x\Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.102.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.102.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.111.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.111.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\2.x\Policy.2.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll

IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\bin\4\Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\bin\4\Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.112.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.121.Oracle.DataAccess.dll
IF EXIST "%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll" "%OraProvCfg_x86%" /action:gac /providerpath:%Oracle_x86%\PublisherPolicy\4\Policy.4.122.Oracle.DataAccess.dll

Of course, you can also use the gacutil.exe if you prefer.

InvalidCastException with two difference versions of ODAC

1 Answers