WebAPI OData 5.0 Beta - Accessing GlobalConfiguration throws Security Error - asp.net-mvc-4

Question

I recently installed the pre-release version of the WebApi OData 5.0 framework to play with the new $expand support. Everything built okay, but I get a strange exception on App_Start.
Attempt by security transparent method
'System.Web.Http.GlobalConfiguration.get_Configuration()'
to access security critical type 'System.Web.Http.HttpConfiguration' failed.
Source Error:
Line 12: protected void Application_Start()
Line 13: {
Line 14: WebApiConfig.Register(GlobalConfiguration.Configuration); // <--
Line 15: }
Stack Trace:
[TypeAccessException: Attempt by security transparent method 'System.Web.Http.GlobalConfiguration.get_Configuration()' to access
security critical type 'System.Web.Http.HttpConfiguration' failed.]
System.Web.Http.GlobalConfiguration.get_Configuration() +0
API.WebApiApplication.Application_Start() in Global.asax.cs:14
[HttpException (0x80004005): Attempt by security transparent method 'System.Web.Http.GlobalConfiguration.get_Configuration()' to access
security critical type 'System.Web.Http.HttpConfiguration' failed.]
System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.EnsureAppStartCalledForIntegratedMode(HttpContext context, HttpApplication app) [phone]
System.Web.HttpApplication.RegisterEventSubscriptionsWithIIS(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context, MethodInfo[] handlers) +175
System.Web.HttpApplication.InitSpecial(HttpApplicationState state, MethodInfo[] handlers, IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context) +304
System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.GetSpecialApplicationInstance(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context) +404
System.Web.Hosting.PipelineRuntime.InitializeApplication(IntPtr appContext) +475
[HttpException (0x80004005): Attempt by security transparent method 'System.Web.Http.GlobalConfiguration.get_Configuration()' to access
security critical type 'System.Web.Http.HttpConfiguration' failed.]
System.Web.HttpRuntime.FirstRequestInit(HttpContext context) [phone]
System.Web.HttpRuntime.EnsureFirstRequestInit(HttpContext context) +159
System.Web.HttpRuntime.ProcessRequestNotificationPrivate(IIS7WorkerRequest wr, HttpContext context) [phone]
Google reveals very little.

Answer 1

Run following commands in Package manager Console, in the given order:
Uninstall-Package Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.FixedDisplayModes
Update-Package Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc -Pre
Update-Package Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi -Pre
Update-Package Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Tracing
Now, apply following changes to web.config:
In the Web.config of your project, update value of app setting webpages:version to 3.0.0.0
Under the section runtime in the web.config, check version of each assembly configured and update it to the version of assembly added to your project. Following is the updated configuration in my web.config:
<runtime> <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1"> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Helpers" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Mvc" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.0.0-5.0.0.0" newVersion="5.0.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.WebPages" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="EntityFramework" publicKeyToken="b77a5c561934e089" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-5.0.0.0" newVersion="5.0.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="WebGrease" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-1.3.0.0" newVersion="1.3.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Http" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-5.0.0.0" newVersion="5.0.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> <dependentAssembly> <assemblyIdentity name="System.Net.Http.Formatting" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" /> <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-5.0.0.0" newVersion="5.0.0.0" /> </dependentAssembly> </assemblyBinding> </runtime>
Open the web.config from Views folder. There are three things to be updated here:
Under configSections, update versions of the Razor assemblies as 3.0.0.0.
Update version of host under system.web.webPages.razor section, update version of System.Web.Mvc.MvcWebRazorHostFactory as 3.0.0.0.
There are a few version numbers mentioned under pages section of System.web. Update all of them to version 5.0.0.0
If you have Web API Help Pages installed, check for the above assembly configurations there as well.

Answer 2

I was having this same error. I just tweaked Ravi's answer a little bit and found that updating the WebApi package follwed by updating/installing WebApi.OData 5.0.0-rc1 package worked well enough for me. I just ran these at the package manager:
Update-Package Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi -Pre
Install-Package Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.OData -Version 5.0.0
I'm guessing that the prerelease versions of WebApi.OData package has some dependency with a newer version of WebApi package that Nuget fails to inspect as a dependency. Then again, I am technically a newbie with WebApi OData and don't know much about the packages yet but, yeah, I can run the project with $expand and $select functionality and none of the GlobalConfiguration error. :)

Answer 3

I am not sure what the exact reason for this would be, but I generally see this error when one of the nuget packages is an older version (non pre-release). Could you try upgrading all your nuget packages and see if this goes away.

Answer 4

All you need to do is run the command "update-package Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi" in the Package Manager Console for the VS solution